August 2014 - GuitarMethod.com

Glossary of Musical Terms

Here is a glossary of musical terms that should be learned by all musicians.

Accent	Special stress given to a musical note within a phrase.
Adagio	Indication that the music should be played at a speed not as slow as larghetto. 66 – 75 ticks per minute.
Allegro	Lively, or happy. Often used to indicate a fast piece, but not as fast as presto. 120 – 167 ticks per minute.
Andante	Indication of tempo (at a walking pace). 76 – 107 ticks per minute.
Arpeggio	This is when a chord played one-note-at-a-time instead of simultaneously.
Chord	A combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously.
Clef	This musical symbol is used to indicate the pitch of written notes. There are primarily three clefs used in modern music as seen below:
Dynamics	The loud and soft variations within a musical piece.
Head	A slang term for the main melody, often used in jazz.
Larghetto	Indication that the music should be played at a tempo not quite so slow as largo. 60 – 65 ticks per minute.
Largo	Indication that the music should be played slowly, in a broad manner. 40 – 59 ticks per minute.
Major Chord	A chord with three notes called a triad, that combines the first, third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Major chords have a happy or cheerful sound.
Measures	Sections of music organized with a certain number of beats determined by the time signature. For example, one measure in 4/4 time might be made up of four quarter (1/4) notes, or 8 eighth (1/8th) notes.
Melody	A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular musical phrase or idea.
Metronome	A device that marks time at a steady beat in adjustable intervals, to help keep a steady beat while playing music.
Minor Chord	A chord with three notes called a triad, that combines the first, flatted third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Minor chords have a darker, melancholy sound.
Moderato	Moderate, as in a moderate speed. 108 – 119 ticks per minute.
Muting	Touching played strings lightly to deaden their sound.
Neck	Section of the guitar that includes the fretboard and carries the strings from the body to the head of the guitar.
Note	A single sound, or its representation in music notation. This corresponds to a musical frequency. For example the a middle A note is 440 Hz.
Nut	Raised bar at the top of the fretboard that supports the strings and stops their vibration, as they run to the head of the guitar.
Octave	The same note up or down 12 half-steps, which is also equal to twice, or half of its frequency. For example, a middle A at 440 Hz., up 12 half-steps is still an A note but sounds higher as it is at 880 Hz.
Palm muting	A technique in which the palm of the right hand is laid on the strings just above the bridge, so that the strings are slightly muffled; this is different from muting, where the strings are deadened.
Pitch	A distinct musical note. This also corresponds to a frequency. For example, Concert A is 440 Hz.
Power chords	Chords that use only the two lowest strings of a normal chord; indicated by the symbol “5” (e.g. “A5” for an A power chord). The chords are created using the first and fifth steps of a major or minor scale.
Prestissimo	Very fast indeed. Faster than presto. 181 – 208 ticks per minute.
Presto	Fast. Indication that the music be played at a fast tempo. 168 – 180 ticks per minute.
Reference notes	Properly tuned notes used to tune another instrument by comparison.
Rhythm	A regular pattern formed by a series of notes of differing duration and stress.
Riff	A short musical phrase that a song is based on.
Root	The note from which a chord is built. For example, the root of the A minor chord is the A note.
Staff or Stave	A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different pitch. With percussion instruments the lines and spaces represent different percussive sounds (bass drum, cymbals, etc.)
Syncopation	Stressing a beat which is normally weak.
Guitar Tabs or Tablature	A system of notation using letters and symbols to indicate playing directions (See Lesson 88).
Tempo	Rate of speed at which music is played, usually expressed in Beats Per Minute (BPM).
Tie	A curved line connecting two identically-pitched notes, implying that only the first note is to be plucked, but sustained for the entire duration of the two notes combined.
Triad	This is a chord that uses the first note of a scale (called the Root), combined with the third note and the fifth note.

Glossary of Guitar Terms

Here are some common musical terms for guitarists. Understanding these terms will help as you learn how to play guitar.

