Mike Moxcey ©2005

Reading Tablature

In some ways reading tablature is easier than reading sheet music—there is no translation involved. Tablature (or Tab) shows exactly where to put your fingers. For some folks, that makes it harder to read tab.

Tab uses the same indicators as sheet music does for rhythm: time signature, measures, and sometimes quarter/half/eighth notes so you need to know all that stuff just as if you were reading sheet music.

Tab is written on a music staff like sheet music. The difference is that tab only uses the spaces or the lines to indicate which string to play. My software indicates strings on a line (which makes sense because strings look like lines). Other tab shows strings as the spaces (which makes sense because it’s easier to read).

The Strings

In tab, the top string (line or space) indicates the 1st string of the instrument (or the first pair of strings in instruments such as the mandolin or 12-string guitar). Then the other strings appear in order going down.

The Numbers

A number on a string means you are to pluck the string the number appears on.

A zero means to pluck it open.

Any other number means you must fret the string at that fret and then pluck it.

It ain’t rocket science.

Tab Types

In this book, I have two kinds of tablature.
  1. One is for the mandolin tuned GDAE.
    2. The other is taken from Pete Wernick’s Bluegrass Songbook (another good book for jamming). He used the three strings that are identical between open G banjo and guitar to indicate melody so you can pluck out the melody on either instrument. That also works for the dobro tuned to open G.
If you have any other instrument or are tuned differently, these tabs won’t work for you.

 

 

 

To start this song on a guitar, banjo, or dobro, pluck the 4th string (the D) and then fret it on the second fret and pluck it again. The third note is the next string up (the 3rd or G string) plucked open. You move on from there.

Most beginning books for stringed instruments cover reading tablature so I won’t spend a lot more time on it and will just present the songs. However, the next page is for mandolinists and will have similar helpful hints.

This song also shows the sheet music in the line above the tab. This serves two purposes:
  1. If you want to practice reading music, then the tab will help you translate the written notes to your instrument.
  2. If you’re not familiar with the timing of the song, then the note lengths: eighth, quarter, and half, shown above the tab indicators will help you clarify the rhythm of the melody.

 

 

 

To start this song on a mandolin pluck the 3rd string (the D) and then fret it on the second fret and pluck it again. The third note is the 5th fret. The 4th note is the 2nd fret of the next string up (the 3rd or G string). You move on from there.

Most beginning books for stringed instruments cover reading tablature so I won’t spend a lot more time on it and will just present the songs.

Reading Music Index