Questions tagged [tablature]

For question about understanding tablature notation and the use of it. The question should also be tagged with the general notation tag if the tag limit has not been reached.

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Translating Sheet Music to Guitar Tabs (without any software help (: ) [duplicate]

I have been playing guitar for a few months and have grown to love it. I played sports and participated in 0 fine arts growing up, so this is all very new to me. I was excited to initially learn ...
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2 votes
2 answers
223 views

How to interpret open ended gliss notation on guitar

How would the notation below be interpreted? What is this called on the guitar? I'm calling it "glissando to nowhere in particular" in my mind. It resembles something I've seen in a jazz ...
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5 votes
1 answer
140 views

Uncommon Guitar Tab Notation

Don’t assume I know much about music, I’m just an amateur. I’ve come across the notation below (AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long). I know how it sounds. I do not know how it’s called and how to ...
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13 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why the difference between double and electric bass fingering?

Sheet music with tabs is provided for Charles Mingus' Haitian Fight Song. They differ from one another (obviously, or why provide two different tabs). My question, though, is, why? Note that I do not ...
4 votes
2 answers
397 views

Legato slide, Pulloff, hammer on combo

I have been trying to figure out how to play these notes for months.. I don’t know if I’m supposed to do it as 1 pick starting at the 16 then pull off and slide hammer and slide again?? Please help. ...
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0 votes
1 answer
42 views

Is this tab notation a "soft pulloff"?

I've seen several tab notations like the following: What does it mean? You hold the original note for a bar, then do a "soft pulloff" (take your finger off the fretboard) for the next bar?
3 votes
2 answers
95 views

How do you properly read an extended scale chart?

This question is about reading extended scale charts. Example A: Shows a small segment of notes that are easy to read and practice. Example B: Shows all possible notes and I don't know where to start ...
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0 votes
1 answer
86 views

What chord completes this chord progression? [closed]

Not sure how to complete this chord progression in guitar tab. I think the chord on the left is CaddG followed by a Cadd9. What comes after that? 3 3 3 3 0 0 0 2 2 3 3 x I ...
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4 votes
2 answers
411 views

Does TAB take into account where a capo may be placed?

When TAB is written, and a capo is needed on, say, fret 2, does the tab get written as if the barre formed by said capo is the actual fret it's on, or does that fret become the 'open' string? In other ...
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3 votes
2 answers
730 views

Is this bass tab wrong? [closed]

The following tab seems to have a mistake or typo (circled in red, with the way I play it in green below): Am I right that what is shown as F (D string, fret 3) should really be played as an F#/Gb (D ...
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

What is the meaning of upward and downward arrows on double note in guitar tab?

It is a part of Desperado song guitar tab. I'm wondering what does upward and downward arrows mean in the guitar tab?
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1 vote
0 answers
90 views

In defense of our future - Discharge guitar tabs [closed]

i was just curious if someone knows this. I've been trying to find tabs for "In defense of our future - Discharge" but the internet seems to have this one really hidden and there's no site ...
3 votes
1 answer
317 views

What is the strumming pattern of this guitar tab from "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence? [closed]

I'm trying to learn how to play "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence on guitar, and I'm following Christian Torres's cover on YouTube: Only problem is, I suck ...
5 votes
1 answer
152 views

Meaning of drum TAB notation: horizontal line with upward stroke

I came across the following notation which I couldn't find in any guides to drum TAB notation: It resembles a small x note lying directly on the 2nd stave line from the top (i.e., a D4 in the treble ...
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2 votes
1 answer
94 views

Question About Tab Notation

Maybe an obvious question, but I ran across notation in the tabs for a song that I wasn't exactly familiar with. I'm fairly familiar with a lot of guitar notation, even though I primarily play drums, ...
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7 votes
4 answers
1k views

What does the numbers mean in this guitar tab if they already gave the chords to play?

