Chords for Learn How To Read TAB in 5 Minutes

[N] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
So we'll [F] start out by putting the [E] guitar down on our lap like this.
_ [G] From this point of view you can see that the thickest [F] string or the low E is on the bottom and the thinnest string
or [Bb] the high E is on the top.
_ [A] It's just like that on tab paper with the bottom line representing [Bb] the thickest string and the top [Eb] line representing the thinnest [N] string. _
_ _ _ _ As I pluck [E] the notes from the bottom to the top you can see that the corresponding lines [Am] on the tab paper
also go from the bottom to the top and a zero [Dm] appears on each string as I pluck it.
That [F] zero [G] represents an open string.
[F] It means that I'm not pressing down any frets.
So here we're [E] basically just playing all the open strings [A] from the lowest [E] string to the [A] highest string.
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _
_ [Bb] So now we'll learn [F] how to [D] move up the fretboard.
[C] We'll do this along [F] a single string, [E] the high E [A] string,
which [F] is represented by the top line of the guitar tab. _
As I've already [A] mentioned, plucking a string without pressing down a fret is [Eb] represented by a zero on the guitar tab.
But [A] if we press down the [Gb] string between the [E] nut, this white piece of [Gb] plastic here, and [E] the first fret, that piece of metal there,
[F] we get a [N] note.
_ [F] _ _ _ That note is [G] represented by a one on [Gbm] the guitar tab because we're [E] pressing down the string to the first [N] fret.
_ So now [E] let's count up the [F] fretboard.
We have one,
[Gbm] _ two,
_ [G]
three,
_ [Fm] four,
_ [A] _ _ _
five,
_ [Bb] six,
_ _ [E] _
seven,
[F] _ eight, _ _
nine, and so on.
[N] _ _ _ Most guitars have inlays.
Those are these [A] white dots here.
They help you know what fret you're on when you're [E] further up the neck.
[Ab] Most guitars have them at the third, [Gb]
fifth,
_ seventh, and ninth fret, [E] which are all odd numbers.
There's a special inlay at the twelfth fret, [F] and that's because all the [E] notes on the twelfth fret are exactly one octave higher
[Dm] than the open string.
[N] _ _ [F] So now we're ready to put our guitars upright.
[N] _ _ So as I mentioned earlier, on guitar [Gbm] tab, the [Eb] bottom line represented the thickest [E] string, and the top [D] line
[F] represented the thinnest string.
And [E] when our guitar was on our lap, it was the same way.
[G] Now that we've put our [E] guitar right side up,
it's the other way around.
The thickest [Dm] string is on [F] the top, and the [Eb] thinnest string is on the [N] bottom.
_ _ _ [F] So now we're ready to try reading a song using tab.
For this, we'll do Hot Cross Buns.
On [Eb] the tab,
you'll see a seven on the top line.
The top line represents [A] the thinnest string, the high E string.
And to get to the seven, we can count up.
Two,
[F] three, [E] four, _ [Eb] five,
six, seven.
_ [G] So now that we have our starting note, [E] we can go step by step through the [A] tab.
It goes seven, _
_ five,
_ [F] _ [G] three. _
[E] And then we do that again. _ _ _ _
[A] _ [Eb] Seven, five,
_ [F] three.
[G] _
_ [Bb] Now you'll [F] see that there's four threes in a row.
So we'll hold down the third fret and pluck it four times.
[G] _ _ _ _
_ _ [F] Same thing, but for the fifth [A] fret. _
_ _ _ And then to finish it off,
[G] _
_ _ [A] seven, five,
_ [C] three.
[Gm] _
_ _ _ [F] So now we're gonna play a melody [Eb] that goes across more [D] than just one string.
_ This means [F] that we not [E] only have to [F] play the [Gb] correct fret,
but we have to see [Eb] what line of the tab that fret [D] number is written on, and [E] then we have to find the
[Eb] corresponding string and make sure we're [F] playing it on the correct [Gbm] string.
We'll start [F] on the G string,
[G] _
_ _ _ _ _ [A] go [E] to the B string,
back [A] to the G, and so [G] on. _
_ [B] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ [B] _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ [B] _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ On [F] tab, if you see two notes that line up [E] vertically,
it means you play them at the same time.
In this song, Smoke on the Water, we're gonna be [F] playing the D and G [D] [G] strings. _ _ _ _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ [C] _ _ [Gm] _ _ [Bb] _
_ [C] _ _ [G] _ _ [Bb] _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ [Bb] _ _ [C] _ _ [Gm] _ _ [Bb] _
_ [C] _ _ _ [Gm] _ _ [Bb] _ [C] _
_ [Bb] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _ _
E to [D] D. _ _ _
_ [G] _ Split a bar between those two chords, E minor.
Okay. _ _ _