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Reading Notation and

Tablature
December 19, 2015 Patrick MacFarlane Free
Lessons

Although, we love to listen to music, we


need to be able to read and write it. This
lesson show you how to read (and
write) tablature and notation.

Objectives

1. Learn how to read the pitches on a


standard notation staff.
2. Learn how to map the pitches to
the guitar.
3. Learn how accidentals change the
pitch of the note.
4. Learn how key signatures work.
5. Learn how tablature works to
enhance standard notation.

Introduction

Standard notation is a very important


form of written musical communication.
It tells a musician which notes to play,
when to play them, and how to play
them. When combined with tablature, it
is even more powerful. This lesson will
show you how to read the pitches of the
notes and how to read basic tablature.

Tablature 101

Tablature, or tab, is a notation method


used by stringed instruments to learn a
song quickly. For guitar, it consists of
six horizontal lines, which represents
the strings of the guitar. The top line
represents the first string. The bottom
line represents the sixth string.
Numbers on the lines indicate which
fret to play on that string. Although
tablature does not tell you how long to
play a note, it is often notated with a
standard notation staff so you get the
rhythm and note names as well as the
exact fretting-hand fingerings.

Practice Exercise: Reading Tablature

Tablature is read like a book: from left to


right. Because the rhythm is only
notated in standard notation (and I
havenʼt explained that yet), listen to the
audio example first.

In the practice example, you will see


two staffs: standard notation staff (on
top), tablature staff (on the bottom).
You only need to concern yourself with
the tablature staff for this exercise.

Playing the First Measure (The notes


before the first bar line – first seven
notes)

1. Play the 3rd fret of the 5th string.


2. Play the open 4th string.
3. Play the 2nd fret of the 4th string.
4. Play the 3rd fret of the 4th string.
5. Play the open 3rd string.
6. Play the 2nd fret of the 3rd string.
7. Play the open 2nd string.

Notes on the Standard Notation Staff

Standard notation is written


on five horizontal lines called
a staff. Each line and space
between the lines represents
a note. The lines and spaces of a staff
can represent different notes based on
which clef is used. For guitar, the treble
clef, or G clef, is used. The treble clef
indicates that the lines represent E, G,
B, D, and F. To remember them, you can
learn this common mnemonic device:
Every Good Boy Does Fine. The spaces
represent the notes F, A, C, E. This is
easy for most guitarists to remember
because is spells the word face.

Notes of the lines and spaces

Ledger lines are used when a note is too


low or too high to fit on the staff. They
extend the staff beyond five staff lines
so more notes can be notated.

Ledger lines are used to notate beyond the staff


lines.

The seven note names repeat as you


move up the staff. The following figure
shows the notes that the guitar can play
from a low E to a high E (some guitars
can play even higher notes).

Practice Song: Mary Had a Little


Lamb

Mary Had a Little Lamb isnʼt a cool song


unless you are listening to Buddy Guyʼs
bluesy version of it. However, it is
perfect for learning notation because
most people know the melody. Since I
have not explained how to read the
rhythms of the notes (how long to play
each note) yet, I provided an audio
example for you to test yourself. For this
example we will play the song on one
string (the fifth string).

While playing this song, notice how the


C note needed to use a ledger line
because its pitch is too low to fit on the
staff. Also, notice how the C note
sounds deeper or lower in pitch than
the G note.

To help you visualize and play the song,


look at this fretboard diagram of the 5th
string (A string). Remember to place
your finger behind the fret to play the
note.

Notes of the Fifth String (A String)

Mary Had a Little Lamb Example on the 5th string

An Accidental for Change

Sometimes the notes between the basic


seven notes need to be played.
Accidentals (sharps, flats, or naturals)
are used to indicate that you should
play the note a half step higher or lower
in pitch. On guitar, this means you play
the note one fret higher or lower,
respectively. Sharps (♯) indicate that a
note should be played a half step
higher. Flats (♭) indicate that you
should play the note a half step lower.
Naturals ( ) mean that you should play
the note as written without any sharps
or flats. This is useful because
accidentals last for the duration of the
measure (explained later in this lesson).

The Three Accidentals: Flat, Natural, and Sharp

Practice Exercise: Using Accidentals

This exercise shows you how to play


accidentals. Accidentals stop working
when they reach the end of a measure,
or bar. Measures end at vertical lines
called bar lines. The example below has
5 bars.

Accidentals change the pitch of the


note by a half step. Each fret on the
guitar is a half step of movement.

For your convenience, I added a


fretboard diagram of the fourth string
notes. Notice how G-flat and F-sharp
are the same note and how G-sharp is
the same pitch as A-flat. At this point,
just remember that they are the same
note. The reason for this requires
learning music theory.

Notes of the Fourth String (D String)

Notation for the notes on the 4th string (D


string)

Keying in on Keys

Sometimes all the accidentals are


intended to last for an entire piece of
music. In this case, a key signature is
used. Key signatures last until another
key signature is written in the music.
The diagram below shows all the
possible keys and their names. Once
again the reason behind the names of
the keys requires learning music theory.
Just remember that they are named
after note names.

Key signatures tell which notes are


sharped or flatted by putting the center
of the symbol on the line or space for
that note. Example: The key of F has
a flat on the B line so all the B notes are
played as B-flat.

Key Signatures with Sharps

Key Signatures with Flats

Practice Exercises: Using Key


Signatures

Key signatures are short-hand ways of


using accidentals in music. They work
by saying something like this, “Every B
note will be flat unless an accidental
changes the note.” Below are two
examples that are played exactly the
same way. One is written in the key of C
(no sharps or flats in the key
signature). The other is written in the
key of G (F-sharp in the key signature).

The following example uses notes from


both the second string and the fifth
string. A diagram of the second string is
provided. The fifth string diagram is
given earlier in this lesson.

Notes of the Second String (B String)

Key Signature Example (Key of C) – Notice how


the accidentals are used.

Key Signature Example (Key of G) – Notice how


the key signature changes how accidentals are
used.

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