How to Read Music
Good guitarists are able to move freely between chords and single notes. To do this well, you need to understand how the notes relate to the chords; and this in turn requires a basic knowledge of music theory. The first step is learning to read music.
There are two methods used to write guitar music: the traditional music notation method (using music notes, c) and tablature. Both are used in this book but you need only use one of them. Most guitarists find tablature easier to read. However, it is important to learn to read traditional music notation as well. Nearly all sheet music is written in traditional notation. Even if you don’t read well, you will need a basic knowledge of how rhythms are written .
Tablature
Tablature is a method of indicating the position of notes on the fretboard. There are six "tab" lines, each representing one of the six string of the guitar. Study the following diagram.
The Left Hand
The left hand fingers are numbered as such:
When a number is placed on one of the lines, it indicates the fret location of a note e.g.
This indicates the open (unfretted) 3rd string (a G note).
This indicates the 3rd fret of the 5th string (a C note).
This indicates the 1st fret of the 1st string (an F note).
Music Notation
The musical alphabet consists of 7 letters:
Music is written on a staff, which consists of 5 parallel lines. Notes are written on these lines and in the spaces between them.
The treble or "G" clef is placed at the beginning of each staff line. This clef indicates the position of the note G.
The head of a note indicates its position, on the staff, e.g.:
When the note head is below the middle staff line the stem points upward and when the head is above the middle line the stem points downward. A note placed on the middle line (B) can have its stem pointing either up or down.
Learning the Notes on the Staff
Extra notes can be added above or below the staff using short lines, called leger lines.
The Quarter Note
This is a quarter note.
A quarter note lasts for one beat.
The Open Strings of the Guitar
The term "open string" means a string with no left hand fingers pressed down unfretted). When correctly tuned, the open strings of the guitar correspond to the notes E A D G B and E from low to high, as shown below.
Notice that the open 4th string D note is in the space below the staff, while the low A and E notes are on leger lines below the staff. Don’t worry if you can’t recognize these notes yet, they will all be introduced as the book progresses. An easy way to remember the names of the open strings (from high to low) is to say Easter Bunny Gets Dinner At Easter.
Here is an exercise to help you recognize the notes which represent the open strings of the guitar. Name the notes out loud as you play each one. All the notes here are quarter notes, which last for one beat each. However, don’t worry about the timing at this stage; just make sure you are playing the correct notes.
Bar Lines
In most music, bar lines are drawn across the staff, dividing the music into sections called bars or measures. A double bar line signifies either the end of the music, or the end of an important section of it.
Time Signatures
At the beginning of each piece of music, after the treble clef, you will see two numbers. These numbers are called the time signature.
The time signature indicates the number of beats per bar (the top number) and the type of note receiving one beat (the bottom number). This means that the * time signature indicates four quarter notes per bar, as shown in Exercise 1.
