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What Is Tablature?


TAB or tablature is a method of writing down music played on guitar or bass.Instead of using symbols like in standard musical notation, it uses ordinaryASCII characters and numbers, making it ideal for places like the internetwhere anybody with any computer can link up, copy a TAB file, and read it. TAB is simple to read, and should be simple to write if you want to submita
song you have worked out yourself. The idea is this :You start out with 6 lines (or four for bass). These correspond to the stringsof the instrument. The top line is the highest pitch string, and the bottom line is the lowest pitch string. Below is a blank bit of TAB with the stringnames at the left.

e-------------------
b-------------------
g-------------------
d-------------------
a-------------------
e-------------------

Numbers are written on the lines to show you where to fret the stringwith the left hand. If a zero appears , this means play the open string.Like standard musical notation, you read from left to right to findout what order to play the notes. The following piece of TAB would meanplay the sequence of notes (E F F# G G# A) on the bottom E string bymoving up a fret at a time, starting with the open string.
The standard practice is to write extra letters or symbols between notesto indicate how to play them. Here are the letters/symbols mostoften used :
  • h - hammer on
  • p - pull off
  • b - bend string up
  • r - release bend
  • / - slide up
  • \ - slide down
  • v - vibrato (sometimes written as ~)
  • t - right hand tap
  • x - play 'note' with heavy damping
That last one, the x, is used to get a choppy, percussive sound.You usually use your fretting hand to lightly damp the strings so that when you pick the note it sounds dead.Note that the use of 'x' is *totally* different from the use ofan 'x' when giving chord shapes.For example if you wrote the chord of D, you would see :

EADGBE -> xx0232 where the 'x's mean do not play this string.

coldplay clocks 

Artist: Coldplay
Song: Clocks

Looking for the chord? find here coldplay clocks


G|-8------8------8---6-----6-----6---6-----6-----6---5-----5-----5----|
D|---8------8------8---8-----8-----8---8-----8-----8---6-----6-----6--|
A|-----10-----10---------8-----8---------8-----8---------8-----8------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------|

Intro,verse
Fig 1
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|


Fig 2
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6h8-------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------6-6-6-6-6-6-6h8-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|

(Guitar use capo)

Bridge
======
"Fig 3A"
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4---------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----------------| x 3
E|-------------------------------------------------4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|

"Fig 3B"
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------6-(6)-(6)-| x 1
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Outro
=====
Play "Fig 2" 4 times
Then play

G|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6-(6)-(6)-(6)-(6)-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------6-(6)-(6)-(6)-(6)-6-(6)-(6)-(6)-(6)-4-(4)-(4)-(4)-(4)-|


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