How to Read Guitar Tabs - More Tips About The "Late Nights" Guitar Tab

Here are some more tips on how to read the guitar tabs for the "Late Nights" lead solo. We will go through each of the twelve bars and compare it with the notation.

Bar 1




The first note is G - played at the third fret. (We won't mention the strings because you already now which strings are represented by the lines of the tab - right? If not, go back to the previous article.)

The note is 3 beats long starting at the second beat of the bar. Listen carefully to the song - you'll hear the one beat delay. So its represented in the tab as only the number 3. The notation shows you a half note (2 beats) and a dot. The dot lengthens the note by half (1 beat). So hold the string for 3 beats.

Bar 2


Hold the first note for 2 beats and the following notes for 1 beat each. These are quarter notes.

Bar 3

Here is a whole note. Hold it for four beats and keep holding into the next bar.

Bar 4

Hold the preceding note for 1 beat into this next bar. The next series of notes will take a bit of practise but will teach you the all important "hammer-on" technique. You play these notes with your left hand (if you strum right handed) simply by hitting the string straight down with your fingertip. The timing is also a bit trickier because the notes are 1/16th and 1/8th beats - with the additional challenge of the dot which lengthens that note by half.

Sound complicated? Getting a bit lost? Just follow the timing in the song. This is why learning how to read guitar tabs is much easier than notation - especially for a simple tune like this.

Bar 5



Keep your finger on the same note as Bar 4 but only for 1/16th beat and then slide it up to fret 4. That little line in the tabliture means to "slide" to the next note. The dot lengthens the 1/8th note by 1/16th. What does that give you? 3/16ths of a beat! Sorry for the math. If the numbers are hurting your head, just listen to the song and "feel it". That's music!

Bar 6



This is a simple bar with straight forward 1/4 notes, 1/16th and 1/8th notes. No dot to create any syncopation in this part of the tab.

Bar 7


The trick here is the third note which you hold to the end of the third beat of the bar. Its best for you to listen closely on this part of the solo, especially the last three notes.

Bar 8


This bar throws a lot of notes at you and its tough for the ear to pick them all up but because they are all ascending hammer-ons with a slide on the third (G) string its actually quite easy to do. Think of that set of 1/16th notes as representing the second beat in the bar or the second tap of your foot if you are tapping along. And the 7th note is held into the 8th note.

Bar 9


Try to emphasize the slide up to the 7th fret. It really brings it to life. Notice how the intensity rises with the higher notes and the faster pace.
Bar 10


In this bar we are starting to slow down just a bit to 1/8th notes. Its hints of an impeding resolution.

Bar 11


You are almost done. But now notice how the intensity if being lowered further as the notes are increased to 1/4 notes.

Bar 12



You're bringing 'er home now! Enjoy these last few notes and stick that last one. Practice this guitar tab with the song playing. Hopefully we have taken most if not all of the mystery out of how to read guitar tabs.

Once you have learned how to read this guitar tabulature, check out our jam track library and to use the Easylead Guitar Map to help you learn the guitar scales and note patterns with real backing music to enhance the learning experience and make it more fun.

How to read guitar tab for Late Nights solo

Here's a basic explanation of how to read guitar tab so you can get maximum value out the free guitar tabulature file for the sample "Late Nights" solo. And in case you didn't know, the tab is designed to go with the free video sample (windows media player) (quicktime version) so you can "hear it", "see it" and now hopefully "play it" with this tab.

Standard Notation

Standard musical notation is what you are probably already familiar with. It represents notes with no relation to guitar strings but it can do much more than guitar tab because it can show timing. And standard notation is universal for any musician playing any instrument - providing you know where the notes are on your instrument. Here's the notation for "Late Nights" solo...

Notice that there are five lines in the notation above. These lines do not relate to the strings on a guitar!

Guitar Tab

In or to know how read guitar tab you have to understand that it is a more visual method of writing music specifically to assist stringed instruments. Tab shows you exactly what notes to play by identifying the six strings of the guitar and then using numbers to indicate which fret to press on which string to play a particular note. Easy!

Except what you gain in ease, you lose in overall information about the musical piece. Tabs don't indicate the timing of notes or the ryhthm patterns. To figure that out you have to know or be listening to the song - which is perfect in this case because you already have the song (download it if you don't). Here's the guitar tab for the "Late Nights" solo...

