Overview of Notation Symbols in Tabs

As many of us know, the six horizontal lines of a tab and the numbers on it represent the guitar’s strings and the fret space on the neck respectively. Among the six lines, the bottom line represents the lowest and thickest string and the top one represents the highest and thinnest string, i.e. from the bottom up, the six strings are low E, A, D, G, B and high E strings. Among the numbers on the tab, “1” stands for the first fret and “2” the second fret and so on. If the number is “0”, pluck the open string without fretting any notes.

The above all is quite straightforward and you may easily refer to any online supplementary materials anytime for further understanding. Instead of going through these sets of basic knowledge all over again, we will focus on the common symbols used in a tab.

Techniques

H: Hammer-on
Sounding a note by hitting string(s) on a fretboard instead of using a pick

P: Pull-off
Sounding a note by pulling the sting slightly

T: Tapping
Sounding a note by tapping the fretboard with your strumming hand’s index or middle finger

S: Sliding
Fretting finger slides up or down to a different fret keeping contact with the string

B/C: Bending/Choking
Pushing up on a string to achieve a different tone

R: Release
Pulling down on a string to achieve a different tone

P.M.: Palm Muting:
Use the side of your strumming hand to mute the notes being played.

N.H.: Natural Harmonics
Natural harmonics are played at specific places on the guitar’s fingerboard, such as the twelfth, seventh, and fifth frets.

A.H.: Artificial Harmonics
“Soft touch” with your index finger and then pluck with your little finger or a pick held in the other fingers.

Arpeggio:
Notes in a chord being played in sequence one after another from the sixth string to the first string.

Dynamics

Accent:
an emphasis placed on a particular note.

Rhythms

Triplet:
three successive notes of equal duration.

Tie:
a curved line connecting the heads of two notes of the same pitch and name, indicating that they are to be played as a single note with a duration equal to the sum of the individual notes’ values.

If you would like to know more about the notation symbols used in tablatures, please leave your comment below to let us know.

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Reference:
www.rockstudioonline.com
www.wikihow.com