Tabs are they like scales?

Unless the TAB is a scale I would have to say no.
TABs in their most primitive form show what string and fret to play for that particular song.

ok thanks for the answer. so to learn scales i have to be able to read sheet music right?

No you don't have to be able to read sheet music, but it wouldn't hurt either.

Here's a link to Joe's Pages. That has tons of tabbed scales.

If you have any questions come back and fire away!

No you don't have to know how to read sheet music and you can learn scales from TABs. If the scale is written out in TAB form. But what have you learned.
You learned the fingering but what notes did you play?
Personally, I learned to read notation through learning scales.
ie.. This note is an E and it is on the bottom line of the staff, this next note is an F and it is in the bottom space on the staff.(not only do I now know where these notes of the scale are on the musical staff but I also know where they are on the guitar because I learned them together)
AS I learned my scales, note for note, I also learned to read.
Kind of like when you where real young, as you learned the alphabet you also learned to spell some words as you learned each letter.

well this is just a lil tough but im all for it! i just dont know what fingers go where(only on the guitar)...lol i know i know. i know it will take time,but does scales atleast help get ya fingers ready for scales...lol

LOL Scholar, now you got me confused.
The simplest scale is a chromatic scale in the open position(play every fret except the 4th fret on the G string)(because it is the same as the open B string and you don't want to play the same note twice in a row)
Assign 1 finger to each fret (index to 1st fret middle to 2nd fret ect..) use all 4 fingers. Start on the low E string and play Open, 1st,2nd,3rd,4th. Then move on to the next string.
Name each note (E,F,F#,G,G# on low E string, A,A#,B,C,C# on A string ect..)
Name the flats on the way back down.
This is good finger exrcise and you learn all the notes in the 1st position.
Now when you get that down play only the natural notes (skip the sharps and flats) That is a scale in the key of C.
That is a good start.
Come back when you are ready for more :lol: JK

Scholar,
Tablature is just another way of showing music on paper. You have normal musical notation, and then you have tablature

1-2-3-4-------------------------------------------------- (High E)
---------1-2-3-4-----------------------------------------(B)
-----------------1-2-3-4--------------------------------(G)
---------------------------1-2-3-4-----------------------(D)
----------------------------------- 1-2-3-4--------------(A)
---------------------------------------------1-2-3-4-----(low E)

*The Letters in parenthesis indicate the string names.

The first line of that is telling you to play the 1st fret, and then the 2nd fret, and then the 3rd fret, and then the 4th fret of the High E string. Then you should play the 1st fret, 2nd fret, 3rd fret, 4th fret of the B string , and then the G, D , A and low E strings do the same thing.

Tabs do more than help your fingers get ready for scales. They can actually teach you scales, for example:

------------------------5-8 (Hgih E)
-------------------5-8-----
---------------5-7--------
-----------5-7-------------
------5-7----------------
5-8------------------------ (Low E)

That's one of the posistions for the Am blues scale. You'd play this by playing the 5th fret of Low E, then the 8th fret of Low E. Then the 5th fret of A, and then the 7th fret of A, and so on and so on.

Tabs can also teach you songs, for example, The Star Spangled Banner:

-------------0--4---2--0--------- (High E)
--0-------0-----------------------(B)
----1---1-----------------1--3--4(G)
------2----------------------------(D)
-----------------------------------(A)
-----------------------------------(Low E)

I hope that helped to clear things up a bit.

ok i soaked up some of that...lol but the thing that has me confused are finger positions...lol like this for example: i get what this tab is saying

-------------0--4---2--0--------- (High E)
--0-------0-----------------------(B)
----1---1-----------------1--3--4(G)
------2----------------------------(D)
-----------------------------------(A)
-----------------------------------(Low E)
i get the FRET assignments,i dont get what fingers to use on those frets.i know it seems silly,but should this be a concern?

That's something you have to figure out. Try to find a fingering that minimizes position shifts. There should be a spot where you can keep your hand in place and just wave your fingers around. Sometimes shifts are unavoidable, but you want to do it as little as possible.

That tab you showed is a combination of holding and picking a chord and then playing single notes like lead guitar.

Here is an E Major chord.

e--0----
b--0----
g--1i----
d--2r---
a--2m--
e--0----

m = Middle finger, r = Ring finger, i = Index finger. This is the traditional fingering for an E Major chord. All 6 strings are played.

Sometimes you do not play an entire chord. You can play just parts of a chord. And in this case you might finger it differently for ease.

You can play the E Major chord on just 4 strings like this.

e---0-------
b---0-------
g---1i------
d---2m----
a-----------
e-----------

Notice for this "partial" E chord you use slightly different fingering. You do not play the A or low E strings at all.

This is the form that was used in your tab. This is how you will start.

-------------------------0--4p---2m--0------------------ (High E)
--0-----------------0---------------------------------------(B)
------1i--------1i---------------------------1i--3r--4p----(G)
----------2m-----------------------------------------------(D)
-------------------------------------------------------------(A)
------------------------------------------------------------(Low E)

This starts out with you playing the partial E chord "arpeggio" style. That means you pick the notes single instead of strumming all of them at once.
But you will be holding the form I showed you above. So, you pick 2nd string, 3rd string, 4th string, 3rd string, 2nd string, 1st string.

Now, at this point you can release your middle finger from the E note on the 4th string. But keep your index finger on the G sharp note on the 3rd string.

Reach out with your pinky (p) and play the G sharp on the high E string and then play the F sharp with your middle finger. Then the open E string.

Now, still keeping your index finger on the G sharp note on the 3rd string, play the G sharp, A sharp, and B notes with your index, ring and pinky fingers lead style.

So, this is how guitar is played many times. You are not always playing chords, and you are not always playing lead. You CAN combine them. You can go from one to the other and back again.

And you can also see there is more ways to hold a chord than one, and that you don't always have to play all 6 strings or even fret all 6 strings.

And that is what this tab is showing.

Keep your index on the G sharp note on the 3rd string throughout. This will give you control.

I hope I didn't confuse you.

That's something you have to figure out. Try to find a fingering that minimizes position shifts. There should be a spot where you can keep your hand in place and just wave your fingers around. Sometimes shifts are unavoidable, but you want to do it as little as possible.

Exactly. It's not really something that you should worry about too much. Just do what is easiest for you, and the most comfortable.