What is tablature?
Unlike standard music notation, tablature is a graphic representation of the lute fingerboard. There were three basic types of tablature: German, Italian (and Spanish), and French. The German system was very difficult to read, in addition to being unable to represent the later additions of lower lute courses, and was eventually discarded in favor of the French style. In both the Italian and French systems, bar lines similar to the treble clef denote the courses on the lute. Either letters (French) or numbers (Italian) on the bar lines designate the fret to be employed. In the French system, “a” would mean open string, “b” the first fret, and so on. The rhythm is given above the staff. The Italian style is basically a mirror image of the French system (i.e., the highest course in the Italian system is represented by the bottom line of the clef, not the top line).