Accent: Special stress given to a musical note within a phrase.
Adagio: Indication that the music should be played at a speed not as slow as larghetto. 66 – 75 ticks per minute.
Allegro: Lively, or happy. Often used to indicate a fast piece, but not as fast as presto. 120 – 167 ticks per minute.
Andante: Indication of tempo (at a walking pace). 76 – 107 ticks per minute.
Bend: A guitar technique popular in blues and rock where the string is “bent” by pushing it across the fret (parallel to it) with your finger.
Bridge: The section on the body of the guitar where the strings are attached.

The bridge of a classical guitar.

An electric guitar tremolo bridge.
Capo: A device that acts like a barre going across a fret. It is used so that you can play open guitar chords in different keys.
Chika: The sound of a muted chord.
Chord: A combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously.
Chord chart: Sometimes called a chord diagram, this is the standard notation used to represent chord fingerings on the fretboard of a guitar. Below is an example of a chord chart. Chord chart can also describe a piece of guitar music that shows the chord progression for a song.
Classical guitar: A nylon string guitar used for playing classical music.
Electric guitar: Electric guitars have a way to sense guitar string (and sometimes body) vibrations and send them to an amplifier to be made louder. They use a truss rod in the neck as they have steel strings and usually have lighter gauge strings than acoustic guitars.
Fingerboard (Fretboard): On guitars this is also called the fretboard, as guitar fingerboards are demarcated with frets (definition below). This is the flat, front section on the neck that your fingers will play.
Frets: The thin strips of metal placed across the neck of the guitar at regular intervals to shorten/lengthen the string and create different notes. Fingers press down behind the frets to select the notes.
Gauge: The term used to describe a wire’s diameter, and in music to describe the thickness of an instrument string. String gauges are measured in thousandths of an inch. For example, the high E string used on many electric guitars is .009 gauge, or “9 thousandths of an inch”.
Half step: The smallest interval (see Interval below).
Head (Headstock): Section of the guitar located on top of the neck and on which the tuning keys are mounted.
Interval: An interval is the distance between two pitches. In western music this is expressed numerically based on their distance from one another in a diatonic scale. For example, from the first note of the major scale to the third note the interval would be expressed as a major third as it is the third note of the scale. The smallest interval step is the semitone (or half step), which is the interval between two adjacent note in a chromatic scale. A whole tone (or whole step) is comprised of two semitones.
Larghetto: Indication that the music should be played at a tempo not quite so slow as largo. 60 – 65 ticks per minute.
Largo: Indication that the music should be played slowly, in a broad manner. 40 – 59 ticks per minute.
Major Chord: A chord with three notes called a triad (see definition below), that combines the first, third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Major chords have a happy or cheerful sound.
Measures: Sections of music organized with a certain number of beats determined by the time signature. For example, one measure in 4/4 time might be made up of four quarter (1/4) notes, or 8 eighth (1/8th) notes.
Melody: A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular musical phrase or idea.
Metronome: A device that marks time at a steady beat in adjustable intervals, to help keep a steady beat while playing music.
Minor chord: A chord with three notes called a triad (see definition below), that combines the first, flatted third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Minor chords have a darker, melancholy sound.
Moderato: Moderate, as in a moderate speed. 108 – 119 ticks per minute.
Muting: Touching played strings lightly to deaden their sound.
Neck: Section of the guitar that includes the fretboard and carries the strings from the body to the head of the guitar.
Note: A single sound, or its representation in music notation.
Nut: Raised bar at the top of the fretboard that supports the strings and stops their vibration, as they run to the head of the guitar.
Open string: A string that is sounded without being held down with the left hand.
Palm muting: A technique in which the palm of the right hand is laid on the strings just above the bridge, so that the strings are slightly muffled; this is different from muting, where the strings are deadened.
Pick guard: A plate located on the body of the guitar to protect it from getting scraped by the pick.
Pickups: Electrical apparatus on the body of electric guitars which converts sound into electrical signals.
Pitch: A distinct musical note.
Power chords: Chords that use only the two lowest strings of a normal chord; indicated by the symbol “5” (e.g. “A5” for an A power chord). The chords are created using the first and fifth steps of a major or minor scale.
Prestissimo: Very fast indeed. Faster than presto. 181 – 208 ticks per minute.
Presto: Fast. Indication that the music be played at a fast tempo. 168 – 180 ticks per minute.
Reference notes: Properly tuned notes used to tune another instrument by comparison.
Rhythm: A regular pattern formed by a series of notes of differing duration and stress.
Riff: A short musical phrase that a song is based on.
Root: The note from which a chord is built. For example, the root of the A minor chord is the A note.
Sound hole: An opening cut into the body of the guitar to allow sound to project.
Steel-string acoustic: An acoustic guitar that uses steel strings vs. nylon (such as classical guitars). These guitars usually have a truss bar in the neck to handle the extra tension of steel strings and use bridge pins to terminate the string at the bridge.
Syncopation: Stressing a beat which is normally weak.
Guitar Tabs or Tablature: A system of notation using letters, numbers and symbols to indicate finger placement and notes sequences for playing a musical piece on a specific instrument (guitar, bass, etc.).
Tempo: Rate of speed at which music is played, usually expressed in beats per minute (BPM).
Tie: A curved line connecting two identically-pitched notes, implying that only the first note is to be plucked, and the note is sustained for the entire duration of the two notes combined.
Tone controls: Knob(s) located on the body of an electric guitar which allow the player to adjust the characteristics of the sound.
Tuning keys: Used to tune the strings of the guitar. The strings are wound around six pegs located on the head of the guitar. The pegs are turned to make the strings tighter or looser, according to the desired pitch.
Triad: A chord made of three notes usually spaced as every other note in a scale.
Truss bar: This is a steel bar that runs through the neck of guitars that use steel strings. It reinforces the guitar neck to handle the extra tension of steel strings.
Volume controls: Knob(s) located on the body of an electric guitar which allow the player to adjust the volume of the guitar.

