Guitar Basics PART-2

Hi Everyone! 

If you have memorized the name of the Guitar Strings, then its time to move on to "Reading Guitar Tabs". 

READING GUITAR TABS:

If you're wondering, what Guitar Tabs are?  What are its uses? And How to Read them? 

Then here are your answers..

What are Guitar Tabs:

Guitar Tabs or Guitar Tablature is a way of Communicating Guitar Music in the form of writing. Just like we can read a book and understand what the author had in mind, the same way, we can read Guitar Tabs & play the melody the other person had in mind.

What are Guitar Tabs Uses:

Guitar Tabs are used in reading & writing of guitar music. Whether you want to learn a song or communicate your own song in the form of writing.

Now that you know the Basic concept of Guitar Tabs, lets understand how to read them.

Look at the illustration below:-

e|---------------------|
B|---------------------|
G|----5-5--------------|
D|-3------6-5-5-5-5-6--|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

Above is the Melody of  "In The End" By "Linkin Park".

To understand it & play it on guitar you must first know what FRETS are.

FRETS:

Frets are the box like spaces on the fretboard of your guitar which are distinguished by separators in between. They are numbered, starting with 1st Fret which is closest to the 'Nut' or 'Tuning pegs' of the guitar.

e|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
D|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
E|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  10  11  12 

For example, if you put your finger on any string on fret no. 2, then it will be called 2nd fret of that particular string. Same is the case with other frets.

Note: If you pluck any string without pressing your finger on its fretboard, then it will be referred as '0 fret'. As mentioned in the diagram above.

Now that you know what frets are, lets go back to the Linkin Park's guitar tab.

e|---------------------|
B|---------------------|
G|----5-5--------------|
D|-3------6-5-5-5-5-6--|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

The first no. written in the tab is '3', which is in the line of 'D-String'. This means that you have to press your finger on D-string on 3rd fret and pluck it. The second number written is '5', which is in the line of 'G-String', this means that you have to press G-String on 5th fret. Similarly, you can play rest of the tabs.

Keep on practising till it sounds right! If you do, then Congrats! You have just learned your First Guitar Tab! :)

I will soon post Guitar Basics Part-3. So stay Tuned! :)

Thankyou,

Guitarian.