Imagine you are looking down at the fingerboard of a guitar or banjo from above. Tablature shows a line for each string with the first (highest sounding) string at the top and the lowest sounding (bass) string at the bottom. Each fret is given a number, 0 for unfretted, 1 for the first fret, 2 for the second and so on.
Each string of the guitar or banjo is shown as a line on the tablature
But how long do you play a string for?
There are symbols above the fret number which tell you how long to hold down a string.
This means hold down the string for one count
This means play the string twice for half a count each
Numbers arranged on top of each other mean play these strings together as a chord
Don't worry about learning all the different symbols now! This is just to give you an idea of how it works. Now go and take a look at the amazing Old Time Slow Jam web-site to learn more about tablature. It uses video to explain it.
