Free Beginner Lesson

How to Read
Guitar Tabs

Guitar tab is the easiest way to learn songs, and you don't need to read music. Here's everything you need in about five minutes, from Las Vegas guitar teacher Bert Django.

1. The six lines are your six strings

Tab has six horizontal lines, one for each string. It's like looking down at the guitar in your lap: the bottom line is the thickest string (low E) and the top line is the thinnest string (high E).

2. Numbers tell you which fret

A number on a line tells you which fret to press on that string. A 0 means play the string open, with no fret pressed. A 3 on the bottom line means press the 3rd fret of the low E string and pick it.

3. Read left to right

• Play the numbers in order, left to right, like reading a sentence.
• Numbers stacked on top of each other are played at the same time. That's a chord.
• Vertical bar lines split the music into measures (bars) to help you keep your place.

4. Your first exercise: the spider walk

Use one finger per fret: index on 1, middle on 2, ring on 3, pinky on 4. Start on the bottom line (low E) and walk up to the top. Go slow and let every note ring clean.

Common questions

Does tab show rhythm? Usually not. Listen to the song to hear the timing, or look for tab with rhythm notation.

What do letters like h, p and / mean? They're techniques: h = hammer-on, p = pull-off, / = slide up, b = bend.

Is tab "cheating"? No. Most rock, blues and pop guitarists learn from tab. It's the fastest way to start playing real songs.