Reading Guitar Tab

Tablature (tab) is a system of musical notation designed specifically for guitar. Unlike standard sheet music, you don't need to read notes on a staff — tab tells you exactly which string and which fret to play.

Tab has been used for stringed instruments since the Renaissance, and the modern version is the most common way guitar music is shared online. It's quick to learn and lets you start playing songs immediately.

Tab uses six horizontal lines, each representing one of the guitar's six strings:

The top line = string 1 (high E, thinnest)
The bottom line = string 6 (low E, thickest)

This mirrors the guitar as if you're looking down at it while playing — treble strings on top, bass strings on bottom. Numbers placed on the lines tell you which fret to press.

0 means play the string open (no fret pressed)
1 means press fret 1
5 means press fret 5
12 means press fret 12

Numbers stacked vertically (on top of each other) are played simultaneously — this is how chords appear in tab.

Numbers in sequence (left to right) are played one after another — this is a melody or riff.

You'll encounter these symbols throughout tab and in our generator:

h — hammer-on (e.g., 5h7 means fret 5 then hammer onto fret 7)
p — pull-off (e.g., 7p5 means fret 7 then pull off to fret 5)
/ — slide up (e.g., 5/7 means slide from fret 5 up to 7)
\ — slide down (e.g., 7\5)
b — bend (e.g., 7b means bend the note at fret 7)
br — bend and release
~ — vibrato (wobble the note)
x — muted/dead note
| — bar line (separates measures)

You don't need to memorise these all now. We'll cover each technique in detail in later lessons.

Tab reads left to right, just like text. Time moves forward as you move your eyes rightward. The spacing between notes gives a rough indication of timing — wider gaps suggest longer notes — but basic tab doesn't specify exact rhythm. For that, you'll need to listen to the song or refer to rhythm notation above the tab.