Learn How to Play Stand By Me on Guitar

Ben E. King had a huge hit with this in the 50’s. In fact, it was such a big hit that the chord changes are sometime called the 50’s progression, as it fueled so many classic pop/rock songs. The song was inspired by the spiritual “Lord Stand by Me”, has over 400 recorded versions, and was used in a 1986 film by the same name. It’s a great song to play with others and at sing-alongs as it’s so popular. If you can learn the C, Am, F and G chords, then you can learn how to play Stand By Me on guitar.

Listen to the song in the video above so that you are familiar with it.
Get the guitar chords and lyrics for an easy version of Stand By Me in the key of C. All you need do is to repeat the chords below, with an easy strum of “down, down/up, down, down”.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. It is good to use a metronome (as found in the eMedia Guitar Toolkit) to help you keep a steady tempo.

Watch this video from eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.

eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar also helps you master common guitar techniques like palm muting and barre chords, which are used in the middle section of Stand By Me’ and in many other rock, pop and country songs. It also includes Jam tracks to help you learn lead guitar and other great guitar songs like Tired of Waiting for You and You Really Got Me (Kinks), All Right Now (Free) and others.

Intermediate Version

If you would like to learn how to play Stand By Me’ on guitar with the same chord voicings as Tom Petty, then you will need to use slightly more difficult chord fingerings. His version has the guitar with a capo at the first fret and uses the E, Aadd9, and Bsus4 chords. as seen in the video below.

How to Play Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) on Guitar

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) shows a softer side of Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong than the punk anthems he is known for. The band’s producer, Rob Cavallo, had the great idea to add a string arrangement which adds a great Beatles-like dynamic to the track. Often referred to as Time of Your Life, it was an international hit and even had success in the Country charts. It’s an easy guitar song to play that’s popular at high school graduations, reunions, funerals and other events where people like to reflect on their experiences.

