Reading music is an important skill for musicians to learn. It allows them to play songs without memorizing them and to understand a composer’s intent. There are many different ways to notate music for string instruments. One of the easiest-to-read notations is tablature, also known as TAB. We’ll teach you everything you need to know about how TAB works so you can play your favorite songs on guitar, bass, ukulele and more!
What is TAB?
TAB is a form of musical notation for string instruments that uses lines and numbers. We read TAB from left to right. TAB can look very similar to traditional staff notation, so be aware!
Each line represents a string on the instrument. For example, a six-string guitar TAB would have six horizontal lines. Furthermore, a four-string bass TAB would have four horizontal lines.
Each number on a TAB represents the fret that you press down on the string that it is written on. For example, if there is a number 2 on the top line of a guitar TAB, you will play the 2nd fret of the low E string. If the number is a 0, then you simply play the open string of the line that the number 0 is on.
TAB is an effective way to notate music for beginner string players to read. Have fun reading and playing TABs to your favorite tunes!
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