I understand E A D G B e And the meaning of the letters above. Which I can play like the c chord and em . But I don’t understand the numbers. Is it for the fret. Like where I should be playing on the ...
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3 votes
2 answers
236 views

Bass Guitar Nomenclature for Intermediate Players

My call for advice involves music nomenclature of intermediate-level bass players who can’t read sheet music. I am such a bass player, self-taught and want to take my playing to the next level. My ...
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9 votes
1 answer
848 views

Meaning of some symbols in classical guitar tablature

I am trying to learn classical guitar by myself. In the tablature of Romanza, I came across a few symbols whose meaning I couldn't find. I have learned basic music theory, and I can understand the ...
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1 vote
0 answers
33 views

Why is a third-space C on the staff played on the second-string, 1st guitar fret? [duplicate]

I am reading Classic Guitar for Dummies by Chappell, Jon; Phillips, Mark. Classical Guitar For Dummies® (p. 83). Wiley. Kindle Edition. The question comes from a direct statement in the text, which I ...
0 votes
1 answer
91 views

What word the combines both tabs and sheet music?

Wondering what word combines both Tabs and sheet music? I usually say Music Score. Is it correct?
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4 votes
1 answer
304 views

How to chose a ukulele chord tab?

I found this website with common ukulele chord tabs and tried to typeset an E chord in Sibelius: The first one was added by Sibelius (G# E B) and the second one by the mentioned website (B E G# B). I ...
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4 votes
2 answers
178 views

Help deciphering piece of guitar tablature

does anyone know exactly how this bit of tab is supposed to be played ? I understand the numbers of course but I've never seen this "W.C" or a circle around the notes, what does it mean ? ...
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2 votes
1 answer
119 views

Tablature notation meaning [duplicate]

What is that tablature symbol in the second bar of Alfred Schnittke's piano sonata no.3 ?
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3 votes
2 answers
125 views

How do I play these notes from "Zelda's Lullaby"?

How do I play the notes shown in the below image? Here's a link of the video if you want to see It's on minute 02:33
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

How to interpret this "hammer on" in this guitar tab?

Does anyone know how I would interpret this hammer on in the guitar tab seen in the image? I would usually read this as "play the third string on the fourth fret, hammer on 5, hammer on 4" ...
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7 votes
5 answers
2k views

How do I read bars with only one or two notes?

In this sheet there are some bars that only have one or two notes, instead of four. How do I read them? Do they last 1 unit of time as well? In the case of the bars with only one note, does that note ...
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16 votes
1 answer
839 views

What is this open, vertical rectangular symbol?

In Rautavaara's Second Piano Sonata, first movement, beginning 20 bars before the end, there is a tablature-like symbol. What does it mean?
1 vote
2 answers
94 views

Smaller scripts on guitar tablature

Above picture there are some notes are written smaller does it mean play slightly more silent?
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1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Why does tuxguitar sound bad and what can be done about it?

I've used TuxGuitar for a while now and it's good enough for a free product. However, I recently downloaded the most recent version and noticed that when I play what I've typed into the TAB the ...
user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
3k views

How am I supposed to play this chord?

I've tried to play this chord a couple different ways and I have no way to play it. I tried to have my index on 10 my pinky on the 16s and my middle or ring on 14. Is there something I'm missing or ...
3 votes
2 answers
269 views

Guitar tablature: same fret indication connected by arc, no label [duplicate]

I'm trying to learn "Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues", by Skip James, and I am stumped on the circled notation in the picture. It doesn’t look like a pull off or hammer on to me, because the ...
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Line breaks or page formatting in TuxGuitar

I'm trying to write bass tabs in TuxGuitar, but want to format the print layout. I can't figure out how to set the number of measures per line or how to add a line break in the tabs. Does anyone know ...
1 vote
4 answers
270 views

How do I read the music when there are more beats in bar than the time signature specifies [duplicate]

I am a beginner and have encountered the following tab/sheet music notes. It is in the 3/4 time signature, but it clearly shows more than 3 quarter notes in a bar. I am stumped on how to read and play ...
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0 votes
1 answer
222 views

How do I represent these measures (bends and prebends) in GuitarPro?

