How To Read Picking Tabs
                        By: Travis (www.islemusic.cjb.net)


Ok here is the best way that I could show you guys how to pick in a form of writting. Please
note that in order for you to do this correctly, you'll have to hear and know the song.
Here shows the 4 strings of the ukulele, G C E A, and G being to top string (its upside down
on my charts). The numbers on the lines represent the fret at which you are to play
(pick, pluck, whateverz). The order in which you do play is in the order from left to right
so in figure 1 you would first pick an "open" top string (G) then second is an open C string
and so on. (This sounds like the famous "My dog has fleas").

Figure 1 

A--------0------------------------------------------------|
E------0--------------------------------------------------|
C----0----------------------------------------------------|
G--0------------------------------------------------------|
  1st|2|3|4 string to pick 
 
There are times where you have to strum in a picking or pick more than one string all at once.
If so you will see the fret #'s all aligned exactly verticaly. So in figure 2 you will strum a 
G note.

Figure 2  

A--2-----------------------------|   
E--3-----------------------------|
C--2-----------------------------|
G--------------------------------|

Figure 2 is in other words like this chart

A |-|*|-|-|   
E |-|-|*|-|
C |-|*|-|-|
G |-|-|-|-|

Getting this so far??
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Hammer-ons

A hammer-on is played by picking a note and then "hammering on" another fret making 2 sounds in
one pick. The symbol for a hammer-on is an "h" The note that you pluck comes before the "h" and 
the note that you hammer on is the one that follows the "h." Look at Figure 3 for an example. 

Figure 3  

A--------------------------------------------------------
E--3h5---------------------------------------------------
C--------------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------
 


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Pull-offs

A pull-off is played by picking a note then letting go (kind of picking the note with
your finger on the hand the makes the chords (not the one strumming) of that note and 
letting one at a lower fret sound. The symbol for a pull-off is a "p". (on earlier 
tabs i used "d")The note that you pick is the one that is located before the "p." and
the note you that is after is the one that will be sounded when you pull off of that note. 


Figure 4  

A--------------------------------------------------------
E--3p5---------------------------------------------------
C--------------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------
 


  
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Bending, Releasing, and Vibrato

A bend is executed when you push or pull the string to make the pitch higher. The higher 
pitch is what we call the target pitch. The symbol used for a bend is a "b". The note that
comes before it signifies the fret that you are bending at, and the note that comes after 
it is the fret of the target pitch. In other words, you are trying to get the bend to sound 
like the note at the fret after the "b." A release is signified by an "r." As you know, a 
release is when a string is already bent and you let it go. Well, the note before the "r" 
represents the bent tone or the target pitch, and the note after represents the note after 
you have released the bend. 

Vibrato ("~") is simply when you wiggle your finger at a fret to produce a sustained, 
almost pulsating sound. You will find the "~" symbol after a note that you are to use vibrato on. 


Figure 5  

A----------------------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------
C---------------------7b9r7---7~---------------------------
G----------------------------------------------------------

 


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Sliding

Slides are symbolized by slashes ("/" or "\"). A slide up ("/") is when you play a note 
and then hold your finger on the fretboard and slide your finger to the target pitch. 
A slide down ("\") is exactly the opposite (an easy way to remember this is that its going from
left to right). In Figure 6, you would play the 1st fret, slide up to the 3rd fret, and then 
slide back down to the 1st fret.

Figure 6  

A--1/3\1--------------------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------------------
C----------------------------------------------------------
G----------------------------------------------------------

 


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A "*" means to pick that string to the corresponding amount of "*" times
  ex. 3*** is a total of 3 times you pick that string on the 3rd fret. 
      This is just a shortcut for me.

An "x"  means to not play anything on that string, not to dampen it.