How do you read guitar sheet music?

Question

How do you read guitar sheet music (for actual songs) when there is more than one line with notes on it? Do you play the line above or below the lyrics? There is an example in this link:

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&gbv=2&biw=1525&bih=751&tbm=isch&tbnid=C0zgYlzpwsh0DM:&imgrefurl=http://www.free-scores.com/boutique/boutique-uk-frame-eur.php%3Fclef%3D45503&docid=IoeGdcNk0-W1cM&imgurl=http://g.sheetmusicplus.com/Look-Inside/large/2989328_01.jpg&w=450&h=599&ei=JWd7T_ufDYrLgQf10aydAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=755&vpy=137&dur=1786&hovh=259&hovw=195&tx=109&ty=149&sig=105653793578135068876&page=1&tbnh=130&tbnw=99&start=0&ndsp=42&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0

Starting at stanza three, excluding the bass cleft line, do you play the top or bottom line of note?
This certain band has two guitars on every song and I want to be playing the lead, but I don't know if that would make a difference in choosing which one to read.
If anyone can help,I really appreciate it!

Answer 1

Guitar music is ALWAYS written on a single staff of music, and it's written an octave higher than it sounds (which means it all fits nicely with a treble clef). You will never see guitar music written in bass clef (unless the person who wrote it didn't know what they were doing).



The grand staff you've got there is a piano arrangement of the song.



The extra staff on the top is the vocal melody.



None of that is "guitar music". You've got some guitar chord diagrams on there, but that's it.



Real guitar music looks like this:

http://www.danmozell.com/black.gif

Answer 2

I have to agree, why are you always making life difficult? The reality though, is that musical notation cannot convey all the information compressed into today's compositions adequately. So is therefore a much more powerful tool. But if anyone gives you grief for playing tab just tell them, "Hey Bro,Tablature was common during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, and is commonly used for fretted stringed instruments such as the lute, vihuela, or guitar, as well as many free reed aerophones such as the harmonica. Now, get off the stage before I hammer on your head!"

Answer 3

You play both clefs at the same time (the guitar's range includes both the treble and bass clef). Where there are multiple notes stacked on top of each other, that's a chord.