Wednesday, July 16, 2008

classical guitar tabs

By paul green

Guitar music has it's own form of notation, called a tab, or tablature. Tabs are different from standard musical notation because they do not use staffs, ledger lines, key signatures, or notes. For this reason, acoustic guitar tabs are beneficial because they allow you to learn how to play the instrument without also having to learn to read music. Tabs may also be used as notation for other stringed instruments.

The form of musical notation specific to the guitar is acoustic guitar tabs, or tablature. Each chord is notated with one tab, a small chart of the guitar strings themselves. The string at the top of the diagram is the one furthest from your body as you hold the guitar. Each string will show a number, which is the fret you should hold to create that chord. If you see a zero, that means an open string. An X means that string should be muffled.

In case you don't know what a fret is, it's the space between two of the metal bars on the long "neck" of your guitar. Most acoustic guitars have from 21 to 24 of these frets. Their dots are just there to help you in positioning your fingers.

Check out acoustic guitar tabs and you'll notice that the numbers run all in one line, indicating which fret to use on the one string you're plucking. Those numbers tell you that you're supposed to be playing each of them individually. If there's a number on each line and the numbers are on top of each other, then you're supposed to play the notes simultaneously, strumming away on all six of your strings.

When researching acoustic guitar tabs you will find things like hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends and slides. The letter "h" notates hammer-ons. This might be noted on a line as 7h9. Pull-offs are noted in the same way by the letter "p". Bends are notated by "b"s and slides, "/" (slash).

When you're able to read acoustic guitar tabs, look for simple guitar tabs online. Find a melody that you recognize, and experiment with it. Though it might take a while for you to feel fully comfortable reading and playing acoustic guitar tabs, you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment when everything falls into place.

You'll pick up a tune much more quickly if you can also listen to it while you're trying to learn it. You get more detail and an added feel for the beat, even with a song you think you know by heart. Acoustic guitar tabs make learning more enjoyable, and it won't take long to have a small repertoire you can trot out at parties or just jam around with in the privacy of your own home.

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