How To Read Ukulele Tabs

Now depending on which string line the number is on you get to know what string to play the fret on.

How to read ukulele tabs. How tab refers to uke strings. The line below that is the e string. The second thing you need to know about how to read ukulele tabs is the frets. When you hold your ukelele up to your body the g string will be the closest to your head and the a string will be closest to your waist but on your tab chart a is at the top and g is at the bottom. The top line of the tab is the a string the one closest to the floor when you re playing.

It actually predates modern sheet music by several hundred years and most scholars believe it dates back to the development of the lute and early guitar music. How to read ukulele tabs. If you hold the tab on top of the fretboard in this way the strings will match. Part one the basics. To read ukulele tabs note that the tab chart has 4 horizontal lines that correspond to the 4 strings on your instrument.

That will reveal the note on the fret. They start off with the basics then move on to the more advanced stuff. The g string is on the bottom and the a string is on the top. I wanted to create a complete overview of reading ukulele tab so i ve written a number of posts covering the subject. The line below that is the c string.

Pluck the 3rd fret of the bottom string a. Tab or tablature as it is commonly called among string players is a very old method of notation for stringed instruments. Vertical lines represent the strings of the ukulele starting with the g string on the far left moving to the a string on the far right. It s important to drag the string as this will amplify the sound of the note. The thick horizontal line at the top represents the nut of the ukulele.

They are read from left to right. This tab is telling you to pick the 3 rd fret which is on the a string one time. To visualize it better imagine you set your ukulele down flat on a table strings facing up and headstock to your left. While holding both the frets pluck the string and then drag your ring finger off. G is closest to you a is furthest away.