Learn To Read Guitar Chords

How hard is it to learn to read guitar chords? Even though it may seem complicated, it's actually not that hard, as well as it might take less time than you thought it would. Once you do get the knack of notes and chords (e.g., on tabs), you'll see just how easy they are to read.

If it is that easy, why do so many guitarists try to skip on learning tablature? It's probably because most people learn to play guitar "informally", such as on their own or through some short courses. Guitar is one of the most "informally" learned musical instruments out there, especially in comparison to some other instruments (e.g., learning piano requires years of lessons with private tutors, learning music theory, and learning to read notes). So, when it comes to learning tabs, many guitar players put their "informal hat" on, and do their best to avoid learning guitar tablature.

Even so, learning guitar tab is highly recommended. Tab allows for easy sharing of music between different guitarists. There are other ways to share guitar music (using neck diagrams, chord diagrams, etc.), but learning to read guitar tab is vital for becoming a more professional guitarist.

Let's see what tab looks like, and what it may say. Tab has six lines (one per each guitar string). Tab's lines go in horizontal order. The top line (top "E") is for the top string, also called the first string. The bottom line (bottom "E") is for the lowest string, also called the sixth string. Numbers located directly on the lines (strings) show the fret that you need to play according to the tablature. For instance, the tab may tell to play the fourth string sixth fret. As you can see, reading tablature is very easy.

There are more advanced aspects to reading tab notation, such as reading chords in tab. Chords in tabs look like series of vertically arranged numbers, which can either be stacked or spaced out. Stacked numbers mean that you need to play these chord notes at once. You may need to hold down some of the notes (e.g., E major chord) and strum several strings at once. Spaced out chord notes mean that you need to play the notes one by one, instead of all together.

Guitar tablature has its shortcomings. First of all, tabs that don’t notate rhythm will require you to listen to this guitar part, so that you know how long you should hold each note. Notating rhythms can be achieved by placing stems on the numbers (e.g., eighth notes, quarter notes, etc.), but this makes the tab quite cumbersome to read. Another problem with a guitar tab is that it's native and comprehensible only to guitarists ("standard notation" can be read by any musician), making musical communication between guitarists and other musicians quite difficult. There are pros and cons to the guitar tablature. Nonetheless, learning to read a chord with tab is quite easy, as well as it will help you to learn and master guitar on a much more professional level.