Guitar Tablature – Learn To Play Silent Night

In this guitar lesson you will see that you can easily learn to play melodies on your guitar with tab notation! I will show you how to read tablature and also how to play the Christmas song Silent Night.

First we will take a look at a guitar tablature staff:

1. ----------------

2. ----------------

3. ----------------

4. ----------------

5. ----------------

6. ----------------

In this tab staff we have six lines that represent the six strings on your guitar. The top line represents the first string. That is the thinnest string or the string with the highest pitch. It is called E.

When you look at a guitar tablature staff you will find numbers on it. These numbers tell you which frets to press down. Let's look at an example:

1. -----------

2. ---1---0---

3. -----------

4. -----------

5. -----------

6. -----------

The number one on the second line tells you to press down a finger on the first fret on the second string and play the note. This note is a C. The number O represents an open string. This means that you should play the second string without pressing down a finger. The note is called B.

Now it's time to play the first part of the melody with lyrics and corresponding guitar tab notation. We will play the song in the key of C-major:

Silent Night, silent night

1. --------------------------------------

2. --------------------------------------

3. ---0---2---0----------0---2---0-------

4. ---------------2------------------2---

5. --------------------------------------

6. --------------------------------------

If you want to use a professional approach for your left hand fingerings you can use your index finger to press down the first fret, the middle finger for the second fret and your ring finger for the third fret.

Time for the next guitar tabs:

All is calm, all is bright

1. ---------------------------

2. ---3---3---0---1---1-------

3. -----------------------0---

4. ---------------------------

5. ---------------------------

6. ---------------------------

The left hand fingerings I mentioned might be a little bit tricky when you first try it but if you are patient you will soon reap the benefits from this way of playing.

It will be easier to keep your left hand from moving too much which will make it much easier to play advanced melodies on your guitar and you will not have to look at the fretboard all the time to find your way around as your left hand fingers will take care of the assigned frets.

Here are the next part:

Round yon virgin Mother and Child

1. ---------------------------------------

2. -----------1---0-----------------------

3. ---2---2-----------2---0---2---0-------

4. -----------------------------------2---

5. ---------------------------------------

6. ---------------------------------------

The melody is repeated with the next lyrics:

Holy infant so tender and mild

1. ---------------------------------------

2. -----------1---0-----------------------

3. ---2---2-----------2---0---2---0-------

4. -----------------------------------2---

5. ---------------------------------------

6. ---------------------------------------

We have not taken the length of the notes into account in this guitar tablature notation. If you sing or hum the melody you will probably find out how to play the notes.

Here are the next line:

Sleep in heavenly peace

1. -----------1---------------0---

2. ---3---3-------3---0---1-------

3. -------------------------------

4. -------------------------------

5. -------------------------------

6. -------------------------------

...and the last tab:

Sleep in heavenly peace

1. -------------------------------

2. ---1---------------------------

3. -------0-------0---------------

4. -----------2-------3---0-------

5. ---------------------------3---

6. -------------------------------

Now you have learned to play guitar tablature and also one of the most popular Christmas songs! I would suggest that you practice one line at a time learning it by heart until you master the whole song.

Peter Edvinsson invites you to download your free guitar tablature at http://www.capotastomusic.com



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