Guitar tablature is a way to notate how you put your fingers on the fretboard in order to play a song or something else.
I use my own form of guitar tab notation in articles like this one to be sure that the tabs are readable on article sites. You can find the more common guitar tab staff notation on my site with guitar tablature and free sheet music.
The string with the highest pitch on your guitar is usually an E and is called the first string. This is the string nearest your feet when you play. Here is an example of the guitar tab notation i mentioned:
3/2
The first number indicates the fret. The second number tells you which string to play. The previous example tells you to press down a finger on the third fret of the second string and play the note.
You will play The Star-Spangled Banner in the key of C-major. Here is the first part of the melody in guitar tab notation:
Which left hand fingers should you use to play the melody?
You can of course use your first finger for all the notes but the best way to use your left hand fingers is to play the notes on the first fret with your first finger, the notes on the second fret with your middle finger and the notes on the third fret with your ring finger.
It might be difficult at first to use your lefthand fingers the way I described but if you use these fingerings it will actually be easier for you to find the right notes on your guitar. You don't even have to look at your fingers to find the right fret if you get used to this way of playing.
It's time for the next part of the melody with guitar tab:
The length of the notes is not indicated with this type of guitar tab notation. I guess you will find out how to play the notes by your self if you sing the melody. On my site I often use guitar tab notation with common guitar sheet notation which indicates the length of the notes.
0/3 1/2 3/2 0/1 1/1 3/1 1/2 3/2 0/1 1/1 3/2 1/2
Now you have tested to play The Star-Spangled Banner with guitar tab notation. I would suggest that you learn the melody by heart by playing one line at a time until you know the whole song!
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