Listen to the music video above so that you remember how it Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) goes.
Then grab the guitar chords for Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) and lyrics. The song basically only uses G, C, D and Em, which are easy beginner guitar chords. Note that you can also use a Cadd9 and Dsus4 in the beginning to make it sound more like the recording. Simply substitute these for wherever you see a C and D chord in the music. Also if you need it, here’s a lesson on how to read guitar chords.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. It is good to use a metronome (as found in the eMedia Guitar Toolkit) to help you keep a steady tempo.

Watch this video from eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.

eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar also helps you master common guitar techniques like palm muting and barre chords, which are used in the middle section of Free Fallin’ and in many other rock, pop and country songs. It also includes Jam tracks to help you learn lead guitar and other great guitar songs like Tired of Waiting for You and You Really Got Me (Kinks), All Right Now (Free) and others.

How to Play Brown Eyed Girl on Guitar

This song is a timeless Van Morrison hit, enjoyed by generations old and young. Originally released in 1967, the song is a staple in classic rock radio (with over 10 million US radio air plays) and always popular at jam sessions and parties. It’s definitely a great song for any musician to know. To learn how to playBrown Eyed Girl on guitar, all you need to know are three easy chords.

Listen to the song in the video above so that you are familiar with it.
Get the guitar chords and lyrics for a great, easy version of Brown Eyed Girl. It’s great that such a popular song uses the standard, easy, open G, C and D chords you see below. Here’s a lesson on how to read guitar chord charts just in case you need it to read the guitar chords below.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. Try to use a metronome (such as the one in eMedia Guitar Toolkit), so that you can keep a good rhythm going.

Watch this video from eMedia Guitar Method, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.

Learn How to Play Guitar Faster with Award-Winning Guitar Lesson Software

eMedia Guitar Method is the award-winning guitar lesson software that uses interactivity to help you learn to play guitar faster and easier. You see songs and exercises on an Animated Fretboard with an interactive guitar score that can even show you when you aren’t playing the correct note. You get over 180 beginning guitar lessons designed by Kevin Garry, Ph.D., that cover how to play chords, read guitar tabs (guitar tablature) and sheet music, plus you learn over 70 easy guitar songs including hits like Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Rock’n Me by Steve Miller.

That Opening Guitar Lick

The guitar lick used int he song is a common country-style part used in many songs. It is essentially the same lick, just starting on the different chords in the progression. Watch the video below to see how it works.

Beginner Guitar Lessons – Start Playing Today!

Here are some beginner guitar lessons to provide you with a great understanding of all the guitar basics. As you learn how to play the guitar, be sure to use proper hand and finger technique and don’t try to rush things. Play your guitar chords and notes cleanly. You will want to be sure that you don’t develop bad habits that can hinder your progress later on.

Types of Guitars and Parts of the Guitar

Let’s start out by learning about the different types of guitars and their parts. This lesson shows the differences between different types of acoustic guitars and also covers the electric guitar as well.

Tuning the Guitar

PitchBoy Digital Guitar Tuner Tuning your guitar is important, so that you can hear when you playing melodies and chords correctly as you work through your beginner guitar lessons. Learn how to tune a guitar using our online reference tuner. Or use our instructions for how to tune your guitar with a digital guitar tuner, if you have one of those.

Digital guitar tuners, such as the PitchBoy mini tuner (pictured to the left), or the eMedia Guitar Toolkit make tuning a guitar easier, as you can tune visually with less dependance on your own ear’s ability to hear pitch differences.

Holding the Guitar

Learning how to hold the guitar correctly will make it a lot easier to practice and perform for longer periods of time. This guitar lesson will show you the right way to hold the guitar in sitting and standing positions.

Right Hand Guitar Technique

The right hand is used to make the guitar string vibrate by touching the string with your fingers, thumb and/or guitar pick. The right hand should rest comfortably on the guitar, with the hand basically parallel to the front of the instrument. The main right-hand guitar techniques are:

How to Strum a Guitar

Here is a strumming lesson that shows you the different ways of strumming a guitar. How you strum guitar chords determines your overall guitar tone when playing a song.

