Reading Tab (Part One)

Most guitar players start playing by learning other guitarists songs (Smoke on the Water, Crazy Train, etc.). A great way to learn songs is through TAB.

A TAB looks like this:

E----------------------------------------------------

B----------------------------------------------------

G----------------------------------------------------

D----------------------------------------------------

A----------------------------------------------------

E----------------------------------------------------

Each line represents a string, with the letter at the beginning telling you what string it is, starting with the lightest string at the top of the TAB.

A TAB for a simple song like Crazy Train would look like this:

E----------------------------------------------------
B----------------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------
A-----4---5---4---2-0---0-2-0------------------------
E-2-2---2---2---2-----4-------4-2--------------------

This tab shows that only the bottom E and A string are used. Practice this, and soon you'll be able to read basic TAB