whats the difference between guitar tab and guitar chords?

Question

whats the difference between guitar tab and guitar chords?

Answer 1

Guitar tabs (or tablature or tabulature) are pretty much the strings of the guitar laid out in line form with numbers on the lines that correspond to the fret you play on the guitar on that string. For example:

-----
-----
-----
-----
-----
--2-

would be playing the second fret on the 6th (low E- thickest) string.

And this...
--------------
--------------
--------------
--------------
------------4-
----2---------

would be playing the 2nd fret on the low E string and then playing the 4th fret on the next string (A-string, the 2nd thickest string).

Now, a chord is a set of 3 notes that are a 3rd apart in the key you are playing in. For example, in the key of C major, the 1 chord composes of C, E, and G notes (C major chord). In the key of C major, the 6 chord is A minor (Am) and the notes that make that up are A, C, and E.

So on tabs the C major chord followed by the Am chord would look like this
-----0----------0------
-----1----------1------
-----0----------2------
-----2----------2------
-----3----------0------
-------------------------

Where the 0 means to play the string as an open string (without fingers on it) and the string with no numbers means not to play that string at all, and you play each set of numbers at the same time. You will read the tabs left to right.


Basically, chords are what you're playing and tabs are what will represent what you're playing on the paper/screen.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Guitar chords are some combination of some notes and Tab is just playing notes one by one...
Tabs are like leads.

Answer 3

Mama's right. Additionally, neither of them are the musical notes on a staff like you would see as sheet music. However, if you buy a book, often times it will have the sheet music, chord names above it, and tabs below. Though some don't have the tabs. Be careful!

Answer 4

Tabs are single notes written out by fret and string number, chords are a series of notes played together in one strum.I dont know the technical definition or anything.