How to Read Tab for Intermediate Players

I'm going to give a comprehensive overview of Guitar Tab.

Guitar Music can be notated three different ways: on a musical staff, in tablature, and in rhythm slashes.

BASS AT THE BOTTOM, TREBLE AT THE TOP

Take another look at the image above. At the end of the lines, you’ll see the letters T.A.B. They stand for:

Treble

And

Bass

That will help you remember that:

• The Bass Strings are at the bottom. They are the fattest strings with the lowest sound.

• The Treble strings are at the top. They are the thinnest strings with the highest sound.

THE MUSICAL STAFF shows pitches and rhythms and is divided by bar lines into measures. Pitches are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet.

TABLATURE graphically represents the guitar fingerboard. Each horizontal line represents a a string, and each number represents a fret

RHYTHM SLASHES are written above the staff as shown below. Strum chords in the rhythm indicated.