Here is a short article I wrote for my guitar students on how to read guitar tablature notation. It is an alternative notation system, which is easier to learn than standard musical notation.
Each line on the tablature staff represents a string on the guitar. It looks similar to a guitar neck, when you are looking at it while you are holding the guitar in the playing position.
Here are the 6 strings on the guitar, from highest to lowest: E, B, G, D, A, E The thinnest string is the highest string, the high E string. The thickest string is the lowest string, the low E string.
Each guitar string is represented on the TAB staff. The top line on the staff represents the high E string. The bottom line on the TAB staff represents the low E string.
Numbers are written on a TAB staff to show which fret to place your finger on.
Numbers written on a TAB staff show which note on the guitar to play. Read from right to left, and place your finger on the fret number that is written on the TAB staff. Make sure your finger is on the guitar string that corresponds to the same line as where the fret number is written on. Here is an example: The 1 and the 3 are both written on the line that symbolizes the high E string on the guitar. So you now know to place your pointer finger on the 1st fret, on the high E string and pluck it. Next, keep your pointer finger on the 1st fret while you place your ring finger on the 3rd fret of the high E string and pluck it.
Now pluck each string, from the high E to the low E, without placing any fingers on the guitar fret board. This is called playing OPEN strings.
Here is the symbol that shows you to play a string OPEN: O
Now pluck each string once, from the high E to the low E, OPEN.