Notice that there are six lines in this tabulature. These lines do represent the strings of the guitar. This is how you read the tab - starting from the bottom of the grid, the lowest string represents the lowest sounding string - the low E. Moving upward along the grid, each ascending string represents the A, D, G, B and high E respectively.

Reading guitar tab still requires you to understand how music is broken down into bars. In the notation above and the tabluature here, the song is represented in twelve bars.

A Few Final Tips on How to Read Guitar Tab

Don't forget that tabs do not indicate the tuning of the guitar. It shows you only where to put your finger on the fretboard to play the note but you still have to have your guitar tuned correctly.

Tab does not indicate which fingers to use and it also doesn't usually tell you whether to pick or strum although some tab does try to get quite elaborate with a variety of different symbols for different meanings. But for our purposes we'll keep it simple.

Remember the focus here is to help those of you who are strumming but now want to start learning lead guitar improvisation. And tons of lead solos are offered online or in guitar magazines in tab format. So you have to know how to read guitar tab if you want to take advantage of them.

So have fun learning this basic lead solo to "Late Nights". Its a good one to learn because it purposely goes up and down the main pattern boxes of the pentatonic scale. And you can see clearly which patterns in the scale are being used by looking at the Guitar Map.

If you think you have a basic handle on this, then read the next article on how to read guitar tabs where we take you through each bar of the tab side by side with the notation. Have fun!

Get the guitar backing tracks on CD for free - Limited Time Offer

Several customers have asked if the guitar backing tracks are available on a CD format, not just through the download. Well, ask and you shall receive.

Free CD of Jam Tracks with the Full Package - Now included for a limited time

So we came up with a pretty cool looking CD format and put the full 20 backing tracks onto a CD and are including it with your order of the Full Package. We are testing to see the response over the next little while. But we will eventually have to start charging for it as it is at least a $20 value thrown in.

We are hoping to keep the price down to only about $4-$5 extra if you choose the full package.

Here's what it looks like...

So with both the downloaded MP3 backing tracks, you can immediately load up your Ipod or MP3 player for guitar scale / improvisation practice anywhere anytime. Or if you don't have and MP3 player you can use this CD at home on a standard CD player as the tracks are cda files.

So you could comfortably sit down in your living room, throw in the CD of backing tracks, put on the EasyLead Guitar Map and with the tunes blaring, start working on some scales or trying some lead riffs or melodies of your own.

That's the thing - just really practicing scales to get them into your memory. And anything that makes it more enjoyable and fun and gives you a bit of an instantaneous reward will do that.

So enjoy this CD thrown in for free - for now anyways. But even when we do have to start charging for it we promise we'll keep it to a nominal amount as part of the Full Package.

What is the order process and how do I get my Jam Tracks?

Step 1

You order with your credit card over our secure server. You get a confirmation email letting you know that your order was successfully sent to us.

Step 2

Once a day we check for all orders and conduct credit card verifications. Your credit card can be verified sometimes as quickly as 5 minutes or it may not occur until the end of the day. But you will be sent an automated confirmation email as soon as your credit card purchase is successfully verified and then we ship your package to you within 24 hours.

Step 3

Check your email - including bulk or junk folders - as we are finding that our emails our sometimes filtered without our customers even knowing about it. Even legitimate email can be stopped sometimes. It's too bad spam has become such a problem.

Step 4

Open the confirmation email. In that email are several links that you just click on and the download process begins. The backing tracks are compressed into a zipped file and will take anywhere from 2 minutes to 15 minutes to fully download.

Step 5

Save your MP3 tracks to either your hard drive or put them on your ipod or any other MP3 player so that you can practice with your guitar map and guitar backing tracks anywhere, anytime. Or burn them to a music cd and use them on your home stereo system.

How do I remove the Map?

When the time comes that you decide you want to take a break for a week or two from your guitar scale practising, or you want to change strings or just give a little maintenance and cleaning to your guitar, its time to remove the map and store it away until you get the urge to use it again.


The first step is to access the back of the neck of your guitar and using a finger nail slip it under one of the corners of the flanges of the map. Begin to slowly pull away one corner of the map and then using your other free hand try pulling a little further down the map.

Just lightly pull it away in as even a motion as you can. It doesn't take much effort as the tack is the same as post it note. Do the same thing to the opposite flange of the map and then flip your guitar over...

