Learning to read sheet music takes a while. String players have a shortcut: tablature, or tab for short. It doesn’t tell you the name of a note but where to play it: which string and which fret. That means you can play a melody on day one.
Lines are strings
A tab has as many horizontal lines as your instrument has strings: four for ukulele, six for guitar, five for banjo. The top line is the highest-sounding string – the one closest to the floor when you play. That’s confusing at first because it looks upside down. Just imagine looking down at the instrument lying in your lap.
Numbers are frets
- 0 means open string – don’t press anything.
- 1, 2, 3 … means press that fret and pluck the string.
- You read from left to right, just like a book.
- Numbers stacked directly on top of each other are played together – that’s a chord.
What tab doesn’t tell you
A simple tab often doesn’t show how long each note lasts. That’s why it really helps to know the tune already or listen to it first. Some tabs add rhythm marks or lyrics underneath. Banjo tabs often add a letter for the picking-hand finger: T for thumb, I for index, M for middle.
Tabs in the app
For songs with a melody you can show the tab: the string and fret appear under every syllable. Try Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Alle meine Entchen. In the blues tool, too, you see the notes right on the neck, just like a tab.
Play songs Play the blues