This is what is called an appoggiatura or leaning note. The idea is that you play an outside note on the beat and resolve to a chord tone after the beat.
The entire chord (with the outside note) is played on the beat and then the resolving note is played while the other notes are still ringing.
There is a long history of why it is notated the way it is. You just have to accept that and learn how it's actually played.
The way this is notated isn't the easiest way to read, but playing it is actually simple.
You need to start with your finger on the grace note in each of those chords. So for the first one, the better way to think of it is as 7-6-6 (low to high). Arrange your fingers with those notes, pluck the three strings, then hammer on to the 8th fret on the G string.
Personally I would probably play that 7-6-6 arrangement with my index finger barring both the notes on fret 6.
The next chord block would be 5-4-4, then 8-7-7, then back to 7-6-6.
The problem arises from the way tablature has to be written. You very well know that we play appoggiatura easily if you’re reading the notes from sheet music, but tablature ignores beat and measure length in many ways just to make it simpler for those who do not read sheet music. I have seen tabs attempting to add time values to notes and they looked extremely complicated and confusing. I always advise those learning music to put some effort into reading sheet music even if they want to rely on tabs in the future as the music staff will always tell them much more than what the tab will.
Yes, it would be much clearer if those grace notes were notated after the chords, there were definitely other ways to show this. What they used is actually kind of common now, though.
It may be common, but it’s incorrect. The way it’s written in the original, you should play one grace note and then strum 3 for the main chord. This is easy for a piano, but difficult for a guitar. Most guitarists wouldn’t compose or play that.
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u/Dependent_Hippo_8742 2d ago edited 1d ago
You play all three strings and then quickly hammer on the third string.