These days, anyone can study tabs for guitar on the Internet, without a teacher because it’s not exactly rocket science. However, not many guitar beginners spend too much time learning tabs, and they pass directly to learning songs, which is quite a minus, especially if you want to become good at playing guitar. Reading the tab of a song, you can easily detect a mistake that you are making, analyze and actually see a certain piece. Also, if you like to compose, you can always write down bits that come to you, which can become the next greatest hit after a little polish.
What exactly is a guitar tab?
Tabs are a way of writing music for guitar but instead of using the standard musical notation, it uses numbers. That’s why if you learn guitar tabs online it’s very easy to copy/paste your songs, or to write them yourself.
Tablature will point out what notes must be played, which string to hit and which fret to fret it at. Tabs also describe the hammer-ons and pull-off, bends, slides, harmonics and vibrato. Tabs specify the tuning of a certain piece and the use of capos. If there’s no specification in this direction, then you should take it as a standard tuning.
Tabs don’t present the rhythm of a song or a certain piece, but will indicate the long and short notes. However, you will have to use your ear to determine the right rhythm and length of the notes.
What exactly a guitar tab won’t let you know?
As I said, guitar tabs don’t specify the lengths of the notes to be played. Tabs also don’t tell you what fingers should be used to fret each note. You will have to figure that out by yourself, working on your guitar and discover which finger is more comfortable on which fret. Strumming and picking is another aspect that tabs don’t show, so you must decide where the upstrokes and downstrokes are.
Now, as I learn guitar tabs online like many others, I constantly increase my database of easy tabs and easy songs I find on the Internet, to practice with. Of course, I’m not talking here about the “Mary Had a Little Lamb” tabs, but the ones for well-known songs, played by famous artists. So, if you’re looking for easy tabs like me, here are the ones you might want to dig up: Brian Adams – “Summer of ‘69″, The Animals – “House of the Rising Sun”, Jewel – “Who Will Have Your Soul”, Counting Crows – “Mr. Jones”, Deep Purple – “Smoke on the Water”.
I have to admit though, that even if I study classical guitar and acoustic guitar without a music instructor, and also learn guitar tabs online, I still help myself with an excellent online guitar learning program.
I strongly recommend this Guitar Learning Program to everyone that wants to learn guitar tabs online as well as all the other aspects of this beautiful instrument, because it simply rocks. Check it out!