It’s a useful little widget that shows you how to perform some of the more common technique symbols in standard guitar tab notation and will teach you how to read it as well. Just click the control buttons on screen, or if you want to speed things up press them on your computer keyboard.
This is a dictionary of ten symbols that appear down the left-hand side of the interface. The name of the technique and its abbreviation is shown beneath each tile. Simply click on the tile to choose the symbol. It will then display in the reader panel at the right.
How to Use This Guitar Tab Widget
There, you’ll be able to see how it looks and read a short description of how to perform it on an actual guitar. The reader panel include a six-line staff similar to traditional tab. A cursor highlights the intended pick action and location on the chosen technique. You can then start the technique and see how it works by setting it into performance mode. The reader panel animate the cursor showing where you would place your pick or finger during the action, making it clear if you are bending, hammering, or sliding the string.
Clicking the mark button plays the chosen technique back to you on screen with an accompanying synthesized sound based off its length and pitch. A bend, for instance, will glide up in pitch, whereas a hammer-on will consist of two separate notes sounded closely together. To stop the sound, simply click Stop the phrase to halt it instantly so you can try another one.
The Amp level slider control how loudly your synthesized sound plays back. If you want a softer demo tone, drag it to the left; if you want louder, then move it to the right. It’s handy if you like to practice quietly. It is also useful if someone else is around who may not enjoy such loud music!
You can also use your keyboard as a way to navigate the widget (without having to pick up your mouse). To choose from the first nine marks in the dictionary, simply press numbers one through nine. For the tenth mark, press 0. This will play the palm mute. To do whatever mark is highlighted at this moment, just press Space. If you want to pause the animation and sound, press X. That way, you can zoom around the reference chart pretty fast.
Alternatively, simply click the How to play button (or press H on your keyboard). The help panel will open with a reminder about how the tab lines are set out and a summary of the keyboard controls. This is useful if you forget what each key does!
The Fullscreen button will maximize the widget so it fills your entire display. That’s great when you need a distraction-free experience, or have a small screen, as it provides extra space to view the animated cursor in all its glory. Hit F to switch between fullscreen modes.
To learn about what’s possible, try each symbol and hear how it alters the sound of a note. Hear what happens when you pick each note individually as opposed to legato (hammer-on and pull-off) playing. Listen to what the bend release does and how that brings the pitch back into place after bending it out. Try turning the volume down so you can listen at a comfortabley level during your session.
The widget follows standard guitar tunings with the low E string at the very bottom and the high E at the top of the fretboard. That’s how it appears in tablatures too. Remember that when you learn to read these symbols. If the technique is unpitched, like a dead note, the examples goes on the high E line.
Experiment with all these techniques. Don’t worry if you need to go through them several times. Repeat symbols, try variations, or play around with different combinations. You should of tried all of them.
It’s about getting used to reading tablature, which is the visual language of the guitar, so you can feel more confident reading any kind of music. Simply choose a symbol that appeals to you and press the space bar to hear it being played. It’s a luxurios way to learn.