How to Read Music for 6 String Guitar

Learning how to read music for guitar can be tough, but it doesn't need to be. In this lesson we'll bear witness y'all the easiest ways to read guitar music as well as bonus tips which will turbo-charge your progress.

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In this free lesson you volition learn:

• 3 easy ways to read music on guitar.
• vi essential tips that will turbo-charge your music reading.

How To Read Music For Guitar

Unlike the pianoforte or the trumpet, there are multiple mutual methods we tin employ in lodge to acquire a slice of music.

So what are they, and what exercise we need to know?

In this lesson, nosotros will break down 3 distinct methods for reading music for guitar that volition help you build a foundation for your knowledge!

Let's get!

How To Read Music For Guitar: The 3 Methods

At that place are iii chief ways in which we can acquire how to read music for guitar:

• Tablature.
• Chord Boxes.
• Traditional Music Notation.

Everyone has their ain preference, just having a practiced understanding of all three of these methods can assist you lot go a more adaptable actor.

One of the major perks of learning how to read music for guitar is that it tin can aid you interact with other guitarists and musicians.

The more you larn about how to read music for guitar, the more prepared you will be to speak the linguistic communication of music with others.

• It'due south important to understand that none of these methods are 'superior' to ane another. As nosotros learn new methods of how to read music for guitar, they only always stand to make united states of america improve musicians.
• Each method should be explored in depth to discover the benefits for yourself.
• A good note to brand is that each of these methods of reading music for guitar comes with its own limitations and advantages.

Learning the ins and outs of these three methods will help yous get more well-versed in non just your guitar, but music in general. Strive to be versatile!

How To Read Music For Guitar: Tablature (aka 'TAB')

And then yous want to know how to read music for guitar? Then tablature is your golden ticket to condign the guitarist you want to exist.

• Tablature removes the traditional "music staff" and replaces it instead with fret numbers and a horizontal display of our guitar strings.
• When learning how to read music for guitar with tablature, information technology tin can look as though we aren't being given much to work with.
• However, tablature does a corking task of enhancing our fretboard knowledge, listening and music reading skills.

By keeping a few fundamental concepts in listen during the initial learning phase, reading tablature can become as easy as reading a volume.

When learning how to read music for guitar, tablature looks like this:

• Our low East cord is represented past the bottom line.
• Our high E cord is represented by the top line.
• Our frets are represented by the numbers shown on each line.

As well as this, our strings are laid out as follows:

• High Due east (1st string).
• B (2nd cord).
• G (3rd string).
• D (4th string).
• A (5th string).
• Low Eastward (6th string).

When reading tab, it'southward important to link the strings with the fret numbers.

The fret numbers will 'sit' on top of the strings on the tab.

(If you don't sympathize the above image please read our commodity "How To Read Guitar Chordboxes In 60 Seconds". It will brand everything clear!)

What Does This Hateful For Us As Guitarists?

This means that when you play a tab, you MUST look out for the post-obit:

• What string the fret number is on. This tells yous what string to play.
• The number. This tells y'all what fret to play.

Although tablature is the easiest way to read music for guitar, information technology does nowadays some issues. Tablature gives u.s. no indication of timing, considering of this we are forced to use our ears more when trying to piece of work out what to play.

This isn't a bad thing, though! Training your ears to listen to the music will make y'all a better player

In many tabs that you will find on websites like Ultimate Guitar, they are ofttimes displayed in plain text.

• This doesn't brand them worse, just sometimes more difficult to follow.
• When searching for tabs, always look out for star ratings.
• Many online tablature communities use a rating organization to assistance the reader find the most accurate version of the tab that they're looking for.

Make sure you always look for five star tabs.

There are some great software resources online that tin can assist us learn how to read music for guitar faster and more efficiently.

