How to Read Guitar Tabs: A Complete Guide for Beginners

If you've ever looked up how to play a song on the guitar online, you've likely come across Guitar Tabs (short for tablature). Unlike traditional sheet music, which requires you to understand musical notation, tabs are incredibly visual and intuitive. In our online guitar classes, teaching students to read tabs is one of the very first things we do because it unlocks thousands of songs instantly.

The Basics: The Six Lines

A standard guitar tab consists of six horizontal lines. It is crucial to understand that these lines represent the strings of your guitar, but they are upside down compared to how you look at the guitar when playing.

• Top Line: High E string (the thinnest string)
• Second Line: B string
• Third Line: G string
• Fourth Line: D string
• Fifth Line: A string
• Bottom Line: Low E string (the thickest string)

What Do the Numbers Mean?

The numbers placed on the lines tell you which fret to press down on that specific string.

• If you see a 0 on a line, it means you play that string "open" (do not press any fret).
• If you see a 3 on the bottom line (Low E), it means you press down the 3rd fret on the thickest string and pluck it.
• Numbers stacked vertically on top of each other mean you play those notes simultaneously (this is how chords are written in tabs).

Common Tab Symbols

Tabs also include symbols to tell you how to play the notes. Here are the most common ones you will encounter:

• h (Hammer-on): Example: `5h7`. Pluck the 5th fret, then forcefully drop a second finger onto the 7th fret without plucking the string again.
• p (Pull-off): Example: `7p5`. The opposite of a hammer-on. Pluck the 7th fret, then pull your finger off to sound the 5th fret (which must already be fretted).
• / (Slide up) and \ (Slide down): Example: `5/7`. Pluck the 5th fret and literally slide your finger up the string to the 7th fret while the string is still vibrating.
• b (Bend): Example: `7b9`. Pluck the 7th fret and push the string up across the fretboard until the pitch matches what the 9th fret would sound like.

Why Tabs Aren't Perfect

While tabs are amazing for telling you where to put your fingers, they are generally terrible at telling you the rhythm or timing of the notes. You almost always need to listen to the original song to know how long to hold each note.

Want to master reading tabs and playing your favorite riffs? Join our Online Guitar Class at Sukoon Music Academy. Our expert instructors will guide you from your first chord to playing full songs! Book a free trial today.