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Guitar Tablature Symbols

GUITAR TABLATURE SYMBOLS

A lot of other important information can be included in a guitar tab. The standard practice is to write letters or symbols between notes to indicate how to play them. The following are the most common symbols used in tabs

b Bend
r Release Bend
/ Slide
S Shift Slide
L Legato Slide
h Hammer On
p Pull Off
tr Trill
t Tap
~~~ Vibrato
< > Harmonic
P.M. Palm Mute
x Muted String
( ) Ghost Note
* Explained in the tab

BEND

Bending a note allows you to change the pitch of that note. A bend is achieved by pushing the string across the neck after you have picked it. As you bend the note, the pitch of the note rises

The most common symbol used for a bend is the "b". The "b", is placed between two different numbers. The first number indicates the fret you are playing and the second number indicates the pitch that a bent note should sound like. You will not play the note represented by the second number, it is only a reference to tell you how much to bend the note up

Strike the G string at the 5th fret, then bend the note two semitones so that it sounds the same pitch as a note fretted at the 7th fret

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5b7---------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Sometimes the second note is written in parentheses,
just to clarify that it is not picked - 5b(7) instead of 5b7.

You can increase the pitch by up to 3 or 4 semitones. The type of
strings and guitar will affect how easily you can do larger bends but
on most guitars you should be able to manage a two semitone bend.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Bend & Release
The "r" is used to indicate a return of a bent note to its unbent state.
For example, 5b7r5 indicates a picked note on the fifth fret being bent
up to the seventh fret, and then returned to the fifth fret again.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5b7r5-------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

All three notes are tied, only the first note is struck.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Pre-Bend & Release
Another technique related to bending is when you bend a note up without
picking it (pre-bend). When the note is bent by the right amount, pick the
note and then release the bend. This way, you hear the pitch of the note
fall after it has started.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |------(5)b7r5------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Instead of picking a note at the 5th fret and bending it up, bend the note
without picking it, pick the note and then release the bend. (If you pick
the pre-bent note, it should have the same pitch as the note fretted at
the 7th fret).

Notes in parentheses are often called ghost notes. DO NOT strike them.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Unison Bend
Unison bends are played on two strings. Unison means one, so what you
are doing here is striking two notes simultaneously and bending the lower
note up until it matches the pitch of the higher. Example: pick the third
and second strings at the same time, and then bend up the third.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------5>>---------------|
G |-------7b9---------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Note:The symbol ">>" means: let the note ring on
until it reaches the pitch of the other note.

When performing this bend, be sure to listen for the two notes to come
together in unison. A common mistake is under bending or over bending
the string. This will make it sound like it's out of tune. Unison bend may
take a little practice at first to get them to sound right. Top Tablatures

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Smear
It is when you bend a string just slightly, not enough to bend the string
up to the next half step higher (one fret). A smear is often indicated by
just a "b" after a note, with instructions on how much to bend - written
above the note.

Bend up 1/4 tone
e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5b----------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Guitar Tablature Symbols
SLIDE

Sliding is a technique that adds more life to notes. The idea here is to fret
a note (or notes) and then move (slide) to another fret without taking off
the pressure of your finger (fingers) as you move.

Generally, a "/" symbol is used to notate slide.In Internet tabs,
a slide from the fifth fret to the seventh might be written: 5/7.
This is a basic slide up from 5th to 7th fret.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5/7---------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Double Slide
You can slide to and from more than one note at the same time.

e |-------5/7---------------|
B |-------5/7---------------|
G |-------------------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

It means: pick the first two notes at the 5th fret and then slide your
finger up to the 7th fret. Just use your first finger to fret both notes.

Although internet tablature rarely distinguishes between legato and shift
slide, some authors use the “L” for legato slide and the “S” for shift slide.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Legato Slide
Strike a note and then slide your finger to another note without
striking the second note.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5L7---------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Just the first note is picked.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Shift Slide
Pick the first note and with the same left hand finger, slide up
the string to the second note and pick the second note.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5S7---------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Both notes will be picked.

Note:If no number follows the slide symbol, it indicates sliding to
an indiscriminate fret. In other words, the note slides to nowhere.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5/----------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

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Guitar Tablature Symbols
HAMMER ON AND PULL OFF

Hammer-On
Hammer-on is a simple technique of hammering on the fretboard - with
one of your fret hand fingers and without picking this note. Hammer-on
allows you to play two or more notes for each note that you strike with
the picking hand. It's common to see the "h" representing a hammer-on
(e.g. 5h7).

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5h7---------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Means: fret a note at the 5th fret on the G string using your 1st finger,
pick the string and then move this finger down sharply onto the neck at
the 7th fret in a hammering action. So, you strike the string once, but
hear the notes at the 5th and 7th frets - this sound is different to that
produced by picking both.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Pull-Off
This is almost the opposite of a hammer-on.

Start with your first finger at the 5th fret on the G string, and your third
finger at the 7th fret on the same string. Pick the string to hear the note
at the 7th fret, and then pull your third finger away from the string to
hear the note at the 5th fret.The letter "p" is usually used to represent
a pull off (7p5).

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------7p5---------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

As with hammer-ons, you get two or more notes
for every note that is picked.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Hammer On and Pull Off
Once you have got used to the basic hammer-on and pull-off techniques,
you are ready to put together a whole sequence of hammer-ons and
pull-offs. You only need to hit the string once with the picking hand - all
the other notes are sustained by the hammer-on and pull-off actions.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |----5h7p5h7p5h7p5h7p5----|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

It may be difficult to hammer-on and pull-of at first because your left
hand needs time to build up enough strength to produce audible notes.

Note: Occasionally, you'll see the "^" symbol used
for either a hammer on or pull off (e.g. 9^7).

Guitar Tablature Symbols
Trills
Very rapidly alternate between the note indicated and the note shown
in parentheses by hammering on and pulling off. It is usually represented
by a "tr" and a squiggle line like for a vibrato.

tr~~~~
e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------5(7)--------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Guitar Tablature Symbols
TAPPING

Tapping is the technique that Eddie Van Halen made famous. This involves
hammering on the fretboard with the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd finger of the picking
hand to produce a note and then pulling off to notes fingered by your
fret hand. This kind of hammer-on with the picking hand is called "tap"
and is usually represented by a "t" in tablature.

Hammer (tap) the 12th fret with the a right hand finger and
pull off to the note fretted by the left hand at the 7th fret.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------t12p7-------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

In the next example you can see a 3 note pattern repeated. The first note
is performed by tapping on the fretboard with your picking hand on the 9th
fret and pulling off onto the 2nd fret - fingered with the first finger of the
fret hand. The last note in the pattern is performed by hammering on the
5th fret with your fourth finger of the fret hand.

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------t9p2h5t9p2h5------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Practice it slow until it sounds smooth and then try pumping up the speed.
It's hard to get it to sound right at first because you need time to develop
a good coordination between left and right hand.
Try to get more exercises to practice, get the tablatures of your favorite
songs

Guitar Tablature Symbols
VIBRATO

You can get extra expression using vibrato for notes that are sustained.
Vibrato is the effect where the pitch of a note is varied rapidly
so it rises and falls in a continuous cycle. A basic vibrato is achieved by
doing a series of small bends and releases - smoothly and quickly.

The depth of the vibrato (how far the pitch varies from its normal value)
and the rate of the vibrato (how quickly the pitch changes) determine the
kind of vibrato you obtain. As a rough guideline:
Vibrato Depth: bend the note by a small amount - less than a semitone.
Vibrato Rate: 3-5 cycles of bend-release every second.

The use of vibrato can be notated in different ways.
Most often, the "~~~" symbol is used.

