subject: Facts About Guitar Tabs [print this page] A guitar tab is a musical notation containing either numbers or letters and it tells the musician where the fingers should be placed on the instrument. Guitar tabs consist of multiple lines and is often called a 'staff notation.' Each representing one of the guitar strings are these lines which are present in guitar tabs.
Because the strings are written backwards, new musicians find guitar tabs to be especially baffling. The highest string is found at the top of the guitar tabs, which is often difficult to learn since most people would expect that guitar tabs would be written from top to bottom instead of the other way around. Written from highest to lowest are guitar tabs and the on each line the numbers represent the guitar fret. In order to understand guitar tabs, all new guitarists need to learn string placement and how to correctly read frets.
Depending on the sheet music publisher, guitar tabs may slightly vary. However, it's still easier to read guitar tabs than to learn staff notation. Because of it's visual representation, new musicians are often more comfortable reading guitar tabs than any other kind of music.
Musicians will become familiar with the instrument and how it works when they learn the guitar. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including private instruction, informational reference books and videos. In some cases, classroom lessons may even be used to help better equip the musician to learn guitar and how to read guitar tabs. As the musician becomes familiar with the terms used to describe a guitar, including the neck, fret, string, chord, etc., he/she will also begin to easily read guitar tabs.
In the beginning, guitar tabs can be intimidating. Also confusing are all those multiple lines, numbers, letters, and other symbols. As the links found your favorite website, guitar tabs will be easier to understand with time and practice. Reading guitar tabs is the first step because few musicians can play by ear without first learning a song via sheet music.
You can check the local yellow pages or ask the music director in your college or high school for recommendation if you need further information on finding a guitar instructor.
