Tablature is considered an
easier way for guitarists
to learn songs without
having to know how read
standard music notation.
Although it is considered
a valuable teaching tool,
it is not meant to replace
the art of reading and
writing music.

Guitar tablature is made up of six lines rather than the five found in standard music notation. The six lines represent the six strings, the top line representing the first (thinnest) string, and the bottom line representing the sixth (thickest) string.

Instead of using notes to show pitch and rhythm, numbers are used to show which fret the note is to be played on. When playing lessons within Beginner Guitar Lesson CD-ROM, refer to the standard music notation ,"listen" song examples, and "video" examples to get an accurate idea of the timing and pacing, i.e.. the rhythm.

When numbers are stacked above each other, it is meant that these notes are to be played as a "chord", or a group of notes played at the same time.