If you’re wondering, “Where is today’s Off-Stage column?” then don’t worry… it’ll be up tomorrow. We just thought that with the many new people beginning to visit MXTabs.net, we’d better cover one of most basic aspects of our website: How to Read a Guitar Tab. So, here we go!!!

How to Read a Guitar Tab

Tablature, or tab for short, is a method of notating music that is played on guitar or bass guitar. Unlike standard guitar sheet music or different types of guitar tab, the tab that we use on MXTabs.net utilizes ASCII characters and numbers. These characters graphically represent the strings and frets of a guitar, making it a quick, simple way to learn your favorite songs.

If you’re a beginning guitarist, this short introduction should get you up and running, and with a bit of practice you can be playing the Star Spangled Banned by Jimi Hendrix in no time at all.

Reading a Guitar Tab: The Basics

The first thing to know when reading guitar tab on our site is that each horizontal line you see represents a specific guitar string. The lowest-pitched guitar string (or, if you prefer, the thickest string) will always be the bottom-most horizontal line. Conversely, the highest-pitched guitar string (or, thinnest string) will always be the top-most horizontal line. So, here is what a blank guitar tab looks like (note the string names to the right… this tab is in standard tuning):

e—————————————————————-
B—————————————————————-
G—————————————————————-
D—————————————————————-
A—————————————————————-
E—————————————————————-

Pretty straightforward, right? Now, to actually begin learning a guitar tab, simply look at the numbers written on the horizontal lines. These numbers tell you where to fret a specific string with your left hand. For instance, check out the opening measure of this Guitar Tab of the Star Spangled Banned by Jimi Hendrix:

e-----------------0~-|
B-0------------0-----|
G----1-----1---------|
D-------2------------|
A--------------------|
E--------------------|

Here, to play the first note, strike the open B-string, because the “O” indicates that you strike, but don’t fret, that string. To play the second pitch, strike the G-string while pressing a finger on the 1st fret. And the third pitch? That’s right, strike the D-string while pressing a finger on the 2nd fret. Follow that up with the two additional open notes on the B and e-strings and you have the opening measure of the Star Spangled Banner!

If the numbers on the horizontal lines are arranged vertically, it simply means to strum the indicated notes at the same time which creates a chord. The following example illustrates what a guitar tab would look like if a particular song required playing a C Major chord 3 times in a row.

e--0--0--0---------------------
B--1--1--1---------------------
G--0--0--0---------------------
D--2--2--2---------------------
A--3--3--3---------------------
E------------------------------

And that, my friends, is really all you need to get started learning your favorite guitar tabs. That and a little practice anyway. But guitar tab can also describe some of the more subtle techniques used by guitarists when playing. These are discussed below.

Reading a Guitar Tab: Advanced Symbols

Most good guitar tabs should have a legend, or key, describing the various subtle techniques used throughout the piece. Although there can be slight variations (which is why you should always review the legend before learning a new tab), there are certain advanced symbols that one might consider “universal.” Some of the more common ones are these:

h – hammer on
p – pull off
b – bend string up
r – release bend
/ – slide up
- slide down
v – vibrato (sometimes written as ~)
t – right hand tap
x – play ‘note’ with heavy damping

If we look at measures 2 and 3 of the MXTabs.net Guitar Tab of the Star Spangled Banned by Jimi Hendrix, we can see what many of these guitar techniques look like when represented as a guitar tab. (Listen to a recording of Jimi wailing away on this to get the full effect!)

e--4--2--0--------------|---------------------------|
B-----------------------|--0--0--9bv~-7--5h7p5--/4~-|
G-----------1--/3--4bv~-|---------------------------|
D-----------------------|---------------------------|
A-----------------------|---------------------------|
E-----------------------|---------------------------|

I hope this little introduction on How to Read a Guitar Tab has given you all of the necessary tools to begin learning your favorite MXTabs.net guitar tabs. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below or visit our forums.

And welcome to MXTabs!