What is tab or tablature?
Tablature for the notes of C major
Just like a chord diagram tells you where to place your fingers on the fretboard, “Tablature” is a way of writing down notes on the fretboard without using standard music notation. The four horizontal lines represent the strings with the A (1st) string on the top and the G (4th) string on the bottom. You read it from left to right and pluck each note in order. Sometimes there will be multiple notes together (like a chord), a familiar chord, or single notes.
The tablature does not give any information on tempo or key. It is more of a shorthand for reading just the notes to be played, leaving you to figure out the tempo/rhythm/beats. You can find the key and tempo information by finding a copy of the standard notation for the song or listening to a recording and trying to figure it out on your own.
Let’s read some Tab:
The example is a simple intro for the song, “Under the Boardwalk” by Resnick and Young. You would play the open G string, then the open C string, then the 2nd fret on the C string, and then strum a full C chord (3rd fret, 1st string, and the rest of the open strings). Give it a try!
Example: this is a simple introduction to the song, “Under the Boardwalk”
Chords and Tablature
Let’s look at another example. In this instance you will press multiple strings - yes, that means you will play chords and they are noted on Tab with their finger positions on the fretboard rather than the chord name.
You may recognize the first chord as a C and the second chord as a G7 - you know them both and this is how they look when written in tablature format. In this example, you will strum the C chord, strum the G7 chord, and then strum the C chord 3 times - one for each instance of the “3000” notation.
Solo notes and chords together
Tablature is an easy way to write down a lot of music in a small space. Let’s look at the next example of both chords and notes and see how that would be played.
In this example we see two notes held in three different places and then three chords (all C chords). So, the first notes are on the 5th fret of both the E and the C strings. You pluck them together. Then move down the neck and press the E string at the third fret and the C string at the 4th fret and pluck those two notes at the same time. Move down the neck again and press the E string at the 1st fret and the C string at the 2nd fret and pluck those two notes at the same time. Now strum the C chord three times, one for each instance of the “3000” notation.
Do I really need to learn tablature?
Tablature (or Tab for short) is a convenient way to write down notes and chords for songs. It is most used by fingerstyle players and soloists, but, it is also great to use for writing down simple riffs, intros, and outros to help you remember which notes to play. It really is a useful skill for any level of player, but if it feels confusing right now, you can always learn it later.