Now pull both sides of the map upwards slowly and gently so that the map actually pulls away a little bit from the edges of the neck of the guitar. You should find that you can actually pull away the map from almost all but the center inch to half inch of the fretboard.

Be gentle especially if this is the first time the map has been removed. But a good guide is to pull up on the edges to the point that the outer strings are actually being lifted a little bit as this picture depicts.

Now try this technique. Using your pointer fingers and your thumbs, gently pull the map tight horizontally which in itself will pull the map away from the last little point of contact. But in addition, use your pointer fingers to lift upwards at the same time. This will break the contact. You can also just wiggle it ever so lightly.


Now move down to the second fret. Do the same thing. Then move to the third fret. Do the same thing. And it gets really easy as you get to the sixth fret and beyond because you will notice that the width of the contact points get progressively smaller so that by the time you get to the eleventh fret its only about 1/4" wide. But that also means you should not be over agressive.

Now that the map is free from the guitar pull the map out from under the strings starting at the narrow end of the map or near the first fret and orient it on and angle as in the picture. This way you won't catch any of the fret openings against the strings as you pull it away.

And voila! You are ready to store your map away for another day. Be sure to read the article on storage...

What is the second step to installing and using the Map?

Once you have slipped the map under all six strings and temporarily placed fret number 1 opening in approximate position over the first fret, line up the bottom end of the map so that fret 11 is fitted properly in line through the last opening.




When you are satisfied that the map is properly aligned with the edges of the fretboard and all the frets are in the fret openings it is time to apply light pressure to the map to secure it place.

Do this by starting at the center of the map - near fret 6 or so - and with your fingertips, apply light pressure in the middle of the fret board.

Now, continue applying light pressure in the middle of the fretboard and working your way out to opposite ends of the map. This ensures that the map goes on flat without any portion riding high and no wrinkles.




Now it is a simple matter of evenly folding the flaps of the map over the sides of the neck of the guitar.



Try to do this so that the bend or fold closely follows the neck and lightly press the flaps along the backside of the neck.





It should appear smooth and in contact along the entire back of the neck. Just do a double check on the front again to make sure that the map is riding low on the guitar so the strings vibrate freely.

OK - Now get your jam tracks cued up because you are ready to start getting going on your first steps to getting these scale patterns into your memory but in a really fun way so they will stay in your head.

How do you create melodies?

To get you up and running as fast as possible you should consider this very simple concept as you are “noodling” your scales with the jam tracks. The concept is called “Question and Answer”. Take a quick look at this video clip and see how Bob Deeks, our resident guitar guru builds a basic phrase and then brings it back down.

While you are watching this video, you may as well also download the free guitar tabliture for it so you can practise a simple guitar scale solo with the music and visual references right in front of you. You don't need to buy the map or the jam tracks for this. Its totally free and just gives you a real life example to help you on your way to learning guitar scales.

OK, let's carry on with this "Question and Answer" theme. Heightening the tension is really like asking a question. Taking the melody back down to the root note of the scale "resolves" this tension and is like answering the question. Starting to understand? Don't worry you will...

By asking a question you create musical tension. You leave the listener wanting more as if you have not finished something. Then you finish it by answering the question. Or in technical terms, you resolve the melody back to the root note.

Let’s discuss this a bit deeper…

Remember that the red notes on the Map indicate the octave points. These are the first notes in the scale. The blue notes mark the fifth note of the scale. The fifth note in the scale dominant and is famous for being used as a turn around point in songs. So is the seventh note but for now let’s just focus on the blue notes on the map to get you started.

So as a jam track is playing and the song is still in the first you might try starting with your first note as a red note and noodling around it - even while the song switches to the next chord.

Then as the song moves to the turn around chord – and you will hear this as the song builds in tension - try sliding up from where ever you are to a blue note (5th). This will heighten the intensity of the melody you are playing and set you up for a nice "resolve" back to the a red note or the octave when the chord changes back to root chord.

Just try this.

It is quite a revelation when you actually feel and hear the tension you can create just by playing only a few notes together but by ending it on a blue note. There is something about the fifth degree of the scale that leaves you wanting more.

And of course, as the great guitar player you are destined to become you lead your listeners back to home by answering the question – when you feel it is appropriate to do so by resolving back to the red octave note.

