How To Read Piano Tabs

Piano tabs are a simple way to notate a piece of music. They are instructions on how to play specific songs. You don't need to know how to read sheet music in order to understand piano tabs. But bear in mind, tabs are not a substitute for traditional notation. Although they have many advantages, the main being the ease of use, they also have many disadvantages.

Okay, let's begin. The best way to learn is by example, so let's start with something most people know - Mary Had a Little Lamb. This is how piano tab version of Mary Had a Little Lamb would look like:


4|e--dc-d-|e-e-e---|d-d-d---|e-g-g---|


Now let's decipher this. It's really quite easy. The number at the beginning indicates the octave in which the notes should be played. In our example, you need to play in the fourth octave.

The symbol "|" indicates a bar line. Our song has 4 beats in every bar or measure.

The letters correspond to the notes. Each lowercase letter represents one note. A capital letter represents a sharpened note. There are no flats in piano tabs – every capital letter represents a sharp note. Flats are written as sharps. For example: D-flat is written as C which means C-sharp.

Dashes represent half steps. While counting they are usually read as "and" - 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. In our example, "e" is on beat one, "d" is on the and (dash) of beat two, "c" is on beat three, "d" is on beat four and so on. Just look at the example below. Second line indicates the beats:


4|e--dc-d-|e-e-e--- |d-d-d--- |e-g-g---|
1-2-3-4- 1-2-3-4- 1-2-3-4- 1-2-3-4-


Okay, this covers the basics.

If you're just starting out, remember to take it easy. Don't rush it, play slowly at first. Piano tabs are very handy, when you want to learn melodies fast. But remember, they cannot replace sheet music. If you are really serious about piano, you should learn standard notation as well.

In any case, if you want to take your piano skills to the next level, take a look at Learn & Master Piano.