How to Read Music
There are two methods used to write guitar music. First is the traditional music notation (using music notes, 3 ) and the second is tablature. Both are used in this book but you need only use one of these methods. Most guitarists find tablature easier to read, however, it is very worthwhile to learn to read traditional music notation as well. Nearly all sheet music you buy in a store is written in traditional notation. To learn to read traditional music notation, see Progressive Guitar Method: Book 1 .
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 strings of the guitar. Study the following diagram.
When a number is placed on one of the lines, it indicates the fret location of a note e.g.:
This indicates the open 3rd string (a G note).
This indicates the 3rd fret of the 5th string (a C note).
Chord Diagrams
Chords are learned with the help of a chord diagram. This will show you exactly where to place your left hand fingers in order to play a particular chord. A chord diagram is a grid of horizontal and vertical lines representing the strings and frets of the guitar, as shown in the following diagram.
- Index Finger
- Middle Finger
- Ring Finger
- Little Finger
The red dots show you where to place your left hand fingers. The white number tells you which finger to place down on the string just behind the fret. If there is no dot on a string, you play it as an open (not fretted) string.
