How to read guitar and low tablatures
On a tablature each line is a string and each number a cut. We explain how to read it on guitar and low, its most common symbols and its boundaries to the score.
A tablature (or tab) tells you where to put your fingers: Each horizontal line is a string and each number indicates how far to step it. It's read from left to right, the 0 means an air string and the numbers that appear above each other are touched at the same time.
It's the fastest system to start with with with songs and Riffs but it's got a great limit: it barely ever shows the rhythm. That's why a tab's always been read with the recording playing next door.
To sum up
- On the guitar board the top line is the first string (My sharp) and the bottom line, the 6th (My grave).
- On the four-string bass, from top to bottom: Sun, Ree, La, Mi.
- Each number is a trast; 0 is air string; stacked numbers are touched together.
- The most common symbols are h (hammer-on), p (poll-off), / and\ (sloids) and b (bend).
- The tab doesn't indicate rhythm or digitation: listen to the song and get back to the score as soon as there's one.
What each line and every number means
The most common mistake at first is to read the tab upside down. up That's the more string. acute Imagine the guitar lying face up onto your legs: the thick string gets closer to you, down with your field of vision.
| Tab line | Guitar (6 strings) | Low (4 strings) |
|---|---|---|
| First (up) | First string: My sharp (e) | First string: Sun (G) |
| 2ª | 2nd string: Si (B) | 2nd string: Reg (D) |
| 3ª | 3 string: Sun (G) | 3 string: The (A) |
| 4ª | 4th string: Reg (D) | 4th string: My (E), the most serious |
| 5ª | 5th string: The (A) | — |
| 6th (bottom) | 6th string: My grave (E) | — |
- Many tabs write the letter of each string at the start of the line and the minuscule usually mark the sharp Mi to distinguish it from the grave.
- A lower line appears at a five-string bass for serious Si (B).
- A number of two figures, about 12, is a single figure, not a 1 and a 2.
- A chord looks as a number column. The Do Major, for instance, from top down: 0, 1, 0, 2, 3, and the 6th string with no number because it's not touched.
Two examples to read right now
Here we draw each tab as a table: each row is a string and every column, a moment at time. The script (-) means that that string isn't touched at that moment. First, the scale of Do mayor at the guitar, first place:
| Rog | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e (1st) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| B (2nd) | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | 1 |
| G (3) | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | – | – |
| D (4th) | – | 0 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
| A (5th) | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| E (6th) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Note | Do | Re | Mi | Fa | Sol | La | Si | Do |
Now, a classic bass pattern: fundamental, fifth and eighth about La. It's the base of many low lines in rock, pop and Latin music.
| Rog | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G (1st) | – | – | – | – |
| D (second) | – | – | 7 | – |
| A (3) | – | 7 | – | 7 |
| E (4th) | 5 | – | – | – |
| Note | La | Mi | La | Mi |
In this pattern, step onto Stretch 5 with finger 1 and scrape them 7 with finger 3 or 4. That decision, what finger to use, is exactly what the tab doesn't tell you.
Technical symbols: h, p, /, b and company
| Symbol | Name | What are you doing? | Ejemplo |
|---|---|---|---|
| h | Hammer-on (ascending bound) | Touch first note and "tipstick" another finger on a sharpier frat without re-clicking | 5h7 |
| p | Pull-off (bottom bound) | Retiring his finger by throwing some of his string so that the most serious note will sound | 7p5 |
| / | ascending slide | Loosen his finger to a sharpier cut without tipping his string | 5/7 |
| \ | Flow | Finger his finger to a more serious fringe | 7\5 |
| b | Bend | Push the string to put up the note up to that indicated | 7b9 |
| r | Release | Drop the bend and get back to the original note | 7b9r7 |
| ~ | Vibrato | Retiring the string so that the note waves | 7~ |
| x | Note turned off | Do you hit the string without letting it sound? A pounding sound | x |
| PM | Palm Mute | Do you support the border of the palm with the ropes by the bridge? | PM---- |
| <12> | Natural harmonic | Roast the string just above Stretch 12 without passing on it | <12> |
On low with snap tablatures you will find T (blow with thumb) and P (pop, pull of string with index or medium). as the P can also mean poll-off, always check out the legend. Symbols change a little bit between locations and programs.
How to read a new tab step by step
- Look at the header: tuning and cebbling. If you say "Drop D" or "half tone down," refines before you play and if you say "Capo 2," put the cebbling at 3. Normally the numbers are counted from the cebbling.
- Stretch the instrument and for the low you can use the [low tuner]](/herramientas/afinador/bajo).
- Listen to the song following the tab with his finger, to place every sentence.
- He plays a short fragment, with one or two phrases, till he goes out without looking so much.
- Take out the rhythm of the recording: sing or delay the part and see where the long notes fall.
- Choose digitation: in a position, assign a finger by foot to avoid jumping with your hand.
- Practice with [methonomer]](/herramientas/metronomo) slow and get up as soon as I get clear.
Tables vs. score: what wins and what lose each
| Aspecto | Tablatura | Partitura |
|---|---|---|
| Where to play | That's right. | Just note, you choose the place. |
| Ritmo | Almost never but tabs with figures | Always with precision |
| Time to learn | Minutos | Weeks or months of practice |
| Instruments | Stretch only: guitar, bass, ukelele | Any instrument and voice |
| Dynamics and frying | They barely appear. | They do appear |
| Play with other musicians | Limitado | That's the common language. |
The ideal thing is to manage both: the tab to quickly learn a song, the score to understand music and read with any musician. If you want to get that step, start with our guide to [read scores from scratch]](/blog/como-leer-partituras-guia-para-principiantes).
Common mistakes while learning with tabulations
- To believe everything that the tab says. A lot of them come up with amateurs and they have mistakes. If something doesn't sound like a recording, trust your ear.
- Ignore the tuning of the header. Several rock bands record half a tone down and with standard tuning, everything will sound "almost" good.
- Touch everything with a single finger That's because the tab doesn't indicate digitation.
- Don't learn the rhythm. The right grades at the wrong time aren't the song.
- To stay alone at the pub. It's limited to the songs that someone's been texting.
A teacher of electrical guitar or electrical low helps you choose digitations, correct dubious tabs and combine tab and score as you wish to play. If you are starting with guitar, complete this guide with [basic chords]](/blog/acordes-basicos-de-guitarra-para-principiantes).
Frequently asked questions
Is it bad to learn guitar with dashboards alone?
It's not bad to start or play songs but it's short: without a written rhythm you depend on the recording and without a score it's hard to play with other musicians or run for a music race. The most complete thing is to combine them both.
Do ukelele's tablets read the same?
That's right, with four lines. At the most common tuning, top down: The (A), Mi (E), Do (C) and Sun (G). The top line remains the closest string to the ground as you play.
How do I get a beat if the tab doesn't say so?
Listen to the print and tipple and count his pulse with his foot. Some tabs include rhythmic figures under his number and if his number brings them up, learn how to read them, they are the same as his score.
What does "half tone tuning down" mean in a tab?
That all the strings are put down a semitone: My, The, The, The, The, The, The. My guitar. The tab numbers are read as well but the song will match the recording.