How to read guitar tabs?

Question:I just bought a acoustic guitar yesterday, kind of a spur of the moment thing. I've been on multiple sites, ultimate-guitar.com, etc. Nothing is showing me HOW TO READ tabs. I'm really lost and need help. I am not willing to go to an instructor. Anyone with the word instructor in their answer will automatically not be chosen for best answer. If one of you would like to help step-by-step, I will give you your ten points and my e-mail address. Thanks, I appreciate your help. Love & Peace.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I just bought a acoustic guitar yesterday, kind of a spur of the moment thing. I've been on multiple sites, ultimate-guitar.com, etc. Nothing is showing me HOW TO READ tabs. I'm really lost and need help. I am not willing to go to an instructor. Anyone with the word instructor in their answer will automatically not be chosen for best answer. If one of you would like to help step-by-step, I will give you your ten points and my e-mail address. Thanks, I appreciate your help. Love & Peace.

Tab is simple to read. You start out with 6 lines. These correspond to the strings of the instrument. The top line is the highest pitch string, and the bottom line is the lowest pitch string.

Below is a blank TAB with the string names at the left.

E ----------------------------------------...
B ----------------------------------------...
G ----------------------------------------...
D ----------------------------------------...
A ----------------------------------------...
E ----------------------------------------...

Numbers are written on the lines to show you where to fret the string with the left hand. If a zero appears , this means play the open string. Read it from left to right to find out what order to play the notes. The following TAB would mean to play the C major scale:

E ----------------------------------------...
B -----------------------0--1-------------...
G ----------------0--2--------------------...
D ------0--2--3---------------------------...
A ---3------------------------------------...
E ----------------------------------------...

Got it so far? The above shows notes played one at a time. Below shows the G chord. See how the notes are vertical instead of in a sequence?

E -------3--------------------------------...
B -------0--------------------------------...
G -------0--------------------------------...
D -------0--------------------------------...
A -------2--------------------------------...
E -------3--------------------------------...

TAB will tell you what notes to play, which string to hit, and which fret to fret it at.

TAB will not tell you the note lengths of the notes - so in most cases you will *have* to listen to the song yourself, with the TAB in front of you to work out the ryhthm of the notes. TAB will not tell you which fingers you use to fret which note.

There's quite a bit more, but this is probably as much as can be covered in this forum.

http://www.8notes.com/school/theory/the_... this can help u to learn the basics as well as readin tabs

Ok, so there are 6 lines which represent the strings on the guitar. The line that is lowest is the low E and the uppermost line is the high E. The numbers represent the frets that you play at. For example if it says 3 on the lowermost line you put your finger above, but not in the middle, of the 3rd fret on the low E string. Hope that helped a little.