How to Hold a Guitar Pick

One of a beginning guitar student’s biggest challenges is developing proper picking technique. This one part of learning how to play guitar will make learning songs easier, as different songs will require different picking techniques. Also as you learn scales, play lead guitar or want to play faster tempo chord progressions you will need faster picking capabilities. Learning how to hold the pick correctly enables that.

Fingerpicking

Finger style guitar (fingerpicking) is common in folk and classical styles, but has also been a crucial element in lots of pop songs as well. Even rock guitarists such as Jeff Beck and Lindsey Buckingham (of Fleetwood Mac) will employ fingerpicking guitar styles. This guitar lesson covers basic fingerpicking.

Left Hand Guitar Technique

Here are some things to observe when developing proper left hand technique for guitar. Those are:

Play With Thumb Parallel to the Neck and Arched Fingers

Your thumb should rest in the middle of the back of the neck, opposite your 2nd finger and vertical (perpendicular to the neck, not angled or parallel). Try holding your guitar neck with your left hand and then pull your hand down keeping your fingers slightly curved.

Keep space between the curve of your hand that is making the chord and the guitar neck. If you were to look at your hand from the end of your guitar (near the tuning machines), it should be in a “C” shape, with arched fingers.

Play On Your Finger Tips

Make sure you play with the tips of your fingers, so that notes can ring out and not be accidentally muted. Do not let your finger flatten out when playing single strings.

There is generally a one finger per fret, rule, that says all notes played on a particular fret should be played by the same finger across all strings on that fret. For example, if the 1st finger is on the 3rd fret, it plays all notes on the 3rd fret across all strings, the 2nd finger plays notes across the 4th fret, the 3rd plays the notes across the 5th fret and so on. Then as you move your hand up and down the neck you always have maximum reach with minimal movement. Very important when playing melodies and riffs at higher tempos.

Play Slightly Behind the Fret, and Don’t Press Too Hard

Your fingertips should press down just behind the frets (slightly towards the tuning machine end of the neck), and as close to the frets as possible without having your finger on the top of the actual fret. This will make it much easier to hold down the string to get a good tone. You should not need to press down very hard to make a note sound. If the note sounds muffled, your finger is probably on the fret and you need to move it back a bit.

If your left-hand fingernails are too long, they may need to be trimmed.

Paying extra attention to technique as you learn how to play guitar pays off greatly as you start to improve. Getting the basics right during your initial beginner guitar lessons pays off a lot in the long run.

String and Finger Numbering

As seen in the graphic below, there is a guitar finger numbering system in place that indicates which finger to play relative to the frets. See the guitar fingering chart below for more information on guitar fingering notation.

Note: The dots on the side and face of the guitar neck are placed before the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th and 19th frets. The 12th fret has two dots. These dots help you find your way on the neck.

First Guitar Chords

The guitar chords below are called simple chords. They are perfect for beginner guitar lessons, as most of them only require a single finger and three strings to play. They are the most basic, easy guitar chords for beginners and work well for children with small hands, or others who might have problems playing full chords. Try playing them and remember to play all the notes in the chords.

Basic Guitar Chords for Beginners — Easy Guitar Chords Charts

Here are some videos to help you learn some of these beginning guitar chords and beginner guitar songs that use them.

How to Play a Simple G Chord

Beginner Guitar Song #1: Play Brother John/Frere Jacques

Now use your simple G chord to play this classic folk song. Each slash (/) indicates a downward strum on the beat. If possible, play to a metronome click so that you can to stay on the beat.

Easy Guitar Song Brother John

How to Play Simple C and G7 Chords

Once you master this beginner guitar lesson on chords, then make sure you know how to read guitar charts and go on to this free guitar lesson that teaches you more easy guitar chords. It also uses easy guitar chord charts and videos to help you learn even more chords easier.

