How To Read Guitar Tabs | Guitarethics.com

Reading and playing guitar tabs is easy.

For Playing tabs you have to know the name of all 6 strings and symbols.

Check out articles on:

How to remember the guitar strings name

Symbols used in tabs

Now lets move to tabs.

Usually guitars have six strings. We are not talking about 7 or more strings guitars.

They look like this:

e/E —————-

B —————

G —————

D —————

A —————

E —————

Lets try with numbers.

e ————-3———-

B ———2—–3——-

G —–1————2—-

D –0———————

A ————————-

E ————————-

The tab is read from left to right. So, this tab means:

first you play D string at open fret (hit the D string)

then G string at 1st Fret by placing your finger on it.

then B string and 2nd fret and so on.

Another example:

e –0–0–0–2–2————–

B –0–0–2–3–3————–

G –1–1–2–2–2————–

D –2–2–2–0–0————–

A –2–2–0–x–x————–

E –0–0–x–x–x————–

The difference between first tab and in this tab is that you have to play multiple strings at the same time.

At first you have to hold down A and D string at 2nd fret and G string at 1st fret and play all 6 strings.

The “x” Meaning you don’t hit that string. Don’t play that string.

Hope this article was helpful. Good Luck.