For those of you who are new to the guitar, you may be wondering what exactly is a “guitar tab”?

Great question.

A guitar tab is a term used by guitarists that derives from the word “tablature,” or “a form of musical notation indicating instrument fingering rather than musical pitches.”

Huh?

Several years back, someone came up with an idea that would help amateur guitarists learn songs quicker. And thus the “guitar tab” was born. Guitar tabs provided an ideal alternative to reading actual sheets of music. We like to call it “Sheet Music for Dummies.” Instead of attempting to read the notes and break down the content that way, some genius (or geniuses) discovered a way that even a ten year old could understand.

The guitar tab has saved or destroyed the industry depending on the person you ask. The purists view it as “an easy way out.” The 21st generation appears to generally accept it as the way of the future.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the term “tablature” originates from the Latin word “tabulatura”? In Latin, tabula is a table or slate. To tabulate something means to put it into a table or chart.

While standard musical notation represents the rhythm and duration of each note and its pitch relative to the scale based on a twelve tone division of the octave; tablature is instead operationally based, indicateing where and when a finger should be placed to generate a note. Thus, the pitch is denoted implicitly rather than explicitly.

The rhythmic symbols of tablature inform the musician when to start a note, but usually do no indicate when to stop sounding it. Consequently, the duration is at the discretion of the performer to a greater extent than is the case in conventional musical notation.

When dealing with guitar tabs, the number of resources available on the web are incredibly diverse. However, while this wealth of knowledge is generously available to anyone –  it does not exactly mean that all guitar tabs posted on the web are A) correct, B) correct, and C) correct.

The Guitar Tab

Below is a guitar tab from the Red Hot Chili Peppers that was posted on GuitarTab.com:

Artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Album: By The Way
Song: Zephyr Song

h = hammer
b = bend
x = scratch
r = release

———————————————–

Intro
e|—————————————————————————-|
B|———————————————————————5——|
G|——-12——–10——-4——-5———9——–7——-4——-5——|
D|—-10———9——–5——-7——–10——–9——-5——-7——–|
A|-12———10——–7——-8——-12——–10——-7——-8———-|
E|—————————————————————————-|

Verse
e|—————————————————————————-|
B|—————————————————————————-|
G|——-9—–12–10–9———-7—–10–9–7——–4——7—5—4——|
D|—-10——————–9———————–5————————-|
A|-12——12————10———10————7———7—————–|
E|—————————————————————————-|

e|—————————————————————————-|
B|——————————————————————10——–|
G|——–5—7h9–7–5–5b———–9——12–14—9———7—10–9–7–|
D|—-7—————————10————————-9—————-|
A|-8————————–12———12————–10——————-|
E|—————————————————————————-|

e|—————————————————————————-|
B|——————–5——————————————————-|
G|——–4——-7——-5—–4–5——4–5————–9——12–10-—9–|
D|—-5————————————————-10——————–|
A|-7———7—————8——–8———8—12———12————-|
E|—————————————————————————-|

e|—————————————————————————-|
B|—————————————————————————-|
G|——–7—–10–9–7——–4——7—5—4——–5—7h9–7–5b———-|
D|—–9——————–5——7—————–7————————|
A|-10——-10———–7————————8—————————|
E|—————————————————————————-|

e|—————————————————————————-|
B|———————————–10————————5————5-|
G|——–9—–12–14–9——–7—10–9–7——-4—-7–9–5—4-5—4–5-|
D|—-10———————-9——————5—-7———————–|
A|12——–12————10——————7——————8—–8——|
E|—————————————————————————-|

Chorus

e|————5—-5———–5—-5—————————————–|
B|–7———3—-5—–7—–3—-5—————————————–|
G|–7———4—-6—–7—–4—-6—————————————–|
D|–7———5—-7—–7—–5—-7—————————————–|
A|–5———x—-x—–5—–x—-x—————————————–|
E|————3—-5———–3—-5—————————————–|

Interlude:
e|——————————————————————————–|
B|——————————————————————————–|
G|——–9—-12–10–9——-7—-10–9–7——4—-7–5—4——–5—7h9–7–5|
D|—-10——————–9——————5——————–7————-|
A|-12——-12———–10——10———-7——7————8—————-|
E|——————————————————————————–|

Verse 2
e|——————————————————————————–|
B|——————————————————————————–|
G|——-9—–12–10-9——7——10–9–7–9—–4—7-5-4-5—–5-7h9-7-5-7h9-|
D|—-10——————-9———————-5—————7—————|
A|-12——-12———-10——10————–7—–7———8—————–|
E|——————————————————————————–|

e|—————————————————————————–|
B|——————————–10———————5—————-5—-|
G|——–9—–12–14–9——7–10–9–7—–4—-7-9–5—-4–5—–4–5—-|
D|—-10———————9—————5———————————|
A|-12——-12————10—————7—–7———-8——-8———-|
E|—————————————————————————–|

