Reading Numbered Notation & Standard Notation

It uses 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 for do re mi fa sol la si. A dot above a note = up an octave; a dot below = down an octave. Duration: each short dash to the right of a note (a lengthening line) adds a beat, each short dash below it (a shortening line) halves the duration (one = an eighth, two = a sixteenth), and a small dot to the right (a dot) extends it by half; 0 is a rest. The 1=C at the start is the key, and 4/4 is the time signature.

In the treble clef, the lines from bottom to top are E G B D F, and the spaces from bottom to top are F A C E (the mnemonic “FACE”). One key point: the guitar is a “transposing instrument” — it actually sounds an octave lower than written (to use fewer ledger lines) — so don't let that throw you off when you check against a tuner.

Tab (TAB) records “which string, which fret” = finger positions, not pitch directly; standard notation / numbered notation record pitch. A complete guitar chart is often TAB + standard notation (or numbered notation) lined up above and below — one tells you “where to press,” the other tells you “what it sounds.”