How to read the notation guitarists actually use, the right‑hand patterns that turn chords into music, and the articulations that make a phrase sound like a guitar instead of a keyboard.
Six horizontal lines represent the six strings, high e on top. A number on a line tells you which fret to press; a 0 means play the string open. Read left to right, like sheet music.
Numbers stacked vertically at the same position are played together, as a chord. Numbers spread out are played one after another, as a melody.
Down and up arrows show pick direction. Most strumming patterns keep the hand moving continuously — even on beats you don't strike a string, the hand keeps swinging, which is what keeps the tempo steady.
This is the classic "D DU UDU" pattern — down, down‑up, (skip), up‑down‑up. Practice the arm motion without touching the strings first, then add the strings once the swing feels automatic.
Classical notation assigns each right‑hand finger a letter, borrowed from Spanish: p = thumb (pulgar), i = index, m = middle, a = ring. The thumb usually covers the bottom three strings, the other fingers cover the top three.
| Finger | String(s) |
|---|---|
| p (thumb) | 6th, 5th, 4th |
| i (index) | 3rd |
| m (middle) | 2nd |
| a (ring) | 1st |
These are the moves that connect notes smoothly instead of picking every single one — the difference between a phrase that sounds "played" and one that sounds "typed."
| Technique | Tab symbol | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Hammer-on | 5h7 | Pick the first note, then tap a higher fret with another finger — no second pick stroke. |
| Pull-off | 7p5 | The reverse: while holding a fretted note, pull the finger off to sound a lower note (fretted or open) without picking again. |
| Slide | 5/7 or 7\5 | Pick one note, then slide the same finger up (/) or down (\) to a new fret while it keeps ringing. |
| Bend | 7b9 | Push or pull the string across the fretboard to raise its pitch — 7b9 means fret 7, bent up until it sounds like fret 9. |
| Vibrato | 7~ | Rapidly and repeatedly bend a note very slightly to add wobble and sustain. |
| Palm mute | PM | Rest the picking‑hand palm lightly on the strings near the bridge for a muted, percussive tone. |
| Dead note | x | Touch a string without pressing it to a fret, then strike it, for a percussive click with no pitch. |
| Tapping | t | Use the picking hand to fret and hammer a note directly on the fretboard, common in rock and metal solos. |
| Natural harmonic | <12> | Touch a string lightly (not pressing it down) directly over frets 12, 7, or 5, then pick, for a bell‑like chime. |
Consistency beats duration — fifteen focused minutes daily outperforms one unfocused hour on the weekend.
Chromatic exercises or chord‑to‑chord switching at a slow, even tempo. The goal is clean fretting, not speed.
One scale pattern or one articulation drilled with a metronome, a few clicks slower than feels comfortable.
Apply what you drilled to an actual song or progression — this is where technique turns into music.