Beginner Guitar Song #2: Play Skip to My Lou

Here is another song to try with the simple guitar chords you have learned.

More Easy Beginner Guitar Songs

Once you master the simple guitar chords, you can play the easy guitar songs below. Start with the song below that only uses the Simple G, and then go to our carefully selected group of 10 easy guitar songs for beginners!

Tips for Practicing Guitar

Have a clear idea of what you need to practice. Simply playing the same two songs over and over will not make you progress. In general, consider putting time aside for these three areas:

Improve guitar technique and strengthen your fingers. Remember that everyone needs to warm-up before playing and performing. Ways to do that effectively are to practice playing scales in different positions on the neck, changing between chords in common chord progressions, picking and fingerpicking, and playing in-tempo with a metronome. Start SLOWLY. Try to play CLEANLY without extra noise from accidentally hitting open strings, or accidentally muting notes by not holding down a note on the fret properly. Getting good tone will help make you a great player.
Practice songs and repertoire. Once you are all warmed-up, now is the time to practice the songs you know. Don’t rush them, but make sure that you are cleanly changing chords, hearing all the notes, and playing it at tempo without pausing.
Learn something new. Stretch yourself with a new technique, song, or musical style. Learn music theory and train your ear.

Learn Faster with eMedia’s Interactive Beginner Guitar Lessons!

Guitar lesson software such as eMedia Guitar Method or eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar helps you learn how to play guitar faster. It provides a mix of great beginner guitar lessons by qualified teachers from leading music schools, and interactive music technology that gets you playing quickly. The Animated Fretboard and interactive guitar notation lets you see which notes to play, while the software listens to you and displays whether you’re actually playing the right note. Plus you learn hit songs like Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Rock’n Me.

Beware of Common Practicing Mistakes

Here are some really common mistakes made by new guitarists. As you practice and learn how to play guitar please keep them in mind. Be patient, as mastering any instrument takes a lot of practice.

Remember to tune your guitar first and warm-up your hands.
Be patient.
Practice slowly and watch your hands to have good guitar technique.
Practice with a metronome to have a steady feel for tempo and keeping the beat.
Change your chords on the the beat. Better to play slowly in rhythm than fast and miss a chord.

How to Play Wonderwall on Guitar

This song was a big hit from the Oasis album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? album. According to the songwriter Noel Gallagher, the song describes “an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself”. To learn how to playWonderwall on guitar, all you need to know are five easy chords.

Listen to the song in the video above so that you are familiar with it.
Get the guitar chords and lyrics for the easy version of Wonderwall. The music indicates to use a capo at the 2nd fret to put it in the key of F#m like the original. The fingerings you use are still easy though, and are the standard open Em or Em7, G, Dsus4 and A7sus4 chords with a Cadd9 used in the Bridge (as seen below). Remember that the capo is optional, too. Note that the G chord below is different than in the sheet music, to make playing transitions from D to G easier.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. It is good to use a metronome (as found in the eMedia Guitar Toolkit) to help you keep a steady tempo.

Watch this video from eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.

Intermediate Version

If you would like to learn how to play Free Fallin’ on guitar with the same chord voicings as Tom Petty, then you will need to use slightly more difficult chord fingerings. His version has the guitar with a capo at the first fret and uses the E, Aadd9, and Bsus4 chords. as seen in the video below.

How To Read Guitar Tabs Easily in 5 Steps

Guitar tablature is commonly used around the world for guitar notation. Learning how to read guitar tabs gives you access to a wealth of guitar songs. You can learn how to read guitar tabs in 5 easy steps. Reading tablature is even easy for beginners!

What Are Guitar Tabs?

Guitar Tablature (TAB or tab) is a system of guitar music notation, dating back to the 16th century, that indicates which frets to press. The lines indicate the strings and the numbers indicate the fret positions. Tab does not show which finger is used to hold the string against the fret.

