How to Read Guitar Tablature

How to Read and Use Guitar Tablature - This is done the same way for a bass guitar, but for the bass guitar there are only 4 lines or however many strings the bass has.

Letters
Guitar tabs consists of six lines, that look like music staff.

e-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The letters represent the strings on your guitar. The bottom line being the top string on you guitar. Also, the letters, which represent the string names on your guitar, may not always be there. You see that the letters are diiferent, that means that the song is in a different tuning, but the lines are still read the same way.

Numbers
You read tabs by reading numbers. The numbers represent the fret in which you play and the line that it is on is the string you play. For example:

e------2-------------
B--------------------
G--------------------
D--------------------
A--------------------
E--------------------

The over example means that you place your finger on the bottom string on the 2nd fret.
Remember:
number = fret
line = corresponding string

Now as you learn to read tabs, you will come across numbers that are stacked on different lines. This means that you place your fingers on the guitar, as you would a single number, but play all the notes at once. For example:

e------------
B------------
G-----1-----
D-----2-----
A-----2-----
E-----------

As you see above you would place your fingers on the corresponding frets and strings, as you learned earlier with the single notes. The only difference is that you strum all the notes at once. The example above is you basic E major chord.

As you practice it will become a lot easier and you will not even need to look at the letters for the strings and lines. It will just come natural to you.

Symbols
There are some symbols that you will see, though, as you are reading guitar tablature.

h = hammer on (putting your finger where the next number is without strumming, will always be a higher pitched sound)
p = pull off (same as a hammer on, but you will take a finger off the fret board and will hear a lower pitched sound)
/ = slide up (do not lift your finger off the strings and slide it to the nect number, will always be a higher pitched sound)
= slide down (same as slide up, always lower pitched sound)
s = slide (slide up or down as far or as little as you want)
v or ~ = vibrato (move the string up and down with the finger that is on the fret board, this lets you get different pitched notes)
b or ^ or () = bend (move the sting down with the finger that is on the fret board, will produce a new tone. there will be a number after the symbol, bend until sound of number)
palm mute ------------- = palm mute, sometimes written P.M. (place your picking hand on the strings so that you get a dampened sound. Will be written below or above the tabs and you play this until the --- stops)

Here are some examples or the symbols, and they are only going to be shown as written on the bottom string, but they can be played on any string.

Hammer on
e---7h8---- hammer on the 8th fret

Pull off
e---8p7-- pull off for the 7th fret to sound

Slide up
e---7/10--- slide your finger from the 7th fret to the 10th fret so that you hear every note in between in a fast motion

Slide down
e---107--- same as above just from a higher note to a lower note

Slide
e---6s--- slide either up or down, your choice

Vibrato
e---4v--- or e---4~~--- vibrate the string

Bend
e---5b6--- or e---5^6--- or e---5(6)--- bend the string to sound like the next number

Palm Mute
e--2--4---5---7---4---7--3--2 palm mute the notes
P.M.------------------------------

If you are writing your own tablature, you can come up with your own symbols, but when you write it for other people to read you need to use the symbols above, because those are the universal symbols.