Every chord, riff, and song you will ever want to play has already been transcribed and posted online for free. The only barrier between you and that library is knowing how to read the notation.
Guitar players use two formats constantly: chord diagrams (a visual map of the fretboard) and tab (a text-based notation for individual notes and riffs). Neither one is hard once the system is explained.
Reading a Chord Diagram
A chord diagram is a grid representing the fretboard, as if you held the guitar in front of you with the neck pointing up. The six vertical lines are the six strings. Reading left to right: low E, A, D, G, B, high e.
The horizontal lines are the frets. The thick horizontal bar at the top is the nut. If the chord is played higher up the neck, a number appears to the left of the diagram indicating the starting fret.
Symbols on the diagram:
Filled circles - press your finger here. A number inside tells you which finger: 1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = pinky.
A curved bar across strings - a barre, meaning one finger presses multiple strings at once.
"O" above a string - play open (unfretted).
"X" above a string - mute or skip that string. Paying attention to these is important on guitar.
Here is the Am chord as a working example:
Am
Am uses fingers 1, 2, and 3 across three strings at fret 2 (B string), fret 2 (D string), and fret 1 (G string). The high e and the open A string are played open. The low E string gets an X - do not strum it.
When you read a diagram, always check the X strings first. A muted string that gets strummed is the most common source of unwanted noise for beginners.
Reading Tab
Tab uses six horizontal lines, one per string. The bottom line is the low E string; the top line is the high e string - the same order as the strings from low to high pitch.
e |---|
B |---|
G |---|
D |---|
A |---|
E |---|
Numbers on the lines tell you which fret to press on that string. Zero means open string, no fingers needed.
Example - a simple descending run on the high e string:
e |--5--3--2--0--|
B |--------------|
G |--------------|
D |--------------|
A |--------------|
E |--------------|
Read left to right: press fret 5 on the high e string, then fret 3, then fret 2, then open. One note at a time.
Numbers stacked vertically mean play all those strings simultaneously - a chord in tab form. Tab does not indicate duration or rhythm by itself; that information often comes from the song recording.
Tab Versus Chord Diagrams
Use chord diagrams when you want a snapshot of a hand position - learning a new chord shape, checking a voicing. Use tab when you want to follow a sequence of notes - a riff, an intro, a solo, or a picking pattern.
Most transcriptions on sites like Ultimate Guitar mix both formats in the same page: chord diagrams listed at the top, tab sections for the notable riffs, and chord names written above the lyrics for strumming sections. Knowing both means you can use the whole page.
Practice Exercise
Look at the Am diagram above. Before playing, identify: which strings are marked X? Which are open? Where does each finger go?
Play the example tab line on your guitar. Go slowly - fret 5 on high e, 3, 2, then open. Repeat until you read the numbers and play without pausing to think.
Find a song you want to learn and look up a tab for it. Identify one chord diagram and one tab riff on the page. Read both before touching the guitar.
Common Questions
How do you read a guitar chord diagram?
A guitar chord diagram is a grid with six vertical lines representing the strings (low E on the left, high e on the right) and horizontal lines representing the frets. Filled circles show where to press each finger, with numbers indicating which finger to use. "O" above a string means play it open; "X" means mute that string and do not strum it.
What is guitar tab and how do you read it?
Guitar tab (tablature) uses six horizontal lines to represent the six strings, with the lowest-pitched string (low E) at the bottom. Numbers on each line indicate which fret to press on that string - 0 means play open. Read the numbers from left to right to follow the sequence of notes. Tab does not show note duration, so listen to the recording for timing.