Ode to Joy Guitar TABs

An example of guitar tablature (a guitar tab)

1. How to Read Guitar Tabs Notes

Basic guitar tabs look like numbers across on a stack of 6 horizontal lines. The bottom line represents the thickest string (the string closest to you as you hold the guitar).
Numbers placed on the lines indicate the fret you use to play a note

The 0 seen in the tab to the left means that the B string (your 2nd string) should be played as an open string.

The 3 seen in the tab to the left shows you to place your finger just below the 3rd fret on the high E (1st) string. Fret numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) are counted starting at the nut (the end of the guitar neck with the tuning keys).

Guitar tabs are read from left to right. Numbers stacked vertically indicate notes which are played at the same moment in time (as with guitar chords or partial chords). In learning how to read guitar tabs, it’s important to read slightly ahead. Be prepared so you don’t hesitate to play the next note and fall out of rhythm.

Practice slowly and focus on getting your fingers to the right frets at the right time. Make sure to take routine breaks. At first your fingers will tire easily. Remember, you’re building muscles! Also, your fingers might hurt at first but will eventually develop calluses and stop hurting.

Note that eMedia Guitar Method and Interactive Rock Guitar make learning how to read guitar tabs easy. The interactive guitar lesson software will actually listen to you play through your computer’s microphone and shows you your mistakes. Interactive flash cards make learning how to read guitar tabs quick and easy. Some of the information presented in this article is borrowed from the eMedia guitar lesson software.

2. Count Rhythms and Know the Song’s Time Signature

At the beginning of well-notated tabs you will see a time signature. This is used to help you keep rhythm in the song. The most common time signatures are 4/4 and 3/4.

The top number of the time signature indicates how many counts per measure. The bottom number indicates what note receives one count (i.e. 4 means the quarter note gets one count and 8 would mean the eighth note gets one count).

3. Learn How To Read Guitar Tabs with Rhythmic Notation

High quality tabs will have rhythmic notation for the notes. Note durations and rhythm are indicated by a system similar to the one used in standard music notation, with the fret number in a circle or next to the stem.

Circled note no stem = whole note and gets 4 counts.

Circled note with a stem = half note and gets 2 counts.

Stem only = quarter note and gets 1 count.

Stem with flag = eighth note and gets half a count.

Consecutive eighth notes are usually connected with one line
(each of the eighth notes still gets half a count).

Dotted Note Values

A dot following any note increases its duration by half the original value.

For example:

Dotted half note gets 3 counts.

Dotted quarter note gets 1 1/2 counts.

4. Special Symbols

Below are a few special symbols people use in TABs to indicate some common guitar techniques. If you want to learn how to read guitar tabs in rock and blues styles, then you particularly need to know these.

p = pull off
h = hammer on
\ = slide (downward)
b = string bend
/ = slide (upward)
~ = string vibrato

eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar and eMedia Intermediate Guitar Method teach guitar techniques such as hammer ons, pull offs, slides, bends, and vibrato. You’ll apply them to dozens of popular songs as you learn.

5. Practice Reading Guitar Tabs Using Exercises and Songs

You can learn how to read guitar tab note rhythmic notation by practicing this simple exercise.

Try all rhythmic exercises with a metronome set to 60. Each tick should represent one quarter note count. If you don’t have a metronome, note that the eMedia Guitar Toolkit ($4.95) includes a metronome, a guitar tuner, a bass tuner, a chord dictionary with over 250 chords, and an audio recorder for Windows or Mac.

Note that note stems can go up or down depending on where there’s room. Stem direction doesn’t change the note value in any way. Try the same exercise on different strings.

About Guitar TAB Quality

Now that you’ve learned how to read guitar tabs, you probably want to start playing some songs. Great idea! We suggest professional tab transcriptions whenever possible. That way you’ll be learning the parts correctly. eMedia Masters of Rock Guitar offers interactive tablature for hit songs including All Along the Watchtower, Behind Blue Eyes, Baby, I Love Your Way, Oye Como Va, Magic Man, That’ll Be the Day, Truckin’, Before You Accuse Me, The Sky Is Cryin’, and others.

