Q&A for How to Read Guitar Tabs

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.

The line represents the string and is just to help you to realize the frets you play are all on the same string.

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.

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.

If 12 is both on the E and B string on the same vertical axis, then you play them at the same time.

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.

Tabs work the same way, so you will be able to understand them quickly. Keep practicing to get the hang of it on guitar.

Usually "b" means "bend" and "s" means "slide."

0 means to pluck the string without putting your fingers on it.

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.

The carat symbol means "strum upwards."

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.

It means that it's a ghost note. A ghost note need not be heard, but it's important to keep the rhythm.

The dotted lines represent the strings, EADGBE. There are no frets on tab, as the numbers on the lines represent the frets.

"0" just means that it's an open string and that you don't have to put your finger on any fret.

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.

Release pressure only on the areas you do not need. Apply pressure to all the listed notes.

To bend an open string, wiggle your finger a little bit while playing the string. This works best on the first three thickest strings.

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.

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!

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).

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------------- .

It means that it is an open note. Play that note without using the left finger to fret that string.

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.

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.

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.

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.