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How to Read Mandolin Tab

mandolin beginner

In this lesson

If you're gonna learn to pick on the mandolin, it sure helps to know how to read tabs. There are two basic parts of reading tabs: 1) The notes themselves, 2) The timing of each note!

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6 replies Visit the forum โ†’
  1. FifthStringFred

    โ™ฅ 5

    Question on the tab — is that a hammer-on or a slide going into the B part? Sounds like a slide to my ear but the tab reads hammer.

  2. Tom Vasquez

    โ™ฅ 2

    Try it without the pick for a few passes. Sounds silly but it told me my right hand was doing too much.

  3. FifthStringFred

    โ™ฅ 2

    Welcome aboard — you picked a good one to start on.

  4. Patty Lindstrom

    โ™ฅ 3

    Same here at first. What fixed it for me was practicing that measure by itself for a week, no B part at all.

  5. Ben Clark Instructor

    โ™ฅ 7

    Try measure 3 on its own at half tempo, and keep your right hand rolling even when the left hand is behind. The right hand is the metronome.

  6. SlowHandSteve

    Recording yourself is humbling but it's the fastest fix I've found.

  7. Deb Carrigan

    โ™ฅ 8

    Metronome at 60 and no faster until it's clean twice through. Boring but it works.

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