The almost widely-used and well-known software is Guitar Pro (adult past Arobas Music) currently in its 7th version. Y'all can try it for 30 days complimentary past clicking here

Guitar Pro is a fantastic tool for guitarists of any level, every bit it allows us to load "digital tabs" into its software for playback, speed training and so much more.

How To Read Music For Guitar – The Pros and Cons of Tablature

Hither are the main pros and cons of tablature:

The Pros

• Displays the fretboard in a linear style that is piece of cake to empathize, and easier to play along to
• The simplest, most accessible way to larn how to read music for guitar
  Tin exist integrated into software like Guitar Pro or Tux Guitar for a ameliorate learning experience.
• Requires united states to use our ears to determine the finer details such as speed and dynamics

The Cons

• Does not communicate timing, speed or dynamics unless paired with software
• Many complimentary tabs tin be inaccurate/poorly written.
• Does not assistance united states of america to learn music theory

It'south worth noting that tablature is far from a new concept, and has been around in different forms for different fretted instruments for hundreds of years.

Tablature tin be dated in its different variations all the manner dorsum to instruments such equally the lute.

How To Read Music For Guitar: Chord Boxes

Chord boxes are the perfect choice for songwriters and vocalists who are looking to accompany themselves, as they tin can be quickly and conspicuously illustrated.

• There is no faster way to communicate what chords you are playing to another person than chord boxes, this makes them a great tool when jamming with others.
• When learning this method of how to read music for guitar, it's important to note that chord boxes only teach united states of america finger positions for chords.
• While tablature and traditional notation convey a timeline of notes, chord boxes convey static positions.

Permit's take a look at what chordboxes look similar:

Chordbox example:

D major chordbox:

Chord boxes are frequently plant in lyric books, used at the top of a page to bespeak what chords to play.

This method of learning to read music for guitar is ideal for those of us who desire to expand our chord vocabulary.

How Practise I Read Chordboxes?

Your chord box strings should read (from left to correct):

E  A  D  G  B  E

If you were to concur upwards your guitar by the neck and stare at it face-on, this would be the guild in which you would come across the strings.

E major chord box:

Em Chordbox:

As you can see to a higher place, the circles correspond the frets that need to be played. Likewise as this, you will often see numbers written in the circles. This tells y'all what fingers to utilise. Hither's what each number ways:

1 – Index
two – Middle
three – Ring
4 – Pinky

Sometimes, chord boxes will have a number and "fr" side by side to the box itself. This only indicates that the chord box begins at a different fret than the open position.

(If you don't understand the in a higher place image please read our commodity "How To Read Guitar Chordboxes In 60 Seconds". It volition make everything clear!)

How To Read Music For Guitar – The Pros And Cons of Chordboxes

Let's take a look at the main pros and cons of chordboxes.

The Pros

• Best way to illustrate and brandish chords and chord voicings.
• Corking for use with flash cards.
• Tin can be illustrated rapidly to help your advice with other guitarists.
• A fantastic tool for figuring out finger positions.

The Cons

• Does not illustrate any rhythmic patterns or strumming patterns.
• Does not teach us how to play a song, simply what chords are beingness played and what the finger positions await like.

The Chordbox Challenge

Here'south a fantastic mode of practicing chords:

• Become a pack of flash cards (or make them yourself by press the template in a higher place).
• Write down every bit many chords as you lot know.
• Shuffle the deck and pull from the superlative, and see how quickly you can play the chord yous pulled.

This gets us into some positive habits when information technology comes to memorizing our chords, likewise as learning how to read music for guitar in general.

Make certain you lot do often, and take fun with it!

How To Read Music For Guitar: Traditional Music Notation

Although traditional music notation isn't as popular as tab, music notation is ofttimes used in complex styles of music such as jazz and classical music.

• Traditional music note paints the near consummate picture of a piece of music.
• Even so, there is a trade-off. Traditional music notation provides the states with more than musical information than tablature or chord boxes.
• This method requires a lot more fourth dimension and patience to master.

