Learning how to read guitar tabs is one of the easiest ways to start playing real songs on your guitar. Even if you have absolutely zero experience reading music, you’ll be able to play actual songs right away!
When I first started learning guitar, tablature (often just called “tabs”) was one of the things that helped me start playing recognizable melodies that much faster.
Guitar tabs are especially great for beginners because instead of having to learn traditional sheet music first, they show you exactly which string to play and where to place your finger on the fretboard.
And while all those lines and numbers might look a little confusing the first time you see them, they’re honestly much easier to understand than they look!
This beginner-friendly guide will teach you:
- how to read guitar tabs step by step
- explain what the six lines mean
- how to read fret numbers
- what some of the most common guitar tab symbols mean
By the end, you’ll even be able to try reading a simple guitar tab yourself!
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What Are Guitar Tabs?
Guitar tablature is a simple system used to show guitar players where to play notes on the fretboard.
Instead of showing musical notes on a traditional staff, guitar tabs use six horizontal lines to represent the six strings of your guitar and the numbers placed on those lines tell you which fret to play.
This is what makes guitar tabs especially helpful for beginner guitarists – because you don’t need to know how to read traditional sheet music to get started.
There is one important difference, though.
Traditional musical notation gives you information about the notes you’re playing and their timing. Basic guitar tabs are primarily designed to tell you where to play the notes. There are some more advanced tabs that include timing information but most simple tabs omit this.
So while learning to read music is still a valuable skill in the long run, guitar tabs are a great place to start when you’re brand new to music and want to get playing right away.
How to Read Guitar Tabs
Let’s break down guitar tablature one step at a time.
Because once you understand the first few concepts, you’ll be surprised by how quickly these lines and numbers start making sense!
Step 1: Understand the Six Lines
A basic guitar tab might look something like this:
e|—————-
B|—————-
G|—————-
D|—————-
A|—————-
E|—————-
Each horizontal line represents one of the six strings on your guitar.
But here’s the part that confuses almost every new guitarist at first – the strings look upside down!
The top line represents your high E string, which is the thinnest string on your guitar – the one furthest away when you’re looking down at the instrument on your lap.
The bottom line represents your low E string, which is the thickest string – the closest one to you when you’re looking down at your instrument.
I’ve found that some students struggle with understanding this because the high E is physically lower from the top down perspective they’re viewing the guitar sitting on their lap and the low E is physically higher!
When you’re looking down at the guitar, the string order is as follows – use your thumb or a light pick and play each string as you say its name now:
E – A – D – G – B – e
A lowercase e represents the thinnest e string in guitar tabs.
So, now let’s play the strings in the opposite direction. You’ll do this:
e – B – G – D – A – E
This is the direction that guitar tabs are written in.
e – B – G – D – A – E
If you’re still learning the names of your strings, take a look at my guitar string order guide for beginners before moving on – I’ve included a couple of fun acronyms to make it easier to remember.
Getting comfortable with your string names now is really important for beginners as this will make reading guitar tabs so much easier.
Step 2: Learn What the Numbers Mean
Now that we know what the lines mean, let’s add some numbers:
e|—0—1—3—
B|—————
G|—————
D|—————
A|—————
E|—————
Those numbers tell you which fret to play on that string.
So, for this example, all three notes are played on the high E string.
You would play:
- 0 – Play the high E string open – open means don’t press down on the string
- 1 – Press the high E string at the first fret – the first square space near your guitar’s head. Do not press directly on the fret (the horizontal lines you see going down the guitar’s neck).
- 3 – Press the high E string at the third fret – each horizontal line on your guitar represents a fret. Count three of these lines to find your third fret. A lot of popular guitar brands put a white circle on this spot as well (these are super helpful as you progress to become an intermediate guitar player).
One important thing to remember is that the numbers in guitar tab represent frets, not fingers which can be confusing if you’ve already studied or learned how to read guitar chords!
So when you see the number 3, it doesn’t necessarily mean “use your third finger.” It means “play the third fret.”
Step 3: Read Guitar Tabs From Left to Right
Just like you’re reading this sentence from left to right, guitar tabs are also read from left to right.
Here’s a simple example:
e|—————-
B|—————-
G|—————-
D|—————-
A|——0–2–3—
E|–0–3———-
We start with the note farthest to the left and read to the right.
So you would play:
- Open low E string
- Third fret on the low E string
- Open A string
- Second fret on the A string
- Third fret on the A string
And that’s it!
You just read your first little sequence of guitar tab.
Don’t worry about playing quickly – in fact, this is one of the biggest mistakes beginners often make. Instead of learning to play notes correctly, beginners often think that playing fast means they’re playing well.
