Play the lowest-pitched string for any notes on the bottom line. Guitar tablature appears to be upside down; the lowest of the six lines represents the thickest string on the guitar, which is the E string. In the same way, the highest line on the tablature represents the highest, or thinnest, string on the guitar, which is the high E.
Pluck the string with nothing fretted when there is a "0" on the guitar tab. The numbers on guitar tabs represent the fret you have to press down on the string, which is represented by the line on which the number is placed. A "0" represents an open string, which means it can be plucked with nothing pressed down to play it.
Press down the relevant fret number for any numbers appearing on the lines. The fret numbers count upward from the nut, which is the part of the guitar that separates the neck from the headstock and houses the six tuning heads. Learn to efficiently count frets by using the inlays on the guitar's fret board. Generally, guitars have markings at the third, fifth, seventh, ninth and 12th frets. After that, add 12 onto these fret numbers to find the value of the markings after the 12th fret.
Play any notes together that are written on the same vertical line. Writing numbers on the same vertical line means they need to be played at the same time, strumming the notes as a chord. If the two numbers have empty lines between them, the song may need to be finger-picked, so you can pluck the two strings together using two different fingers.
Learn the common symbols used on guitar tablature. The most common symbols found on guitar tab are "h," "p," "b," "/" and "\". "H" stands for hammer-on, and "p" stands for pull-off, and occasionally these letters are accompanied by an arched line. "B" means that you have to bend the string at the specified fret, and occasionally, an "r" tells you when to release the bend. The "/" and "\" symbols refer to slides. The forward slash means you slide upward, and the backslash means that you slide backward, to a lower pitch, on the guitar neck.