~~~~~
e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------7-----------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Vibrato adds a lot of personality to your playing. Most great players
have a distinct vibrato, it is a key ingredient for playing good guitar.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
HARMONICS

Natural Harmonics
Natural harmonics are notes that produce a chime-like sound when you
touch a string over a particular fret bar. The "<>" symbol is usually
used surrounding the fret where the natural harmonic is played at
(e.g. <12>).

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------<12>--------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

With a left hand finger lightly touch the string over the 12th fret, pick the
string and quickly remove this finger from the string.The best places to
get strong harmonics are right above the 5th, 7th and 12th frets.

Other Harmonics
There is not really a standardized notation for other types of harmonics.
These include artificial, touch, tap, and pinch harmonics. The individual
transcriber will usually write an explanation of a particular technique that is
not easily notated.

Guitar Tablature Symbols
PALM MUTE

With the right hand, partially mute the note by lightly touching the string just
before the bridge keeping it from ringing.The notation is usually a "P.M."
sign under the first note, and a dashed line going from this sign until the
last note that is palm-muted, making it possible to have whole sections of
palm-mute.

P.M.---------:
e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------------------------|
D |-------------------------|
A |------7---7---7---7------|
E |------5---5---5---5------|

Guitar Tablature Symbols
MUFFLED STRINGS

Mute the strings with your left hand without actually pressing them and
strike the strings with the right hand. The symbol used is a cross "x".

e |-------------------------|
B |-------------------------|
G |-------x-----------------|
D |-------x-----------------|
A |-------------------------|
E |-------------------------|

Note:This use of the "x" is totally different from the use of the "x" when
giving chord shapes (often used to indicate that one particular string is
not played). Here, the "x" is used to represent a heavily muted string
which is picked or strummed to obtain a percussive sound.

These are just some of the techniques and symbols used in guitar tabs.
A lot of tab writers use their own symbols or different meaning for the
usual symbols. Usually, there are notes and tab explanation posted in
each tablature if the symbols are too hard to figure out

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