When you’re first learning, take your time finding each string and fret before moving on to the next note. If you get it wrong, try again and move more slowly until you’ve got it.
Pro Tip: Focus on accuracy before speed because unlearning bad habits can be really difficult later on.
More in music education:
- 60 Inspiring Quotes for New Musicians (that Students and Teachers Love)
- How to Create a Gorgeous Music Room that Inspires You to Play More
- Easiest 2 and 3 Chord Songs for Beginner Guitar Players: Top 30 Songs to Play Today
Step 4: Understand Numbers Stacked on Top of Each Other
So far, all of our notes have appeared one after another.
But what happens when you see numbers stacked vertically?
Take a look at this:
e|—0—
B|—1—
G|—0—
D|—2—
A|—3—
E|——-
When numbers appear directly above one another, you play those notes at the same time.
And if that shape looks familiar, there’s a good reason!
This is how chords are displayed in guitar tablature and you just read a C major chord.
As you become familiar with reading these, you’ll start to recognize chords shapes in tabs like this too:
e|—————-
B|———0——
G|——-1——–
D|————–2-
A|—3————
E|—————-
Tabs can show you both individual notes and groups of notes played together.
Here’s another example:
e|———-0—–
B|—0——–0—
G|——1——-1-
D|——–2——-
A|—3————
E|—————-
We’ve taken the same C chord and broken it down in a fingerstyle guitar tab.
If you’re just getting started with chords, you should learn the 7 easiest guitar chords that every new guitarist should know first.
Common Symbols in Guitar Tabs
Once you understand strings and fret numbers, you know enough to start reading basic guitar tabs – way to go!
As you move on to more advanced songs though, you’ll probably start seeing a few extra symbols.
Here are some of the most common guitar tab symbols you’ll encounter:
| Symbol | Meaning |
| h | Hammer-on |
| p | Pull-off |
| / | Slide up |
| \ | Slide down |
| b | Bend |
| r | Release a bend |
| ~ | Vibrato |
| x | Muted or dead note |
Hammer-Ons
You might see something like:
e|—2h3—
The h means hammer-on.
To do this, you’ll need to play the third fret and then bring down another finger onto the fifth fret without picking the string again.
You could try the hammer on above by holding the second fret of your high e string (the thinnest e string that’s actually the lowest string from your perspective as you look down at it now) with your index finger and hammering onto the third fret with your middle finger.
Your middle finger should come down quickly and firmly enough that you don’t need to pick the string with a finger or pick to hear the note.
Pull-Offs
A pull-off is usually shown with a p:
e|—3p2—
Place your middle finger on the the third fret of your high e string and second finger on the second fret of you high e string. Then play the string of the third fret and quickly pull off your middle finger to reveal the note you’re already fretting with your index finger on the second fret.
Pro Tip: Practicing hammer ons and pull-offs back to back on your high e string is a great way to learn how to do them. This string is thin and easy to work with so you can easily hear how the notes should sound.
Good hammer on and pull off techniques add so much color to basic guitar chords.
Slides
A slash usually tells you to slide from one fret to another.
For example:
e|—3/5—
Trying hold the third fret with your index finger and slide it up to the fifth fret.
Here’s a cool riff you can try with all of the techniques you’ve learned so far:
e|–3/5–3————-
B|———3h5p3—1—
G|—————0—–
D|———————
A|———————
E|———————
Bends
The letter b represents a bend:
e|—7b9—
This tells you to play the seventh fret and bend the string until you reach the indicated target pitch.
To figure out what the pitch is, trying holding the ninth fret of your high e string with your index finger and listen to the note. Then place your index finger on the seventh fret and push your e string up towards your B string (closer to you) as you attempt to reach the same note.
Bends take some practice and ear training so don’t worry if you’re not ready for these yet!
Muted Notes
An x usually represents a muted or dead note.
So instead of letting the string ring out normally, you’ll use a muting technique (like palm muting) to create a short percussive sound.
Try it now by placing the fleshy part of your hand underneath your thumb on top of your low E string (the string closest to you as you look down at your guitar). Use your thumb to pluck the string and adjust your hand so you have a steady bass E note.
It can be easy to mute too much or too little so take the time to find the sweet spot.
Note: Please don’t feel like you need to memorize every one of these symbols right now. You can bookmark this page and come back whenever you encounter something unfamiliar!
Does a Guitar Tab Show Timing?
One limitation of basic guitar tabs is that they don’t always tell you exactly when to play each note or how long those notes should last.
That said, some more detailed guitar tabs do include timing information that these simpler tabs don’t.
