How To Read Advanced Tabs: Understanding Guitar Tabs The EASY Way!
Part I | On to How to Read Advanced Tabs Part II »
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This lesson, "how to read advanced tabs", shows YOU how to read the various symbols that are common in guitar music. Learning how to read guitar notes is EASY, simple, and FUN, because you can PLAY what you SEE! No need to rack your brain trying to read standard notation.
There are many "guitar-specific" techniques you will come across when reading tablature.
Learning these special symbols is a BIG part of understanding guitar tabs! This lesson is called "how to read advanced tabs" because we focus ONLY on those guitar-specific symbols.
If you got here wanting to learn the BASICS of how to read guitar notes, then click back to How to Read Guitar Tabs for Beginners: A Quick Guide to Understanding Tablature.
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Muted Notes (Dead Notes, "Blockums", "Chicks")
"Muted notes" are made by blocking the strings with your left hand across the fretboard so that they are not allowed to ring out. They are percussive, they are primitive, and they are persuasive! Speaking of that which is "primitive", someone is watching you over there, and they are NOT very happy about YOUR choice in car insurance!
Grace Note
A "grace note" usually occurs just behind the beat, so closely that it does not deserve its own count. On the guitar, they happen frequently using quick slides, hammer ons, and pull offs.
Ghost Note
A "ghost note" is "optional". This discreet note is quiet and may in fact be "accidental", occurring as a result of a mistake or slip up.
Accentuated Note
When learning how to read guitar notes, you may come across an "accent". Notated by the "accent" mark (looks like a "greater-than" sign), these notes are simply LOUDER than the others! So dig your pick in and exercise dynamic discrimination for these LOUD notes.
HEAVILY Accentuated Note
A variation of the "accentuated" note is the HEAVILY accentuated note. Dig in even HARDER with your pick on these guys. I only use this technique when I'm going for "trashy notes", which means the notes themselves don't really matter, just the aural cacophony it creates by strumming your guitar REALLY hard!
"Let Ring"
The "let ring" command is usually applied to clean passages where you are supposed to let the notes ring out as long as possible. This creates an overlap between notes and a more FULL sound than if you didn't keep the notes pressed down as long as possible.
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Natural Harmonics
Natural harmonics on guitar, indicated by "N.H." or "harm.", are created by hovering your finger directly OVER the fret, usually at 5, 7, or 12 -- this is where they work the BEST! -- without pressing down into the fret space. When done properly it makes a pretty chiming sound.
Artificial Harmonic
The most common type of artificial harmonic is the "pinch harmonic". You kind of have to DIG your pick in to the string simultaneously with the fleshy part of your thumb, which creates two attack points and thereby the classic squeal of a "P.H.", or pinch harmonic. This technique is like riding a bike: tricky to learn, but you never forget!
Hammer On/Pull Off
Finally, all that time you spent playing Guitar Hero has come in handy and learning "how to read advanced tabs" just got a LOT easier! To do a hammer on or a pull off, pick a note on a fret, then raise it or lower it with a separate finger to a different fret. Translation: GREEN, RED, YELLOW, GREEN, RED, YELLOW! See, playing Guitar Hero really IS like playing guitar in real life!
String Bends
String bends come in different shapes and sizes. You can prebend them, bend them up, bend them up and back down, bend them short, bend them far. You get the idea. Reading guitar tabs is EASY! Just follow the arrows with your fingers!
J Danger says:
"My Intuition tells me you are ready to learn the other 9 techniques associated with learning how to read advanced tabs. You may now graduate forward by clicking on part deuce below!"
Part I | On to How to Read Advanced Tabs Part II »
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