I was reading through a book when I came across this lick. I tried to represent it in guitar pro but am finding difficulty. Can you please help me with this lick? I understand that these are grace ...
2 votes
2 answers
470 views

How to change the tuning in guitar pro 5 but keep the original tuning displayed

I tune all the time in Eb , but I don't want the display of the notes in the fretboard to be in Eb, I want it to stay in E. how do I do that please?
5 votes
3 answers
790 views

How can I play these notes on A and G strings?

I came up to these tabs showing a power-chord like chord on A and G strings. How exactly can I play these without interfering with the D string?
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1 vote
2 answers
200 views

Does a "-" on guitar tab mean "play that string open"?

I'm not a guitarist, I'm learning piano and I'm trying to translate some guitar tab for piano. With this section of tab (for I Don't Want It by Ween, from the Ultimate Guitar site): e--8-8-8---3-3---...
3 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is there a shortcut or technique for converting standard notation classical guitar music into tab?

I have played guitar for almost 30 years, but regrettably have never played standard notation. I have exclusively played tablature. This has not been a problem until I took up classical guitar ...
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1 vote
3 answers
105 views

Is this slide made unnecessarily hard?

Sliding from 3 to 5 and then hitting 2? Do I need to stretch my hands that much? Or is this made unnecessarily hard?
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1 vote
6 answers
248 views

Chords in tabs are wrong?

This song is Blackbird by the beatles The first part is a G, but the notes come up as G B G, which do not form a G chord. a G chord is made up from G B D, unless I am missing something here, or the ...
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2 votes
4 answers
958 views

Chords in tabs confusion

I usually see pictures like the one above, with chords above the bars. Like, in the first one for example, it says "Am" directly above the 7th fret of the D string How is that an Am? Am is made up ...
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1 vote
3 answers
80 views

Rhythm notation confusion

This is getting me really confused. This bar is 4/4 Look at the picture above, shouldn't "0" be beat 4? instead it gets to beat 4 at the red arrow. Why is that?
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6 votes
1 answer
405 views

What are these black lines under the tabs?

What are these black lines that's under the tabs? Are they there for rhythm or something?
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2 votes
3 answers
1k views

Chord symbols don't match tabs

Im trying to learn Pure imagination on guitar following the tabs. Im going well, but I realised that when I see the fret board numbering with words above them like Fmaj7, Am and C, following the fret ...
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5 votes
2 answers
222 views

Translate muted bass string from tablature to staff notation

I am arranging a piece for a choir, and as a starting point for the bass I am looking at bass-guitar tabs. I figured out how to translate the tabs to staff notation, except muted strings. I do not ...
3 votes
1 answer
298 views

How to match the notes in the score with guitar tab when changing the tuning in Guitar Pro 6?

I realized that when changing the tuning in a tab, the score remains the same. Here's a example, when I tune 1 step down. The first chord is F, but the score is still telling me it is a G chord: Why ...
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

What does NH and <> mean on a tab?

On a tab I'm reading, I see this: NH H. ------------------| ------------------| --<>12------------| ------------------| ------------------| ------------------| What do they mean? I know ...
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1 vote
4 answers
441 views

Why do tabs show individual notes being played where the song seems to contain strumming?

I'm new to guitar, and as an early project I've been trying to learn the classic Good Riddance by Green Day. Have a look at this tab, which matches most/all tabs I've found for this song: e|----------...
3 votes
1 answer
470 views

What does a number above the 'staff' mean in tablature?

What does a number above the 'staff' mean in tablature? Such as the numbers 4 and 5 in this example.
2 votes
1 answer
128 views

What does a capital letter mean in tablature?

What does a capital letter mean in tablature? I see small q for quarter note. What does capital Q mean?