It can be really helpful to listen to a song while following along with its tab – and if its too fast, simply slow down the song or video your watching to work on accuracy.
Remember accuracy is more important than timing!
Hearing the guitar part of a song while looking at the notes can help you understand when each one should be played.
And as your guitar skills grow, learning more about note values, counting, and traditional musical notation can eventually make you a stronger player.
But for now, have fun! The most important thing you can do to actually start learning guitar is to play your instrument.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the best way to learn guitar well from the start.
Guitar Tabs vs. Chord Charts: What’s the Difference?
Guitar tabs and chord charts are both incredibly useful but they serve different purposes.
Guitar tabs show you exactly which strings and frets to play. They’re especially helpful for learning riffs, melodies, solos, and individual guitar parts.
If you’re starting with an electric guitar or have decided to start learning because you want to play a specific song, you’ll most likely learn guitar tabs first.
Chord diagrams show you the finger positions needed to form a chord.
Starting with an acoustic guitar? Want to sing while you play? Chords are a solid foundation.
You’ll also come across chord and lyric sheets that place chord names above the word of the song you need to play them on.
For example, instead of showing every individual note, the music might simply tell you to play:
G – C – D – G
One system isn’t better than the other. It really depends on what you’re playing.
As a beginner, learning how to read guitar tabs and chord diagrams will open up so many more songs for you to play.
Related: Easiest Guitar Songs to Play for Beginners
Tips for Learning to Read Guitar Tabs Faster
Like everything on guitar, reading tabs gets easier when you practice consistently.
Here are a few little things that can help when you’re just getting started:
- Learn your string names. Knowing which string is E, A, D, G, B, and e will save you a lot of searching. Learn you guitar string order now!
- Start with simple tabs. Look for beginner exercises that only use one or two strings before jumping into complicated solos. Tabs that build around chord shapes are a great way to build a solid foundation on guitar from the start.
- Play slowly. There’s absolutely no prize for playing your first tab at full speed! Accuracy over speed.
- Pay attention to fret numbers. Remember that numbers on guitar tabs represent frets – not fingers (like they do on chord diagrams).
- Listen while you read. When you’re ready to learn a song, carefully listening to the guitar part can really help to fill in timing information that isn’t included in basic tabs!
- Keep your guitar tuned. Even perfectly played notes won’t sound right if your guitar is out of tune. Learn how to tune your guitar and keeping a tuner like this one nearby whenever you practice.
- Practice a little at a time. Even five or ten minutes spent reading and practicing simple guitar tabs makes a difference. Aim for three to five sessions a week.
Helpful Gear for Beginner Guitar Players
You don’t need a whole bunch of accessories or an expensive guitar to start playing guitar well – but there are a few things I recommend all beginners get.
A clip-on tuner is number one on this list for a reason.
You need your guitar to be in tune in order to play songs accurately and start working on ear training. Eventually, you’ll just hear when its out of tune and will be able to make adjustments quickly. But for now, a tuner like this one is a must have for a beginner guitar player.
I also like light guitar picks for beginners because they’re forgiving when you’re learning to strum – I always recommend these ones to students.
A capo is another inexpensive accessory that you’ll use constantly as you learn more songs on your guitar. Instead of trying to learn more difficult chord shapes or barre chords, you can play any song you want to from the start using one of these!
For me, this was a huge motivating factor as the capo opened up doors to songs I thought were unattainable as a beginner – because you can play all of them in the same key as the original record!
And if you’re practicing from tabs on a tablet, book, or printed sheet, a basic music stand like this can save your neck from spending your entire practice session staring down at the kitchen table.
I’ve learned the hard way, haha. Its also great for when you want to practice standing while playing your guitar (if you don’t have one yet, here’s an inexpensive strap that’s actually good quality too).
Top tips for learning guitar:
- Here’s Why All Beginner Guitarists Need a Capo
- 25 Beautiful Worship Songs for Beginner Guitar Players
Learning Guitar Tabs Gets Easier With Practice
Hopefully guitar tabs make a lot more sense now than they did when you first started reading this post.
Here are the most important things you should take away from this post:
- The six lines represent your guitar strings
- The numbers tell you which frets to play
Once you’ve got those two ideas down, you can already begin reading simple guitar tabs.
Don’t worry about mastering techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, bends, and every other tablature symbol right away.
Just start with a few simple notes, get comfortable moving around the fretboard, and build a foundation from there.
As you practice more and more, you’ll look at a simple guitar tab and know exactly where your fingers need to go. You’ll also get better at sight-reading music too!
And that’s when learning guitar get even more fun.
Happy playing, friend!
– Nikki