This is very simple and only the beginning of learning to play and improvise melody lines. It is really just scratching the surface but is a good starting point. So remember to try the question and answer technique as you get started using the Map and jam tracks.

Playing notes in one pattern box?

Next step would be to pick any pattern box and play the notes within it working your way from the low string to the high (thin) string.

At first this will sound rather robotic as you literally play one note at a time starting from the first note you choose all the way down to the last dotted note in the particular pattern.

That’s ok.

Just do it a few times to get familiar with the pattern. This will get you familiar with the notes that are at the high end and the low end of the scale pattern. It’s an up and down motion to begin with but you can break free of that in a moment.

Take a quick look at this video clip to see how a guitar player works a single pattern for a few bars and gets the most out of it before sliding up to the next area of the fretboard to build or soften the melody.

And while you are watching this video, take a second to download the free guitar tabilture for the solo itself. You can practise this simple solo on your own time. You don't have to buy the guitar map or backing tracks. Its totally free and just a good way to learn a simple scale pattern to give you a feel for the world of guitar improvisation. Have fun!

In time you will find, if you haven’t noticed already that there is a distinct advantage to learning the note positions in the higher end of each scale patterns. In other words, learning the notes on the highest four strings and then simply sliding up and down the neck to the next adjacent pattern box rather than attempting to much finger gymnastics by going back down to the low E string every time.

Guitarists are notorious for finding economy of finger movement. You should as well.

As you play in this one box. Try starting from one red dot to the next. This is the entire scale.

Just get a feel for where it is and how it sounds and you will start to get an idea of the relationship of one octave point to the next.

Playing notes along a single string?

The first step is to just play sequential notes of one string starting at the nut or open string and going all the way up the 12th fret and back again.

Once you are comfortable doing that, try skipping a note or just going back and forth between two or three notes. This warms your fingers up and gets you familiar with the whole step half step patterns in the scales.

You could even do this simple exercise while one of the jam tracks is playing and you will immediately get a feel for how the notes fit into the key of the song.

Once you have developed a little finger dexterity, you can start to play any note combination that comes into your mind by simply playing notes identified on the map along any string, or within a specific pattern box. Take a quick look at this video clip to see what I mean.

This example should give you a good idea of how easy it is, at whatever your level, to start experimenting with notes and use the backing tracks to inspire melodies in your head. By seeing the note positions and patterns its a heck of a lot easy to really memorize guitar scales.

And while you are at it, download the free guitar tabliture for this guitar solo. It will help you learn to play this simple scale pattern and give you a feel for how much fun it is too learn scales and begin to improvise. Have fun!

How should I practice with the Map and tracks?

This is the most important question people ask.

Sometines a picture is worth a thousand words. So before we get going, why don't you take a quick look at this video clip of how to use the map and backing guitar tracks to help you practise guitar scales in a musical context.

There is a tendency to think that playing guitar scales and learning to improvise means you have to rigidly follow the chord changes and progressions of a song so that for example, if the song switches to the C chord you must time that change with a C note and when the song resolves back to the root chord such as G you must also play a G note.

Well, that might work but playing music is so much more fluid than that. You have in your hands a road map that just has to be followed any way to feel sounds right depending on the feeling in the jam track you are playing.

So play a jam track first by itself. Listen as to how you might add a melody line over top of it. Just hum it in your head at first. Then pick a note.

Hold the note for as long as you would like. Then try moving to the next nearby note. Then go back to the first note. Now try three notes in a row.

But do this while listening to the music and trying to create whatever melodic feel is possible with just those 2 or 3 notes that you are working on.

If you are feeling confident, slide up or down until you find the next note you are hearing in your head to carry your melody. Then try playing another note – any note to grow and develop the melody.

At first you will only be playing notes that are right beside each other because you still don’t know the sound of the individual notes nor do you have the physical dexterity to move quickly to another non-adjacent note.

This is very simple but the first phase of learning scales.

Don’t worry! Just keep playing notes while the jam track is playing.

You are guaranteed to eventually drift off into a melody line – albeit very simple at first but you are doing it! Remember the point of learning guitar scales is not so you become good at playing scales but so that you know the scales and notes in order to play melodies that have feeling and emotion!

We are just trying to develop you tool box of guitar skills.

How do I remove any reside if there is any?