Traditional music annotation is its own language and (like tablature) should never be rushed through when learning.

To learn how to read music for guitar when using traditional music notation, we crave a pocket-sized amount of noesis of music theory to understand how notes move across the staff.

Yous can detect some more data on music theory for guitar here

Traditional music notation divides itself into 2 main staffs:

• The Treble Clef
• The Bass Clef.

Due to its naturally higher pitch than other instruments, the guitar uses the treble clef.

Let's take a closer await (We've included tabs in here also so you can compare):

We can call up the notes in the spaces and lines on the Treble Clef as follows:

• Spaces: F A C Eastward (in the space)
• Lines: Eastward K B D F (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge)

You can detect more info on traditional notation here

Now, allow's put all of this together.

Download our lead guitar cheat-sheet to make things easier

It can exist disorientating for guitarists to understand which scales work with which keys.

With this in mind, we created a cheat-canvass; a primal and scale-finder that you lot tin can use again and once more.

How To Read Music For Guitar – The Pros And Cons Of Traditional Music Notation

Let'due south have a look at the pros and cons of music notation.

The Pros

• Almost curtailed way to read music for guitar.
• Communicates effectively details of musical performance (ex. key signatures, time value, notes, speed and dynamics).
• Notation that is purchased is unremarkably far more than well-written and authentic than free tablature.

The Cons

• Requires much more fourth dimension and endeavor to memorize and understand.
  Not as unremarkably used in the online guitar community.
• Requires bones cognition of music theory to fully understand.

Instance Study #1 – 'Simple Man', Iii Ways

Let's take a look at "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

• In this example, the chord boxes prove merely the chords themselves.
• This is why they work perfectly with tablature as they requite us a clearer understanding of what to play.
• This song gives united states a great example of how to read music for guitar.

'Simple Man' can be played with chords and can likewise be accompanied by the short riff played over those chords in bar #3, equally seen below.

Case Written report #2 – Bad Moon Rising – Three Means

For this second instance report, we'll take a await at Bad Moon Rising past Creedence Clearwater Revival.

• This vocal is a fantastic instance because information technology uses iii chords during the poetry.
• The chord boxes tell u.s. what the chords are, and the tablature and notation will evidence us how to play them.
• Thus, this song gives united states of america three more than examples of how to read music for guitar.

Thank you, CCR!

"But which method is the correct one for me?"

Go along in mind that there is no 'right' manner to acquire music, and one should never restrict themselves to just one method of learning.

Try non to hold a preference for i of these methods over another.

Each one holds a fountain of possibilities to help y'all go the guitarist yous've always dreamed of.

There are enough of strategies to make things easier when learning how to read music for guitar (or any instrument, for that matter).

I of those things is to try and acquire a footling fleck of everything. Knowledge is power, and when it comes to music, y'all tin can never larn 'enough.'

Merely that's just part of the dazzler of music, isn't information technology?

Take your time to empathize the ins and outs of each method.

Patience is a virtue, friends!

Where next?

Here are a few side by side steps to keep you moving on your guitar journey:

• Pick up a Guitar Chord Flashcard volume on Amazon!
• Become to your local music shop and option upwardly a tab book of some of your favourite songs.
• ICYMI: Download your complimentary guitar chord box template here
  (Please insert hyperlink to downloadable template PDF)
• Enquire your guitar teacher to teach y'all the basis of reading traditional notation.
• Go to an open mic and notice some new friends to jam with.
  Keep practicing!

Recommended Resources

If you're looking to keep learning more nigh how to read music for guitar, check out some more than of our lessons below!!

• Guitar Tabs For Beginners: 20 Easy Songs That Audio Dandy
• How To Read Guitar Tabs
• Acoustic Guitar Tabs – 19 Easy Songs That Sound Amazing
• Learn Guitar Chords: A 6-Step Program For Rapid Chord Skill
• Guitar Chords For Beginners: fourteen Easy Chords

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