Chorus 2
e|——5—5———–5—5—————————————-5–5–5–5-5-|
B|–7—3—5—–7—–3—5—-7–7-7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–x-x–3–3–3–3-3-|
G|–7—4—6—–7—–4—6—-7–7-7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–x-x–4–4–4–4-4-|
D|–7—5—7—–7—–5—7—-7–7-7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–x-x–5–5–5–5-5-|
A|–5—x—x—–5—–x—x—-5–5-5–5–5–5–5-5–5–5–5–x-x–x–x–x–x-x-|
E|——3—5———–3—5—————————————-3–3–3–3-3-|

e|-5–5–5–5—-5————————————–5–5–5–5-5–5–5–5–5—-5-|
B|-7–7–7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–x-x–3–3–3–3-3–7–7–7–7–7-|
G|-6–6–6–6–6–7–7-7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–x-x–4–4–4–4-4–6–6–6–6–6-|
D|-7–7–7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–7-7–7–7–7–x-x–5–5–5–5-5–7–7–7–7–7-|
A|-x–x–x–x–x–5–5-5–5–5–5–5-5–5–5–5–x-x–x–x–x–x-x–x–x–x–x–x-|
E|-5–5–5–5–5————————————–3–3–3–3-3–5–5–5–5–5-|

Solo
e|-12–10–12–12-|-12–10–12—-8–7-|-5–10–8–10–10–10-8-|-10—12–8—7–5|
B|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
G|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
D|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
A|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
E|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|

e|-12–10–12-12-|-10—-12–8-7-5-|-10–8–10—10–10–8-|-10–12—-8–7–5–0—-|
B|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
G|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
D|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
A|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|
E|—————-|—————–|———————-|——————-|

Bridge
e|–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–x-x—5–5–5–5–5–5–5–x-x–0–0-0–0-0–0-0–0-0–|
B|–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–x-x—3–3–3–3–3–3–3–x-x–0–0-0–0-0–0-0–0-0–|
G|–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–x-x—4–4–4–4–4–4–4–x-x–0–0-0–0-0–0-0–0-0–|
D|–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–x-x—5–5–5–5–5–5–5–x-x–2–2-2–2-2–2-2——-|
A|——————————————————————————|
E|——————————————————————————|

e|-5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–7—7–7–7–7–7–7–7–x-x–5–5–5–5–5–5-|
B|-8–8–8–8–8–8–8–8–8———5–5–5–5–5–5–5–x-x–3–3–3–3–3–3-|
G|-5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5———5–5–5–5–5–5–5–x-x–4–4–4–4–4–4-|
D|-7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7———7–7–7–7–7–7–7–x-x–5–5–5–5–5–5-|
A|-8–8–8–8–8–8–8–8–8—————————————————-|
E|——————————————————————————|

e|-5–x-x–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–5———————————–|
B|-3–x-x–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–8———————————–|
G|-4–x-x–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–0–5———————————–|
D|-5–x-x–2–2–2–2–2–2–2——–7———————————–|
A|————————————8———————————–|
E|————————————————————————|

Bridge 2
e|——5—5——-5—5————————————x-x—–|
B|–7—3—5—7—3—5—7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–x-x—–|
G|–7—4—6—7—4—6—7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–x-x—–|
D|–7—5—7—7—5—7—7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–x-x—–|
A|–5—x—x—5—x—x—5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5———-|
E|——3—5——-3—5——————————————–|

e|-3–3–3–3–3–3–3—5–3–5——————————————|
B|-3–3–3–3–3–3–3—5–3–5——————————————|
G|-4–4–4–4–4–4–4—6–4–6——————————————|
D|-5–5–5–5–5–5–5—7–5–7——————————————|
A|-x–x–x–x–x–x–x—x–0–x——————————————|
E|-3–3–3–3–3–3–3—5—–5——————————————|

e|——5—5——-5—5—3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3—5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–|
B|–7—3—5—7—3—5—3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3—5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5–|
G|–7—4—6—7—4—6—4–4–4–4–4–4–4–4—6–6–6–6–6–6–6–6–|
D|–7—5—7—7—5—7—5–5–5–5–5–5–5–5—7–7–7–7–7–7–7–7–|
A|–5—x—x—5—x—x—x–x–x–x–x–x–x–x—x–x–x–x–x–x–x–x–|
E|——3—5——-3—5—3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3—5–5–5–5–5—-5–5–5–|

