Have you written a song on your guitar that you’d like to put into tablature? Or did you want to tackle tabbing one of your favorite songs to share with your friends or online? If so, here are some tips to help you write your very own tabs for guitar!
Already Have the Song Memorized
Tabbing a song is that much easier if you already have it memorized and can play it in your sleep. If you’re constantly looking at your notes or struggling to remember what comes next, it’s going to be reflected in your tab and you may make mistakes that will give others a hard time.
Figure Out the Time Signature and the Key
Because a guitar tab can get really long, you definitely want to make sure there’s order and that it’s organized. Knowing the time signature will allow you to properly create bars, and it will be easier for others to follow along or pick up where they left off. It’s also helpful to provide the key of the piece, and people will appreciate having that extra detail.
Understand How to Read and Write Tabs for Guitar
Creating a tab for guitar for a song that is done incorrectly is going to be useless to most. Make sure you fully understand the order in which the strings are tabbed, and that you know how to properly show things like palm muting, slides, vibrato, etc. You don’t want your audience scratching their heads and abandoning your tab because they don’t understand what the symbol you used means.
Check out this cool GUITAR LESSON ON HOW TO READ TABS
Know the Best Positions to Use
There are a lot of tabs that have been done with odd fingerings, and it just makes it harder to play. Think about the positions you play in on your fretboard and see if there’s an easier way to play certain parts. If a section is not intuitive and requires a lot of jumping around, it’s likely there’s an easier way to play it that involves a different area on the fretboard.
Always Proofread
When you’re done writing your guitar tab, you’re going to need to proofread it. Don’t publish it as soon as you’re done, because there could be typos that would make your audience think you don’t know your stuff. Always proofread everything and play through your tab exactly as someone else would, and you’ll be able to see if anything is off.
With these tips, you should be able to start writing tabs for guitar right away. Tabbing can take a lot of work, but it pays off when you’re able to share it with others and help them learn a song they wouldn’t otherwise be able to figure out.
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