The Basics to Tablature, Chord Charts, and Musical Notation Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: What is Covered
This lesson covers many key aspects of the guitar that new musicians sometimes neglect. This lesson does not necessarily deal with playing, but supplementary skills that you absolutely need to know. Here is a rundown of lesson topics:

- Review of string names
- Tab explanation and its uses
- Chord charts - different variations
- The basics of reading musical notation

Chapter 2: Review of String Names
Without learning the string names, a true understanding of the guitar is nearly impossible to achieve. This information may not seem useful to you now, but learning this information will build the foundation for movable chord shapes, scales, and many other skills you will learn in the future.

The string names in order from low to high are as follows - E, A, D, G, B, e. In terms of numbers, the strings are labeled (in the same order) 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Every fret has a number attached to it. A string played open is labeled with a "0." A note played at the first fret of the 6th string is labeled with a "1." Now that you know the string names, can you figure out which note is produced at this location?

Chapter 3: Tab Explanation
- The tablature system uses six lines that represent the six strings on the guitar.
- The lowest line represents the lowest (or E string) on the guitar.
- The highest line represents the highest (or e string) on the guitar.
- Refer to the included chart included below.
- A number on one of the lines represents the fret and the string that you are to produce a certain note.
- A "0" indicates that the string is to be played "open."
- The black dots directly above the numbers and strings represent the musical notation version of what is being played. (Musical notation is be covered later in this lesson.)
- Tablature is read from left to right just like a book.
- When notes are stacked on top of each other, they are strummed or played together. When notes are spread out one-by-one, they are played left to right.
- When there is an unfamiliar symbol or drawing in the tab you receive from this lesson set, look for notes on the page itself explaining those markings. As we explore more techniques, more ways of communicating those techniques will be discussed.
- Let's play through the tab in the following example:



Tab is generally used to communicate musical events over time such as a song, part of a song, or a progression of notes.

Chapter 4: Reading Chord Charts
Chord charts are used to communicate how and where a certain chord is fingered. They do not communicate an order or time line that the notes or chords are to be played in.


- Chord charts are written as though the guitar is hanging on a wall as though it were in a guitar store.
- The vertical lines are the strings.
- The far left line is the low E string.
- The far right line is the hi e string.
- The horizontal lines are the frets.
- The dots represent where you place your fingers.
- The numbers below the chart indicate which finger you use to fret a note.
- The "0"s above the chart indicate that there is no note fretted, but the string is still played.
- The "X" indicates that the string is not played.
- A number to the left of the chart indicates what the starting fret position is. Ex: A "5" would indicate that the the starting fret in the diagram is the fifth fret.

Chapter 5: The Basics of Musical Notation
- The horizontal lines are called a "staff."
- Guitarists read notes in what is called the "treble clef."
- Note names go from A to G in the musical alphabet.
- Each one of these notes has either a line or a space on the staff associated with it.
- Here are the notes that are based on the staff with the corresponding TAB positions.
- Lines:


- Spaces:


- A handy acronym for remembering the Line Notes is: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.
- The spaces are easy to remember. When read from low to high, they spell the word "FACE."
- Many of the notes on the guitar are written above or below the standard five lines on the staff. To figure out what the name of the note is above or below the staff, simply count up alphabetically (ranging from A to G) from the top line or down alphabetically below the bottom line.
- If you were to count down from the first line (or an "E" note) to the next line below you would first count the space below the line which would be "D." Then the line below that "D" space would be "C." - Here's an example with note names:


- Musical notation not only displays note names, but also time and rhythm.
- The treble clef symbol appears at the far left of a musical score.
- The numbers to the right of the clef sign indicate the time signature.
- If you look at the note illustration just above the clef and time signature you will see a bar divider between the two sets of notes.
This bar divides two measures.

Types of Notes:

- Whole note
- Half note
- Quarter note
- Eighth note
- Sixteenth note

- The top number on the time signature tells you which note takes up one beat. - Since the number in the example is a 4, the quarter note would receive one beat, and it would be counted as "1,2,3,4... 1,2,3,4... etc." - If the top number were a 2, the half note would receive one beat and it would be counted "1,2... 1,2... etc." - In our 4/4 time signature, you would count quarter notes as "1,2,3,4." You would count eighth notes as "1&, 2&, 3&, 4&." You would count sixteenth notes as "1e&a, 2e&a, 3e&a, 4e&a."
- Whole notes take up a whole measure.

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