← Guitar · Single notes · about 20 min
Reading tab: Ode to Joy
A simple way to read single notes, plus your first melody.
What is tab?
Tab (short for tablature) is a way of writing guitar music. It has six lines, one for each string. The thinnest string, high e, is on top.
A number on a line tells you which fret to press on that string. A 0 means play it open.
Ode to Joy
This famous melody uses only the top two strings. Read from left to right, one note at a time.
e|-0--0--1--3--3--1--0--------------0--0--------| B|----------------------3--1--1--3--------3--3--| G|----------------------------------------------| D|----------------------------------------------| A|----------------------------------------------| E|----------------------------------------------|
On a small screen, slide the tab sideways.
Practice
Slowly, one note at a time
Find each note before you play it. Accuracy beats speed.
Use alternate picking
If you use a pick, go down, up, down, up. Keep your hand moving steadily.
Add the beat
When it is smooth, play along with the metronome at 60 beats per minute.