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Tablature (Tab) Notation
Notes on the Guitar: Tab
Notes on the Guitar: Color Coded Tab
The color coded tab follows the color coding system found on this page
Tab notation is unique to instruments like the guitar. There are 6 strings on the guitar, and 6 lines in tab. Each line represents a string.
E A D G B E
Low High
6th 1st
The Tab System:
E (1st String)
B (2nd String)
G (3rdString)
D (4th String)
A (5th String)
E (6th String)
Each number represents a fret. The tab below is telling you to play the 3rd fret of the first (E) string.
3
Tab relies on the guitarist to listen to the song and play the rhythms by ear. Sometimes, rhythmic notation is added to tab. Lots of guitarists learn well by ear, but some people might have a hard time hearing how long a note lasts. In that case, Color Adapted Tab might be helpful.
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