You already know from chapter one which line in TABs represent which string on the guitar. Now we’ll look into what the numbers on TABs mean. Let’s first take a look at the TAB below:

The numbers on the lines in TABs (like the one shown above) represent the fret numbers on the guitar. A fret is the area between two bars on the guitar. The fret numbers are shown below:

The following pictures will show you how it’s played.

Press your finger down on the 6^th string in the third fret and pick that string.

Press your finger down on the 5^th string in the second fret and play that string.

The number zero means that an open string is played. Play the 4^th string without placing your finger on the string. Then do the same for the 3^rd string followed by the 2^nd string.

For the last note press your finger down on the 1^st string in the third fret and play that string.

Make your TAB reading faster and easier by looking ahead at the whole bar instead of looking at one note at a time. The notes on the whole tab usually form a chord shape with additional notes here and there. Seeing the shape behind the numbers and putting your fingers in that shape in advance will greatly your speed of playing and reading TABs.

So from the previous example the chord shape formed was ‘G’ so put your fingers in the form of the chord G and play faster instantly. A chord played one chord at a time instead of strumming all the notes at once is called an arpeggio. Chords are explained in the next topic.

By looking ahead you can place your fingers on the strings earlier so that you can play faster.

Something to try:

Guitar Chords Tabs

Pages:

How to read guitar tabs: The Basic Understanding
Basic Guitar Tuning
How to play guitar tabs: Single Notes
How to play Chords on Guitar Tabs
Barre Chords
Power Chords
Strumming
Hammer-ons and Pull-offs
Slides and Variations
Bends
Vibrato, Palm Muting, Rake, Harmonics, Tapping, Using a Capo
Play Guitar Blog
Download How To Read Guitar Tabs Reference