How to read tabs.

Shelbinwa:

its an okay tutorial, but you should explain in more proper musical terminology and further explain what a lot of it means. It sticks with people a lot better that way, and then they don't become lazy and only look at tabs.

-sigh-

I'm not a schooled musician, because it costs.
This is for the schooled musicians that feel lost when they see tabs.

You missed something. This is a tab tutorial, not a music tutorial.

Also, please don't give me the proper music theory bullshit.

Wyayhahha. I've been playing guitar for a couple days and I cannot read tabs worth shit. I'm sure this will help. I picked out the starting of Toxicity and Number Five With A Bullet but I suck really bad..

Thanks!

Oh. Sorry. Double Post. Okay, don't laugh cause I've only been at this for a couple days but... What is the difference between tabs and chords? Tabs are easier to read, I don't understand chords at all. I wanna play rythym........ Sorry.. I'm a n00b.

Chords as in the letters above the lyrics?

Then you have to learn the chords to be able to recognise them. You can buy chord books. They don't cost much.

Chords are more than three notes played at the same time.
Tabs is just the system to show what you play.

So this is a tab of the chords C and G:

e|-x--3-|
B|-1--0-|
G|-0--0-|
D|-2--0-|
A|-3--2-|
E|----3-|

There are also so called powerchords (MCR mostly play these kinds of chords.

This is a tab of the powerchords C and G.
e|------|
B|------|
G|------|
D|-5----|
A|-3--5-|
E|----3-|

I hope this clarifies it, for everyone. =]

when i do it it just sounds wrong it s probably something im doing.

If you're looking for help you'll need to be more specific.

What are you trying to do, and how?

ok i just don't get the whole power tab thing i only just got a guitar so im really new at this

Yeah, I got that. I still don't know what you're doing though.
Help me out, will ya'?

You do understand that you only play the strings with numbers on, right?
Have you read the tutorial? It should've cleared this up.

yea i get that just so with power chords you just play the notes all at the same time?

Yeah. Because it's a chord. Chord = three or more notes played at the same time. Power chord= two or three notes played at the same time.

yellow:

yea i get that just so with power chords you just play the notes all at the same time?

yeah make sure that when u play it
your fingers on the top arent accidentaly muting(touching) the other strings ur playing

thanks everyone you've been a great help!
xx

I was playing different songs with my friend Mitchell yesterday off tab. He can look at it really fast, and be able to play it our real well; but then again he's practiced for many years.

I can play along with simple style songs, so it makes it really easy for us to do songs with 2 parts. The one thing I really can't get down with Tabs is Rhythm.

I don't really understand at what pace I'm supposed to play at the majority of the time. Mitch often tells me I'm playing either too slow or too fast... but I try matching the sounds up with his.

One of the problems is I don't know some of the songs. If I listen to the song a few times, I can SORTA get it right... but I'm still not playing it perfeclty sound.
(Saying that "practice is practice" for getting the rhyhtm off tabs won't help... because I just don't understand the pace )

not to smash ur thread but i play guitar too if anyone wants any help pm me!

LifeOnStandby:

I was playing different songs with my friend Mitchell yesterday off tab. He can look at it really fast, and be able to play it our real well; but then again he's practiced for many years.

I can play along with simple style songs, so it makes it really easy for us to do songs with 2 parts. The one thing I really can't get down with Tabs is Rhythm.

I don't really understand at what pace I'm supposed to play at the majority of the time. Mitch often tells me I'm playing either too slow or too fast... but I try matching the sounds up with his.

One of the problems is I don't know some of the songs. If I listen to the song a few times, I can SORTA get it right... but I'm still not playing it perfeclty sound.
(Saying that "practice is practice" for getting the rhyhtm off tabs won't help... because I just don't understand the pace )

I find if you are having trouble keeping the pace then just tapping it out eg.on your guitar or your knee (or something that will make sound) at the correct pace for a while you will start to get the gist of how it goes... this will help you maintain this pace as you will remember it better.

On the question of pace.

Some tabs have it all in there, mostly those exported from GuitarPro, or those written by genuinely musical people that have all their training down. What you need is a beat and an idea of what it is you're trying to play.

Pace has nothing to do with the actual tab, if you're just playing too slow or too fast.

i sort of understand it now

Hey i just got a guitar, and of course learning some melodies from three cheers was first on my list.
I'm trying Frank's part on the introduction to Prison, (i.e starting at 0:10), i've got the tab music for it, but i'm finding it difficult to get it sounding smooth. The notes sound just too separate from oneanother.
Does anybody have any suggestions?