Read guitar TAB: string numbers, frets and three original exercises

Guitar tablature, usually called TAB, tells you where to play on the instrument. In ordinary six-string TAB, the top line represents string 1, the thinnest string. The bottom line represents string 6, the thickest. This can feel upside down when you first look at a guitar in your lap.

For standard tuning, read the lines from top to bottom as high E, B, G, D, A, low E. The letter labels in our exercises confirm that tuning. Fender's introduction explains this mapping and the use of fret numbers. Source: Fender TAB guide.

e |----------------|  string 1
B |----------------|  string 2
G |----------------|  string 3
D |----------------|  string 4
A |----------------|  string 5
E |----------------|  string 6

Here, lowercase e is simply our label for the high E; it is not a different tuning system. Before playing another publisher's TAB, read its tuning and capo notes. Do not assume every example uses the same setup as this page.

A 2 on the B line means fret 2 on string 2. It does not mean “use finger 2,” and it does not mean “play two notes.” A 0 means play the open string without fretting it. Read events from left to right; vertically aligned numbers describe notes to sound together.

The small exercises below use standard tuning and no capo. They are original reading drills, not extracts from songs. Use any comfortable fingering agreed with your teacher, keep the guitar supported, and play slowly enough to identify the string before plucking.

Say a location aloud before playing it: “third string, second fret.” This gives you a direct check if the result is wrong. It also separates a reading error from difficulty making the note sound clearly.

Play one event per evenly counted beat. Count four beats once, then stop. Only the high E string is used.

Beat  1   2   3   4
e |---0---2---3---0-|
B |-----------------|
G |-----------------|
D |-----------------|
A |-----------------|
E |-----------------|

Answer: play string 1 open, at fret 2, at fret 3, then open again. There are four plucks, not five. The final zero is a played open string, not a rest. The blank lines do not instruct you to strum the other strings.

If you played the thick low E, revisit the line map. If you pressed a finger down for zero, rehearse the open-string meaning. If the order was correct but uneven, put the guitar down briefly and speak four steady counts before trying again.

Again use one event per beat. Keep reading left to right even when the next number appears on a different line.

Beat  1   2   3   4
e |-----------------|
B |-----------0---1-|
G |---0---2---------|
D |-----------------|
A |-----------------|
E |-----------------|

Answer: string 3 open, string 3 fret 2, string 2 open, string 2 fret 1. The string change happens at event 3. Trace the four numbers with a finger on the page first if your eyes keep returning to the start of each line.

Write those four locations in words without looking at the answer. Then have a practice partner point to one event and ask you to identify it. The aim is reliable decoding, not memorising this particular pattern.

For the final drill, sound the open first and second strings together on beat 1. On beat 2, play only the third string at fret 2. Let each event last one beat, then stop.

Beat  1   2
e |---0-------|
B |---0-------|
G |-------2---|
D |-----------|
A |-----------|
E |-----------|

Answer: two events contain three sounding notes. The two zeros are vertically aligned, so they belong to the same event. If you play all three notes together, you have ignored the horizontal position of the 2.

Our printed beat labels make the timing explicit. Many plain-text tabs do not fully specify note lengths; other TAB editions include rhythmic stems or standard notation. Do not interpret every dash as a fixed rest or assume spacing alone gives an exact duration. Read that edition's key and use a legitimate recording or teacher demonstration when needed.

Symbols for slides, bends and other techniques need their own explanations; do not guess them from the fret numbers. Once these three drills are clear, connect TAB reading with tuning and a simple chord-change task. Use licensed or otherwise permitted music when moving beyond original exercises.