What do the lines and numbers in a guitar tab mean?
Tablature, or tab, is a picture of the neck. A guitar tab has six lines, one for each string. The top line is the thinnest, highest string, and the bottom line is the thickest, lowest string. Higher strings sit higher on the page, as higher notes do in standard notation. When you look down at your guitar, the thickest string is nearest your face, so the picture is flipped, and it takes a minute to get used to.
| Line | String | Open string note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (top) | Thinnest, high E | E4 |
| 2 | B | B3 |
| 3 | G | G3 |
| 4 | D | D3 |
| 5 | A | A2 |
| 6 (bottom) | Thickest, low E | E2 |
A number on a line is a fret. The number 0 is the open string, with no finger on it. A 3 means press that string at the third fret, counting from the nut at the headstock end. Fret numbers say where, not which finger. Some tabs add finger marks, and many leave the fingering to you.
Time runs from left to right, like words on a page. Play the numbers in that order. Short vertical lines across all six lines are bar lines. They split the tab into bars, the same as in standard notation.
How do I read chords in tab?
Numbers stacked in one column are played together, as a chord. Read the column from the bottom line up, or the top down. Either way, each string gets the fret on its own line. A line with no number in that column stays silent, or is marked with an x.
| String | Number in the column | What to play |
|---|---|---|
| High E | 0 | Open |
| B | 1 | Press the first fret |
| G | 0 | Open |
| D | 2 | Press the second fret |
| A | 3 | Press the third fret |
| Low E | x | Do not play this string |
If the numbers are spread across the page instead of stacked, play them one after another. That is an arpeggio or a melody. A long run of numbers in a row is a single line, such as a riff.
Two-digit numbers are single frets, not two notes. A 12 is the twelfth fret, not a 1 followed by a 2.
What do h, p, b, r, slashes and other symbols mean in tab?
Letters and signs between the numbers say how to get from one note to the next. These are the ones most tabs share.
| Symbol | Name | How to play it |
|---|---|---|
| 5h7 | Hammer-on | Pick the 5, then press down on the 7 with another finger without picking again |
| 7p5 | Pull-off | Pick the 7, then pull the finger off so the 5 sounds, without picking again |
| 5/7 | Slide up | Pick the 5 and slide the finger up to the 7 |
| 7\5 | Slide down | Pick the 7 and slide the finger down to the 5 |
| 7b9 | Bend | Pick the 7, then push the string until it sounds like the 9 |
| 7b9r7 | Bend and release | Bend up to the pitch of the 9, then let it back down to the 7 |
| ~ | Vibrato | Shake the note, bending it slightly up and down |
| x | Muted or dead note | Lay a finger on the string and strike it so you hear a click, not a pitch |
| PM | Palm mute | Rest the edge of your picking hand on the strings near the bridge for the length of the dashes after it |
| <12> | Natural harmonic | Touch the string lightly right over the twelfth fret, do not press down, then pick and lift off |
Tab has no single standard for symbols. Writers differ, especially for bends, taps and harmonics. If the tab prints a legend, trust it over any list, including this one.
Why doesn't tab show rhythm?
A tab says which fret on which string. It does not say how long each note lasts. In a plain text tab, the dashes between numbers hint at spacing. A wider gap is usually a longer wait, but the spacing is only a rough guide. A tab can look even and still be played with a swing or a pause.
There are three ways to get the rhythm:
- Listen to the recording. Use the tab for the notes and the song for the timing. This is how most guitarists learn from tab.
- Use a tab with notation. Published tab books and files made in tab editors usually print standard notation above the tab, so the notes have lengths. Some put stems and beams under the numbers instead.
- Look for rhythm letters. Some text tabs add a line above with letters such as W, H, Q and E for whole, half, quarter and eighth notes. Check the legend.
Tab and notation say the same notes in two ways. Where they sit together, read the tab for the fretting and the staff for the timing.
How do I read bass tabs and ukulele tabs?
