(17 votes, average: 3.76 out of 5)
I had been getting a lot of request in the form of comments asking meanings of certain notations that were alien to them. These were mostly beginners who had picked up guitar only a while ago and had decided to learn from the internet. So I thought to write a quick post explaining all the basic notations which will help you understand everything that is posted on this blog as well as all over the internet. If I forget something here and there, please let me know in the comments and I will update the post accordingly. So here we go…
Chord Representation
Here at AbhinavSonkar.com, I have adopted the following chord presentation style. I place the chords at its appropriate place surrounded by normal brackets ‘()’ and bolder than other text (song lyrics). The font-size is also relatively larger to make it more prominent. There is no single standard way of representing chords. Elsewhere on the internet, chords are mentioned in a separate line above the lyrics that it is referred to. Both represent chords only.
Need a quick reference to all the chords you would ever need to play? Check out 8notes Guitar Chart. Pulled that one out from my bookmarks. So there might be better ones as well. Find a good list and bookmark it.
I had a question from some absolute beginners that they wanted the chord info in tabular format with dotted lines and numbers. What they actually meant were tabs/leads and not chords. Representing chords that way is cumbersome and a waste of space so I won’t be doing that. But tabs will always be represented that way. See below.
Tabs / Leads Representation
As you can see the above format is used for representing tabs/leads. The lines represent the strings and the numbers represent the frets. The topmost line is the thinnest string and bottom-most one… you guessed it, the thickest string. Move from left to right and play the frets mentioned as is. This representation has a flaw that it does not give any information about the delays between each plucking. You will have to judge that by yourself. If you are creating music, don’t use this type of notation.
Special Effects Notations
You will find below notations in more advanced songs but they are not at all complicated if practiced well. Here I will list the symbols used for various special effects. I have discussed these effects in detail here: Raise Your Guitaring Level By Mastering These Basic Effects.
Symbols
h – hammer on
p – pull off
b – bend string up
r – release bend (optional)
/ – slide up (to higher frets)
– slide down (to lower frets)
v – vibrato (sometimes written as ~)
t – right hand tap
x – mute the specific note by damping.
Pehla Nasha is one song where these notations are used extensively. You might think of avoiding these effects for easy guitar playing, but remember you will never sound great without these effects. They are the tools to better guitaring.
That should get you started if you are a complete newbie. To all my pro readers, if I missed something, then remind me in the comments and I will add it up.
If you are absolute beginner or have just started out then bookmark this page for easy reference.
 |
Be the first to know! You can receive our guitar chords for free on your email inbox, with more latest songs from Bollywood. |
 |
SMS Alerts - Get headlines of latest chords and tabs on your mobile FREE! |
 |
Wanna know what I am currently doing? What my next song will be? Then follow my updates on Twitter! @abhinavsonkar |
for eg. DDUUDDUU
d -down strum
u- up strum
Can u please tell me about chords and tabs in details.
i don`t get it
plz explain it
which string is to played when
help me….
you can go to guitar classes. I can give u the
address.COZ here u are wasting time plz dont
feel bad this is d truth
thanks a lot for help !!!
for all the beginners like me in india, can u tell which of the bollywood songs on ur site would be the easiest (with least special effects!) to start on (i mean fro playing tabs, not chords)? i just tried startin with pehla nasha coz i like the song, but found it too difficult!
if any regular contributors to this site with lots of experience playing bollywood songs are reading this, please feel free to add ur opinion on which is the best song in this site for a beginner to start on!
Thanks and keep up the great work!!!
I don’t have many tabs on this blog, mostly I post chords of songs only. Pehla Nasha is an intermediate level song so you will find it a bit difficult. You can try Dil Ko, RHTDM as it is quite easy to play.
You can also try Aadat from Jal though it is a bit tough.
Cheers!
wow!! u had done a real great job. I am a beginner and was searching such a stuff 4m long time. I asked my friends 2 give sum tips but it dint worked. Actually speaking i cant express how much happy n satisfied i am after reading all posts. Your work is really very good n it is of great help 4 beginners like me. Plz keep adding lessons 4 us. Thanks a Lot:):):):):)
My Name is Ashish and i used to learn guatar from a music teacher who wested my 3 month time and he told only stupid thing. Actualy i want to learn leading on guitar. plase suggest me the easiest way to learn leading on gutar. i will realy thankful to you.
Looking forward.
Ashish