Just take a soft cloth and dab it lightly with your $2 bottle of guitar cleaner and give it a light wipe. You should wipe your fretboard at least once every couple of months regardless because the oils on your fingers are transferred to the fretboard.

If you hold your guitar under a light you will see the oils near the frets. The most opportune time to clean your guitar is between string changes when the fretboard is fully accessible.

Guitar cleaners are good because they also recondition the wood by adding back the original oils in the wood.

What is my first step to using the map and tracks?

Your first step is to remove the map from the backing paper. Start at one corner and slowly pull the map away from the backing paper.


As you pull the map away, ensure that you leave behind the cut outs for the frets...





Then line up the map with the corresponding frets of the guitar and the fret openings on the map. Slip one corner of the map under the strings at about a 45 degree angle until the corner of it passes under the last string.

Then slowly pull it in line (parallel) with the neck of the guitar, line the openings with the frets. Align the edges of the guitar neck with the side lines of the pattern boxes on the map and set it into place over the frets.

The next step is to set the map and secure it in place which is explained in the next pages...

How should I store my map if I remove it?

The Maps have some memory to them. So you should store them on the original backing material and keep them flat so they will be ready to use again. For convenience you will probably want to keep the map on your guitar for a while or atleast as long as your foresee yourself working on practising scales.

Simply try to line up the map with the original openings and lay it back in place.







Flatten it down as in this photograph. It will probably want to spring up a bit but just hold it in place as best you can.








Place the map and the backer into a folder, your music lyrics or study book or any other book.







Now put it away for the next time you want to work on scales again. The adhesive is a very light tack, just like a post it note and is designed to be re-usable so by carefully storing it like this you will be able to use it over and over. You don't need a lot of tack from the map for it to hold itself securely while playing.

How do you identify each scale pattern box?

Each scale pattern box is shaded a specific color and circumscribed by a darker solid bracket line. The boxes overlap each other almost like a series of playing cards.




In the case where two patterns overlap; hiding the underlying shaded color of the next pattern, it is still identified by its solid color bracket line.

In this example, note that pattern box 4 is green. The number 4 is in a green box, the solid color bracket line is green and the inside of the box is shaded green. But you can also see that it extends from fret 1 to just past fret 4 - as marked by the solid green line.

Use the outer solid color bracket lines to get a quick visual of the overall pattern box while you are playing. The obvious clue is the shading of the box itself which your eye can not miss. Then its just a matter of spotting the green solid line to see where the pattern stops.

Now let's take a look at a real life example of how a guitar player (you) can use the guitar map to play a specific scale pattern along with a backing track in this video clip. And while you are watching this video, download the free guitar tabliture for it.

Now you have the visual reference, the backing track and the notes from the tablature to help learn this simple scale pattern and get a tiny taste of the fun and freedom that comes from knowing the notes and scale patterns on your guitar. Its the secret to learning to improvise.

Lastly, I really want to stress how much more fun and productive your scale practise sessions will become if you play guitar scales against music in the same key. But a picture (or video in this case) is worth a thousand words.

What do the smaller half sized dots mean?

The half sized dots refer to the notes just beyond the end of the Map because there is an inherent limitation to the Map. It can only span so many frets. So we chose to cover the first 12 frets because the patterns repeat after that point anyway.

As an example, with the Cmajor map, you will notice that the 3rd box starts at then end of the Map - at the 12th fret to be exact. The same place where the guitar map ends.


So to finish playing that particular scale mode would entail playing the notes beyond the end of the Map and continuing up to the 15th fret.

But if that is too confusing for you, learn the 3rd pattern box by playing it at the “lower” end over the first few frets. You can easily do this by noting the color of the 3rd box and the dark blue color of the bracket around the box.

Flip your eyes back to the nut or zero fret and you will see the blue brackets marking the end of the box. Play any of the notes within the blue box.

Remember that the half size notes refer to the notes when you play the open strings E, A, D, G, B, E. We had to differentiate between notes that fit within the physical limits of the Map and those which are found just beyond the last fret position covered by the Map.

If you learn this pattern (3) it is simply repeated if you are playing at the 12th fret to the 15th fret.

What do the white diamonds mean?

The white diamonds that are within some of the notes indicate another special quality found within the guitar string at or very near that fretted note location. By tapping the string lightly over the nearest fret forward you will hear a very clear tone called a harmonic. The exact location that you must tap on the string is called a harmonic nodal point.