The idea is the same: a line for each string, the highest string on top, and a number for each fret. Only the number of lines and the strings change.
| Instrument | Lines | Strings from the top line down |
|---|---|---|
| Guitar | 6 | E B G D A E |
| Bass guitar | 4 | G D A E |
| Five-string bass | 5 | G D A E B |
| Ukulele | 4 | A E C G |
A bass tab is the guitar's four lowest strings, played an octave lower. A five-string bass adds a low B string at the bottom.
A ukulele tab has a quirk. In the usual tuning, the G string is higher than the C string. The strings, from the one nearest your chin, are G, C, E and A, and the tab puts the A on top. Some players fit a low G, an octave lower than the normal one. The tab reads the same, but notes on the G line sound an octave lower. Look for a line at the top that says "low G" or the tuning.
Many ukulele songs use chord diagrams instead of tab. A diagram is a small grid with dots on the frets, the neck seen from the front.
What do the tuning and capo lines above a tab mean?
Many tabs start with a line such as "Tuning: Drop D" or "Capo 2". Both change what the numbers sound like.
- Tuning. Fret numbers always count from the string as it is tuned. In Drop D, the low string is tuned down to D, and an open string is still 0. Other tunings you will see are half step down (every string a semitone lower), DADGAD and open G.
- Capo. A capo shortens all the strings. In most tabs, the fret numbers count from the capo, so 0 is the string played open with the capo on, and every note sounds that many semitones higher.
If no tuning is printed, assume standard tuning. See how to tune your instrument for the standard tunings, and chord charts, transposing and capo for how a capo changes the key.
Should I learn tab or standard notation?
Tab is the faster start. You can play a song within minutes, with no theory. It also shows exactly where to play a note, which matters on a guitar, because the same pitch lies in several places. The note E4 is both the open top string and the fifth fret of the B string.
Standard notation shows how long each note lasts, how loud, and which key and time signature it is in, and it reads the same on every instrument. It is the tool for classical guitar, for reading with other musicians, and for sight-reading. It does not say where to put your fingers, except by a fingering mark.
You do not have to choose. Rock, folk and metal players get far with tab and chord charts. If you want to read notation later, start with how to read sheet music. A tab with notation above it is a fine place to compare the two.
Tabs in SheetScroll
SheetScroll opens text tabs, Guitar Pro files, and PDFs or photos of tab. Text tabs show as engraved tablature, and Guitar Pro files with their tab and notation. A tab page lists its tuning, such as Half step down, and adds "assumed" when SheetScroll had to guess. Change it under Tuning and capo. If a text tab has no rhythm, SheetScroll estimates one from the spacing.
It follows guitar, tab included, through the microphone. It follows the notes you play, not a clock, so it waits when you stop to find a fret. The reader is free. Listening to your own tabs and turning pages automatically is part of Pro. The guitar course has free pieces that listen and turn without Pro, written in standard notation. See SheetScroll for guitarists for the details.
Questions
How do you read guitar tabs for beginners?
Each line is a string, and the bottom line is the lowest. Each number is the fret to press on that string, and 0 is open. Read left to right, and play stacked numbers together.
Which line in a tab is the low E string?
The bottom line. The top line is the high E string, the thinnest one.
What does 0 mean in guitar tab?
An open string. Pick it with no finger pressing on the fretboard.
What do h, p and b mean in tab?
H is a hammer-on, p is a pull-off, and b is a bend. Slashes are slides, ~ is vibrato and x is a muted note.
How do you read bass tabs?
Bass tab has four lines for the strings G, D, A and E from the top down. The numbers are frets, as in guitar tab, but the notes sound an octave lower.
How do you read ukulele tabs?
Ukulele tab has four lines, A, E, C and G from the top down. The numbers are frets. The G string is higher than the C string unless the tab says low G.
Can I read tab without knowing the notes?
Yes. Tab tells you the string and fret, so you can play without naming a note. You still need the recording or a notation line to know the rhythm.
Related
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- Tuning your instrumentStandard tunings for guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, viola, cello and more, how to use a tuner or tune by ear, how winds and brass tune, and A440 vs 442.
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- GuitaristsOpen Guitar Pro files, text tabs, PDFs and chord charts. SheetScroll listens as you play guitar and turns the page, never early. Transpose and set a capo.
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