What Is Guitar Tab?

Hello! If you're a beginner or new to playing the guitar or bass then you will have undoubtedly heard reference to this mysterious system called Guitar Tab. It's actually short for guitar tablature and is a simple and very easy way to communicate or record a riff or song to be played on guitar or bass.

Why Guitar Tab?

Guitar tab is very easy for anyone to read without any musical background or training and so is very popular across the internet for people who don't know how to write classical music notation. Although I learnt classical piano and music notation when I was little, when I started playing the guitar I heavily relied on using tabs to learn songs and to write down my own ideas.

How Does It Work?

Where sheet music has 5 lines in a stave, guitar tab starts with 6 horizontal lines which represent the strings of the guitar. You can see that it is useful to label them with the names of the strings (EADGBe) to read the tab correctly. Bass guitar is exactly the same but with only 4 strings. You can see from the image below that your low E string (ie. your thickest and lowest pitched string) is actually written on the bottom of the tab. This may seem upside down but I'm afraid thats the way it's commonly done!

What Do The Numbers Mean?

Each number represents a fret to be played on the guitar. Tab reads just like you're reading this article; from left to right. If there are two numbers above each other then you play both notes at the same time. This is how you notate chords. The number 2 means play the second fret on the string noted. The number 0 means play the open string. If there is no number then you do not play that string.

The Down Sides of Tab

Despite being very easy for anyone to read and write, tab does have some disadvantages. If you hadn't noticed, while we can notate the melody of the song, we can't write down the rhythm. Obviously if you don't know the song then this is very difficult.

In summary, guitar tab is a fantastic tool used to make simple notation on the guitar but is not a long term solution for communicating music. I use it to scribble down song ideas and riffs I've learnt but wouldn't use it in a more professional context. In todays age, you can generally find tabs for most of your favourite songs and tunes because someone has already tabbed them.

Happy tabbing!

9 Reasons Your Guitar Playing Sucks

1) You Don't Practice

First and foremost, practice makes perfect. If you want to be able to play well, you have to play regularly. I find I only need 15 minutes every 2 or 3 days to see improvement in my students which is a lot better than playing for an hour every 2 weeks. If you're struggling with practicing then check out The Secret to Effective Guitar Practice

2) You Don't Listen to New Music

Inspiration is everything. You can tell when someone isn't inspired to play. There's no emotion, no passion and no life in their music. You've got to keep yourself creatively inspired by listening to new music, checking out new artists/bands, even being inspired from things that are nothing to do with music changes the way you play! Uninspired playing becomes routine, religious and plain boring. To inject life and passion into your playing, why not buy a random album from Itunes. I've recently bought The Naked and Famous' latest album and Hillsong United's Aftermath.

3) You Play With The Wrong (or no) People

When I first started playing the guitar I used to jam with a mate who really wasn't very good at the guitar. He used to play the same old chords and I would get pretty frustrated easily as I wanted to express myself more creatively. A few months later I tried playing with a drummer friend of mine who had some real musical talent; the atmosphere was completely different. I was a lot more creative and my playing went to a completely different level simply by surrounding myself with similar minded people who were further on the journey of musicianship.

4) You've Lost Your Motivation

When you lose your mojo (or motivation), playing the guitar is the last thing you want to do; and so it sounds like its the last thing you want to do. Remind yourself why you first wanted to pick up the guitar. Why did you want to get good at playing? What are your favourite bands and artists that challenge you to improve and to get better? If you've made playing the guitar a chore then you need to change something. Make an effort to be spontaneous and play for fun!

5) You've Learnt It All

Life is only fun as long as your learning. The best musicians in the world never stop learning. There's never a moment that you stop and think, "I can play everything now." If you feel like you've reached the limit on your playing then you've missed the point. There is loads more to learn and to play. Your playing can only ever sound rigid if your learning has plateaued.

6) Your Guitar is Rubbish

Plain and simple, you get what you pay for. If you're strumming on a 80 pound starter guitar then you'll struggle to get the killer tones you've been trying for. It's great to start on a cheap guitar but you'll get to a point when you need to upgrade. If you need to save up then get started because it will really make a difference.

7) You Need New Strings

I've seen so many people play with dreadfully old strings. I change mine every 2-3 months. It's completely dependant on how often you play but there's no way your strings should be on for more than a several months. Old strings give you a dull, tired sound instead of a fresh bright one. Spend a couple of quid at String Busters and get yourself some new strings.

8) You Need a New Teacher

It's one thing to be brilliant at the guitar and its something completely different to be a great teacher. If you're not progressing at all and you are practicing a lot then it's time to look at your teacher or lack of one!

9) You're Playing Too Fast

Slow it down. Most people try and play at 110% of where they're at and as a result sound very messy and out of time when they play. None of the notes come out properly and there's no feel or phrasing to their playing. I generally play at 90% of my playing ability; I try to push myself as hard as possible as often as possible but I never play beyond what I can actually play. Try slowing down your playing and you'll see immediate improvement to your playing.

There you have it! Just focus on fixing one thing at a time and you'll be away in no time!

The Secret to Effective Guitar Practice

Over the last 16 years of playing different musical instruments I've realised that improving doesn't happen overnight. I used to spend hours  and hours with mates watching ridiculously brilliant guitar solos by Paul Gilbert and let me think, more Paul Gilbert. I spent a lot of time practicing, and not very much time enjoying my playing! Let me share with you the secret to effective guitar practice that enables you to practice a little, and play a lot!

The Law of One

Right now, wherever you are, you're only one step away from being better at playing the guitar. What are your aims? What are your goals? Instead of trying to be 'better at the guitar', why don't you be more specific? Aim to be 50% at the riff you can only play really slowly at the moment. It took me a while to get this; I kept trying to play 100 steps ahead of where I was at but now I just focus on improving one thing at the time.

Recently I went through a big phase of improving my acoustic guitar playing; fingerpicking, percussive playing and tapping but right now I'm concentrating on fast licks and shredding to build up stamina and strength. You see, the best way to learn quickly is to do one thing at a time. You'll actually find the benefits of practicing that one thing will spill out into all aspects of your playing anyways!

The problem with multitasking

The problem with multitasking is that it's physically impossible. Yes, you might think that you're multitasking when you're strumming and changing chords but actually you're flicking between both of them very quickly. The simple truth is that you lose concentration a lot quicker than you think which makes your guitar practice weak and ineffective. Let's face it, we want to practice as little as possible so we can play as much as possible. I used to practice and never really achieve anything in my practice time because I was trying to practice 10 different things. You need to stop multitasking and focus on the one thing you want to improve.

It's different for all of us; for some it might be just managing a chord change and for others it might be to learn a new riff. Your goals are going to be different to mine; that's absolutely fine! Have a think right now of the one thing you want to build up and improve!

Here's a few examples of what your one thing might be:

• Strumming in time (use a metronome)
• Alternate picking
• Chord changes
• Improvisation
• Ear training

Don't just read it; give it a try and test out what I'm saying! Happy Playing!

To increase your speed quickly try Rapidly Increase Your Guitar Playing Speed in 5 Minutes