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Getting the timing right...

bt: 1   2   3   4     1   2   3   4

1e|-3---------------|-----------------|

2b|-----0-----------|-1---------------|

3g|-----------------|-0---------------|

4d|-----------------|-2---------------|

5a|-----------------|-3---------------|

6E|-----------------|-----------------|

Diagram 3a

In formal sheet music, the range of note symbols is enough to tell you how long to play each note. But in guitar tab, if all we had were the note numbers, and you didn’t already know how the music went, you wouldn't know the note lengths.

This is overcome by the two additions in diagram 3a. The first is the vertical lines. These represent bar divisions, which are standard units of music. So you know in diagram 3a that the first 2 notes are played in bar 1, and the chord in bar 2.

The second aid is the row of numbers above the tab are beat markers. So in this example, the first note is played on beat 1 and lasts for 1 beat (ie, until the next note is played). The second note is played on beat 2 and lasts for 3 beats. The third note is played on beat 1 of the second bar, and it lasts for the whole 4 beats of that bar.

bt: 1   2   3   4     1   2   3   4

1e|-3---------------|-----------------|

2b|---0-------------|-1---------------|

3g|-----------------|-0---------------|

4d|-----------------|-2---------------|

5a|-----------------|-3---------------|

6E|-----------------|-----------------|

Diagram 3b

In diagram 3b there is one very slight change, to give you a better picture of how to read the timing. Here, as you scroll left to right you see that the 2nd note is halfway between the 1 and 2 of the beat line. So you would play the 1st note for only half a beat, then the 2nd note. Try tapping your feet to the beat, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, and so on. In diagram 3a you would play note 1 on tap 1 and note 2 on tap 2. But in diagram 3b you would play note 1 on tap 1 and note 2 as you lift your foot between tap 1 and 2.

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