To show you the exact nodal point would require a lot more explanation than we can explain in this short section and it’s a bit advanced for a beginning guitarist but we thought we would include references to the general vicinity along the strings where common harmonics can be heard.

Each note that you hear when you tap one of these nodal points is a note which will fall within the actual scale of the particular Map you are using. That is why you will also notice that the harmonic nodes in the Em and Cmajor Maps are not the same.

As you become a better guitar improviser, playing a couple harmonic notes really adds depth and texture to your playing.

What do the black dots mean?

The black dots represent the other notes in the scale. We could have made it a lot more complicated by assigning certain colors to these notes as well but we chose to keep it simple and only color code the octave and fifth degree notes. The human mind works better and retains information easier if it receives information in small bits or chunks rather than overload.

What do the blue dots mean?

The blue dots signify the fifth note or degree in the scale. This is a very important note in the guitar scale and Western music in general. It is the dominant note in the scale and amplifies the intensity of a song or melody. It also hints or suggests to the listener that from this point the melody will go back to the octave and resolve. The seventh note in the scale is even more profound as a note to resolve back to the octave from.

But if you can remember the note positions of the fifth degree and the root note in the scale, identified by the blue and red dots respectively you will have two excellent visual markers in the scale to keep you oriented.

What do the red dots mean?

The red dots signify the first note or degree in the scale. This is also the octave and marks the point where the scale begins to repeat its pattern. This is an important point in any scale to remember because it is often used as a resolution point when you are playing a melody. In other words, after you have played a bit of a solo, heightened the tension melodically and the chord changes back to the beginning of a new verse, it’s a perfect time to consider “resolving” back to the root note or the octave.

So use the red dots as markers along the road to give you a visual clue where to head when you want to bring your melody back home.

How to String a Guitar

Follow These Steps to String String (and clean) Your Guitar

Have you read the guitar stringing article yet? You should. It's short and to the point and covers starter info on how to string a guitar. So let's get started with how to string an acoustic guitar...

First off, you can choose to string your guitar by removing and installing one string at a time or - as this article will explain - removing them all, cleaning the fretboard and re-fitting new strings.

I recommend this latter method because you wouldn't believe the gunk and oil that builds up on your fret board from you fingertips. Also, your frets start to wear and there are a couple tips you should now to deal with that.

Loosen All Strings Evenly

In case you didn't read the other article we did some "myth busting" about taking off strings. Read it.

Take a stringwinder and start by loosening the low E string a few turns. It doesn't take much. Go to the high E string and do the same. Then loosen the A string a bit followed by the B string, the D string and G string.

If you follow these steps you will reduced the string tension on your guitar evenly and no disasters will occur. Now Finish Unwinding Each String Completely. Get your stringwinder going full speed. Its way faster than by hand. Carefully pull out the strings from the tuning head capstans.

Remove The Bridge Pins

You can use either a nail file or your stringwinder to pry out the bridge pins. Sometimes the pins are in pretty tight and the nail file option works best to loosen them.

I like using the opposite end of the stringwinder because its softer than a file and seems to work well without scratching your guitar. But if they are in too tight you'll have to use the file approach.

Carefully lever the file under the pin and push it up like so...




Then take your stringwinder and lever it out the rest of the way like this...




Remove the bridge pin from the hole...



How Dirty is Your Guitar?

Before you start stringing your guitar take a quick look at all the oil and residue that builds up on the fretboard. Now is the perfect time to clean it all off. Look closely here and you will see typical dirt build up and fret wear.





Let's Clean it Up

Now is a perfect time with all the strings removed to remove all the oils from your fingers that accumulate on the fretboard. I like to start by giving the frets a nice rub down with some fine steel wool (#0000) to smooth out any fret wear.

Next use the steel wool to rub between the frets parallel to the grain and get that hard gunk off. Finish up with a soft cloth moistened with fretboard cleaner or guitar string cleaner. Don't use water! If there are any fine pieces of steel wool left on the surface they will rust and could possibly stain your fretboard.

The string cleaners are usually designed to condition the wood on your fretboard and return its natural oils. You can pick these up for as little as $3 a tube to about $7 for the more expensive products. But if you have an nice guitar its nothing.

