Match the lines to the strings
Read tab from left to right. The top line represents string 1, the thin high E. Moving down gives strings 2 through 6: B, G, D, A, and low E. This is why the guitar fretboard in Playroom puts the highest string at the top.
A fret number belongs to the string line it appears on. A 3 on the B line means play fret 3 of string 2; it does not mean string 3. A 0 means that string rings open. Numbers stacked vertically mean notes played together.
Read your first B-string melody
Try 0–1–3–1–0 on string 2. Open B is B3; fret 1 raises it to C4; fret 3 gives D4. Moving back through fret 1 to open makes the melody fall again: B, C, D, C, B.
On the online guitar fretboard, find the B3 row and tap Open, 1, 3, 1, Open. You can also move focus between the note buttons and activate each with Enter or Space. Listen to the pitch changes before adding a beat.
Add timing to the fret numbers
Plain tab does not always tell you how long each note lasts. Playroom’s lesson tab includes a beat row: each column lasts one beat, with four beats per bar. A column without a fret number is a silent beat in these exercises.
In A string melody, play the five notes on five consecutive beats, then rest for three. Listen to the demo and its four-beat count-in, then start the practice at a comfortable tempo. Use the online metronome for extra counting practice.
For a first step before fretted notes, learn the six open-string names. Once the melody feels familiar, explore an E minor chord arpeggio.
Written for beginner musicians by Playroom, the team behind these browser instruments and practice activities. Our examples reflect the notes and sounds available in this browser practice room.