Q&A for How to Read Guitar Tabs

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  • Question
    How can I play guitar tabs faster?
    Michael Papenburg
    Professional Guitarist
    Michael Papenburg is a Professional Guitarist based in the San Francisco Bay Area with over 35 years of teaching and performing experience. He specializes in rock, alternative, slide guitar, blues, funk, country, and folk. Michael has played with Bay Area local artists including Matadore, The Jerry Hannan Band, Matt Nathanson, Brittany Shane, and Orange. Michael currently plays lead guitar for Petty Theft, a tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
    Professional Guitarist
    Expert Answer
    Play along with a metronome! Start at a slow speed that's easy to play along with and then gradually increase the speed as you get more comfortable with the music.
  • Question
    What is meant by the line between numbers -4-7-5-8?
    Community Answer
    The line represents the string and is just to help you to realize the frets you play are all on the same string.
  • Question
    How do I read guitar tabs when it is notes?
    Community Answer
    Tabs and notes are different systems of telling the performer what to play. You need to understand which fret on which string produces which note in order to read the notation that isn't in tabs.
  • Question
    What is meant by E-4-5-6-5?
    Community Answer
    This means that you use E string, but hold the 4th fret, then you hold the 5th fret on the same string, then you hold the 6th fret on the same string, and so on.
  • Question
    What does it mean on a tab when two strings on the fret are being played? (For example, if the 12 fret is on the E and B string, do I play them at the same time?)
    Community Answer
    If 12 is both on the E and B string on the same vertical axis, then you play them at the same time.
  • Question
    What does it mean when a tab shows a lower-case "e" instead of a capital "E" on the thinnest string?
    Community Answer
    The lower case e just represents that that string is a higher octave than the lower string. It isn't necessary on tab, but people are used to differentiating the e and E string this way.
  • Question
    How do I read guitar tabs when I'm used to reading bass tabs?
    Community Answer
    Tabs work the same way, so you will be able to understand them quickly. Keep practicing to get the hang of it on guitar.
  • Question
    What is the meaning of "b" and "s" on the tab?
    Community Answer
    Usually "b" means "bend" and "s" means "slide."
  • Question
    I know that the numbers represent frets, but what does "0" represent?
    Community Answer
    0 means to pluck the string without putting your fingers on it.
  • Question
    How do I know which fingers to use in any given case?
    Community Answer
    There is no way to express which fingers to use through tab. If the tab consists of chords, fingering can easily be found online for any chord.
  • Question
    What does a carat (^) mean on the "strum line"?
    Community Answer
    The carat symbol means "strum upwards."
  • Question
    What does 10 (10) mean?
    Community Answer
    Normally, bracketed numbers mean harmonics, so that's a possibility, but in this case I would assume it's probably a "ghost note." This is to tell you to let the 10 keep ringing even though you're in a new bar.
  • Question
    What do parentheses mean around the number on a tab?
    Community Answer
    It means that it's a ghost note. A ghost note need not be heard, but it's important to keep the rhythm.
  • Question
    What do the dotted lines represent? I see no frets on this framework.
    KAILYNN 7519911
    Community Answer
    The dotted lines represent the strings, EADGBE. There are no frets on tab, as the numbers on the lines represent the frets.
  • Question
    How can I play "0" and other numbers inside the parentheses? It is hard for me because there is a bit of information about how to play that when I search it on Google. Some says it's a ghost note.
    KAILYNN 7519911
    Community Answer
    "0" just means that it's an open string and that you don't have to put your finger on any fret.
  • Question
    How do you play multiple notes vertically when it says to skip the string in between? For instance G string and E String but the tabs show the strings in between them as not played.
    Community Answer
    Use your thumb and one of your other three free fingers to pluck both strings. If it is telling you to pluck these strings, you must pluck them at the exact same time.
  • Question
    What do I not play a string when the guitar tab has a space in the middle?
    BlackDrummer
    Community Answer
    Release pressure only on the areas you do not need. Apply pressure to all the listed notes.
  • Question
    What is the suggested way to bend an open string?
    Community Answer
    To bend an open string, wiggle your finger a little bit while playing the string. This works best on the first three thickest strings.
  • Question
    What is 3-0 except the "-" is a vertical "(" symbol? Electric guitar tab.
    Community Answer
    It is a hammer-on note. Play on fret 3, then quickly remove your finger to be 0, without plucking a string. This takes practice to get perfect, as it all depends on the amount of pressure you are apply to the string.
  • Question
    Are tabs and notes same?
    Community Answer
    They sound the same, but tabs are easier to read on guitar, because it shows you all the strings and frets. If you learned, you could read notes for guitar too. Tabs are just so much easier!
  • Question
    What does a tab mean when it's just /7? What fret do you pluck first and then slide to fret 7?
    Torpi
    Top Answerer
    It depends on the tab. Sometimes it means you slide from the last note played on that string. Sometimes it means you should begin sliding almost before you pick the string, so that the first note is imperceptible. Look up a video of the song you're trying to play and see what the performer does, to get a feel for how this technique works (sometimes it seems like YouTube has a how-to video for every song that's been heard more than 1000 times).
  • Question
    How to play c9 and c6 chords on the guitar?
    Jamie Lange
    Community Answer
    You can play the C9 like this: X32030 and the C6 like this X32210. The numbers represent the fret you play from the deepest string to lightest. The X is a string that shouldn't be played and the 0 is an open string, where no fret is held down. Tab format: C9 C6; E---0-----0--; B---3-----1--; G---0-----2--; D---2-----2--; A---3-----3--; E------------- .
  • Question
    What does an O on one line and another is on the line below but smaller mean?
    Community Answer
    It means that it is an open note. Play that note without using the left finger to fret that string.
  • Question
    What does an X mean in tablature? I see them in bass tabs I am reading.
    Community Answer
    X usually means palm mute. Some people use it to mean that a string shouldn't be played, though - but it's very unlikely that that would apply to bass, since very few musicians play more than one bass string at a time.
  • Question
    What do I do if two frets are in the same line on a guitar tab?
    Community Answer
    If they are on the same line vertically (downward), play them at the same time to make a chord. If they are on the same string horizontally, play them one after the other--whichever comes first, goes first.
  • Question
    What does it mean if there is a chord and then the same chord again in parentheses?
    Community Answer
    It means the chord is a ghost chord. You can play the chord softer for effect, or, in some cases, not repeat the chord at all.
  • Question
    How do I play guitar tabs if they don't show a beat?
    Community Answer
    It's best to listen to the song to figure out the rhythm if no beat is provided. If you don't have the song either, you'll have to improvise.
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