Look what came off this guitar




Here is a really clean fretboard after cleaning.





Let's Fit New Strings

Acoustic strings have little rings on the end to anchor underneath the bridge pins. Pick whatever string you would like and place the ring into the hole of the bridge. Take a bridge pin and push it into the hole against the string and on a bit of an angle to create good contact between the pin and the string.





You don't want that pin popping out once you tighten up the strings. Push the pin all the way down.




Secure The String To The Tuning Head

Now this is important. Take a good look at the pictures of the head in this article to make sure you attach the correct string to the correct tuning head. I could try to explain it all in methodical descriptive language but I won't. A picture is worth a thousand words. Take the low E string and pull it down the fretboard over the nut and into the slot for the string. Now wrap the string around the tuning head from the inside radius. Pull it taught and then with your fingers bend that 90 degree turn into the string.





Now feed the end of the string through the hole in the tuning head and - here is what I recommend - Make sure the end of the string goes underneath the string. This way when you tighten the string it wraps up the tuning head nicely.




Tighten The String

Caution: Only a few full turns should be required - Max - to get the string taught and pretty close to concert pitch. That is of course assuming that you didn't have a ton of slack in your string when you started to tighten it. Once its fairly tight the string should be wound neatly around the tuning pin.

Go ahead and fit the remaining strings in the same manner, just tightening them so they are firm. Tuning the strings is discussed in another article. And then trim the excess string with wire snips and this is how it looks.




And That's How To String a Guitar!

So now you know how to string a guitar - an acoustic guitar - but the steps remain pretty similar among all guitars. Check out the articles about how to string an electric and classical guitar...

Guitar Stringing Basics

Steps to Guitar Stringing

Get in the habit of installing a new set of guitar
strings every month or so. Strings are so cheap and they always sound great!

Guitar stringing is a fairly simple process, although if you are new
to guitar you may have been putting off changing your strings for
fear of having trouble doing it properly and damaging something or
not being able to get them in tune again. I know when I first starting learning guitar I kept delaying changing my strings because I didn't know how to do it. And worse - I couldn't even tune a guitar! So I procrastinated.

Have no fear. Stringing a guitar is easy and you'll learn how to do
it right and I might even dispell a few myths as well.

Myth - Remove and Fit One String at a Time

I have often heard that. Although I am not sure exactly where. But
the rationale is that by removing all the strings at once the tension
on the guitar is distorted and can twist or torque your neck.

Uhhh... not likely - unless you have a weak guitar or maybe you just
snipped the strings with wire cutters - and that's not advised.
Or perhaps if you were an odd person and decided to leave only one
string on your guitar and had it tightened at high tension, your
instrument might react to that in unpredictable ways over time.

De-Tune The Strings Evenly

I like to take my friendly stringwinder and de-tune the strings
evenly. A little tension off the big E string. Then a little off the
high E string. And so on, and so on. Until all the strings are loose.

Guitar Stringing Tips

1. Don't over tighten

There are just a couple things about re-stringing guitars you should know from a safety point and that is never tune a string beyond 1 whole tone about its designated note. So the E string should never be tuned past F#.

If you do it is very easy - let me repeat - very easy to break strings and have them whipping through the air. Especially the smaller B and E strings.
If you are removing and replacing one string at a time the chance of over tightening a string is unlikely because your old strings are still tuned close to normal pitch so you know right away if you are going beyond the range.

2. Re-tune Frequently

Even after about 15 minutes you will find the strings need to be re-tuned. They are quite elastic when they are first fitted. Steel strings less so but nylon strings are notorious for falling out of tune. It can take sometimes 1-2 weeks for a set of nylon strings to settle into tune.

3. Don't Mix and Match Strings With Guitars

I know you wouldn't do this but I am sure its been done. Someone puts steel strings on a classical guitar and wonders why the string action has become so huge. The bridge on the sound board has been pulled out or is bending under the stress. Steel strings have a lot of tension when in tune and the guitar has to be designed for the intended string. So no steel strings on a classical guitar.

So that's pretty much it for the myths, tips and health warnings associated to guitar stringing. Now you are ready for more guitar stringing adventures.

Check out my other articles that go into the actual details with pictures and steps laid out how to string a guitar. There is one each for stringing acoustic, electric and classical guitars because each of those guitars has a few nuances.