Want to learn blues guitar songs and classic blues guitar licks note-for-note? Have a look at eMedia Masters of Blues Guitar. It includes guitar tabs and original recordings of classic blues songs by Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and others with note-for-note tabs of the guitar solos.

If you want to write your own guitar tablature, check out the full-featured, industry-standard, guitar tab creation tool called Guitar Pro.

Want To Learn Standard Music Notation Now?

Want to go further with learning to read guitar music? Read this separate article on how to learn standard music notes on the guitar.

How to String a Guitar

String Corrosion Example — A picture showing string corrosion near the nut. Notice the string discoloration.

Before we jump into how to string a guitar, let’s first cover a few guitar string basics.

Use the Right Strings – Before you purchase a new set of strings for your guitar, make sure you know what type of guitar strings your guitar uses. Electric and steel-string acoustic guitars are built for using metal strings, but they use very different alloys and gauges. Classical and folk acoustic guitars are made for nylon strings, and, again, there are different types. Installing the wrong strings could ruin your setup or, worse, damage your guitar. Also thick guitar strings (medium and heavy gauge) are harder to hold down. For beginning guitarists it is usually best to start with lighter gauge strings, and go heavier as your hands get stronger.
Always Change Strings When They Are Worn – Guitar strings should be replaced regularly. As metal guitar strings age, they become corroded. Some last longer than others, but all guitar strings tend to lose their brilliance over time. If your guitar strings are really old or worn out, your guitar will sound dead and be more difficult to tune. Corroded strings can also be harder on your fingers.

What Tools Do I Need to Change Guitar Strings?

As you learn how to string a guitar properly, these basic tools will make it easier:

Strings

You will need a new set of strings that are appropriate for your guitar and style (see the list of guitar and string types below).

String Winder (String Crank)

An inexpensive string winder (or string crank) is indispensable. Without it, you’ll have to crank the guitar tuning key with your fingers — a very tiring task! Professional guitar shops have to change strings so often that they normally use battery-powered string winders. A standard guitar string winder usually features a special slot for pulling up bridge pins found on steel-string acoustic guitars. You’ll find a standard string winder in the eMedia Guitar Accessory Kit. These look similar to the pictures to the right. These tools crank on the guitar tuning key so that the string wraps around the tuning machine and gets tuned up to pitch faster.

How to string a guitar tools - standard guitar string winder. — A standard string winder.

Wire Clippers

You don’t absolutely need a wire cutter, but without it you’ll end up with long tails on the end of each string that get in the way when you’re changing the other strings. Some companies make string winders with integrated wire cutters (see photo). Most wire cutters, snips, or pliers with snips will do the job. When clipping the end off the string try to leave about 1/2 inch.

How to string a guitar tools - String winder with string clipper — String winder with integrated clipper.

Steps for How to String a Guitar

For the step-by-step instructions on how to string a guitar like the one you own, please select the link below that corresponds to your guitar. These lessons will also have links to help you learn more about string types used for the individual guitar types.

How to String a Classical Guitar

Instructions for how to string a nylon string guitar. Useful for both classical and folk guitars.

How to String an Acoustic Guitar with Steel Strings

Here you learn how to change strings on a steel-string acoustic guitar. Be sure to read about acoustic guitar string types. Guitar string variations can greatly affect the sound and playability of your guitar.

How to Change Electric Guitar Strings

This gives you a great guide on how to string an electric guitar. To bend strings easier, select light gauge electric strings.

Tips for Changing Guitar Strings

Wash your hands before changing you guitar strings. Oils from your fingers make the strings corrode faster.

While your strings are off, you may wish to polish your guitar, particularly the neck and underneath where the strings are around the sound hole or pickups. You can remove the dust by wiping with a damp cloth. Remove dust by wiping with a cloth that has been sprayed lightly with guitar polish (also included in the eMedia Guitar Accessory Kit).