A simple notation showing which strings and frets to play, not standard notes.
Tablature, or tab, is a form of musical notation designed for fretted instruments like guitar and bass that shows you exactly where to put your fingers rather than which pitches to read. It uses a set of horizontal lines representing the instrument's strings, with numbers placed on them indicating which fret to press. Because it requires no knowledge of reading standard notation, tab is hugely popular with beginners and is the dominant way guitar parts are shared online. Its main limitation is that it usually shows pitch and position but not rhythm clearly, so players often need to know how a song goes already — but as a quick, intuitive way to learn songs, tab is unbeatable.
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