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Learning Guitar: How to Read Guitar Tablature

By Dan Cross, About.com

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Other Symbols Used in Guitar Tab

Here are some of the little details that you'll need to know to fully understand how to read guitar tablature. Be aware that some of these symbols vary, depending on who created the tablature.

Hammer Ons and Pull Offs

Hammering On Tutorial | Pulling Off Tutorial

It's most common to see the letter h representing a hammer on, located within the tablature between the original fret, and the hammered on fret (e.g. 7h9)

Similarly, the letter p is generally used to represent a pull off, also found in the same location within the tablature (e.g. 9p7)

Ocassionally, you'll see the ^ symbol used for either a hammer on or pull off (eg. 9^7).

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