e|–14———-14——–14——-14——–14—————15———15–|
B|——15———15——–15——-15——–15———15——–15——|
G|———-14——–14——–14——-14——–14—16——–16———|
D|—————————————————————————|
A|—————————————————————————|
E|—————————————————————————|

e|————–17————-14——–14——–14——–14——–14-|
B|—-15—–17————-15——–15——–15——–15——–15—-|
G|-16—–18——–18—14——–14——–14——–14——–14——-|
D|————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————|
E|————————————————————————|

e|——-15——–15—————-17—-15–17———-14——–14—-|
B|—-15——–15——–15——17——-15–17——-15——–15——-|
G|-16——–16——–16——18———-16–18—-14——–14———-|
D|————————————————————————-|
A|————————————————————————-|
E|————————————————————————-|

e|——-14——–14——–14——–15——–15—————17——-17-|
B|—-15——–15——–15——–15——–15——–15—–17——-17—-|
G|-14——–14——–14——–16——–16——–16—–18——-18——-|
D|—————————————————————————-|
A|—————————————————————————-|
E|—————————————————————————-|

e|————14——–14——–14——–14——–14——–15——–15–|
B|———15——–15——–15——–15——–15——–15——–15—–|
G|-18—14——–14——–14——–14——–14——–16——–16——–|
D|—————————————————————————-|
A|—————————————————————————-|
E|—————————————————————————-|

e|———17———17—————————————————|
B|—-15—17———19—————————————————|
G|-16——18———18—————————————————|
D|————————————————————————-|
A|————————————————————————-|
E|————————————————————————-|

If you have never seen a guitar tab before, the above language may look like something fresh off the Matrix. Fortunately, it’s not nearly as complicated. And the acting is much better…

The guitar tab presents the six strings on the guitar, starting with the high e and working all the way down to the low E. The number on each string is the fret at which you play the note. So, for example, if it reads “6″ on A, the guitarist will locate the A string and slide down six frets from the top of the guitar neck. Boom! That’s your note.

If the numbers are stacked on top of each other (as is the case with a lot of “Zephyr”), the tab is informing you to play a chord. Place all your fingers on the strings (according to the tab) and strum. Boom! That’s your chord. Most guitar tabs will provide a key at the top, just like the one for “Zephyr.” An “o” will generally indicate a string you play with the chord that is open. Other symbols like “h” (hammer on), “b” (bend), and “r” (release) are used to describe advanced guitar techniques.

There are numerous benefits to guitar tabs with the most important being an easy way to learn a song when you cannot read sheet music. However, there are also several disadvantages to guitar tabs. Guitar tabs are easy to pick-up, but as we mentioned previously, they’re not always 100% correct. Most guitar tab web sites do provide a rating system in which users can rate the accuracy of each guitar tab. Use this to your advantage and only consult guitar tabs with a 5 star rating (from four or more individuals).

Also, guitar tabs fail to tell you how long you should play a specific note or chord. If you are very familiar with the song, the length of the note or chord should come fairly natural. The best recommendation is to listen to the actual recording while you attempt to learn the song.

Produce Your Own Guitar Tabs

As you become more proficient with the guitar, you may or may not desire to produce your own guitar tabs. If this is something that you would like to do eventually, please take the task seriously. It’s important to remember that your tab could possibly educate hundreds if not thousands of others on the specific song. You need to treat the tab with care.

1. Be accurate. This is by far the most important rule. If the tablature or chords are not correct then the guitar player will fail to learn. Play along with the song and ensure that every note is 100% accurate. Also, make sure you provide additional details such as if a capo or a different tuning is required.

2. Use correct chord names. Every combination of notes has a name so make sure you find the right one for each chord. Otherwise, if the chord is used in another person’s tab correctly, it will sound wrong and probably upset the guitarist.

3. Be a fan. The reader will trust your tab(s) more if they know it is coming from someone who really enjoys the band song. The first thing in your tab after the song name and artist should be a short sentence about how much you like this song and/or artist.

4. Do not be meticulous. Guitar players do not want to be treated like babies, so do not try to map out every single beat and tell them when to use upstroke/downstroke. The beginner guitarist that is reading your tab has more than likely already heard the song and is familiar with the content.

5. Tab a new song. You will find that a lot of songs are “tabbed” over and over again. This is done for a reason. The song is very popular and a lot of people want to learn how to play it. However, how many people do you think will truly consult your tab when a million other “Hotel California” tabs exist. Tab a new song or one that does not have many tabs on the internet.

Fun Fact: According to Mxtabs.net, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin is by far the most coveted of all guitar tabs.