how to read tab

Hi and Welcome Aboard!

  You know you already have one up on most of the folks here on the forums with the music training (sheet music) you have had.  Tablature is just a sort of shorthand for those who do not have that background.  There is an active thread here on Chordie in the Music Theory section titled Collaberative Music Theory, and you might take a look at the entries on page 3 of that thread.  Some members have summed it all up rather attractively in a post about halfway down that page with a diagram of how the piano keyboard, notation and TAB relate to each other and the intervals of the C scale.  TAB is pretty much a graphical and numeric representation of the fretboard of a guitar as it would appear laying on your lap.  The numbers show the fret at which the note resides on that fretboard and the sequence they are played.  Horizontal lines represent the strings.

  With just a couple of minutes gazing at that, you will either be enlightened or confused.... at which point you might toss caution to the wind and type "Guitar TAB Tutorial" on the search bar of Youtube, and stand by for information overload!

  Have a safe Holiday Weekend, and keep in touch!

  Remember Fireworks and pets don't get along well, so keep your critters indoors during the festivities.

Take Care;
Doug