Guitar TAB is one of the easiest ways to learn riffs, chords, and songs on guitar. Instead of traditional music notation, it shows you which string to play and which fret to press.
This guide explains how to read guitar TAB, follow the timing, understand the different symbols, and write TAB of your own.
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What is Guitar TAB
Guitar TAB, short for tablature, is a way of writing music specifically for guitar. The lines represent the strings, and the numbers show which frets to play. Instead of telling you the name of each note, TAB shows you where to play it on the guitar.
What TAB Tells You
- Which string and fret to play
- The order of the notes
- Which notes are played together
- Where to use bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, vibrato, harmonics, and other techniques
- The tuning of the song
What TAB Doesn’t Tell You
- The exact rhythm or how long each note lasts
- Which finger to use for each note
- The picking direction, unless it is marked
How To Read Guitar TAB
Guitar TAB is read from left to right, much like ordinary text. Notes may appear one after another, stacked into chords, or connected by symbols that show different playing techniques.
The Six Lines and Fret Numbers
Guitar TAB has six horizontal lines, one for each string. The top line is the high E string, while the bottom line is the low E string.
E—————————————————————-
B—————————————————————-
G—————————————————————-
D—————————————————————-
A—————————————————————-
E—————————————————————-
Numbers written on these lines correspond to the frets on the guitar.
For example, the number 3 on the top line means you play the third fret on the high E string. A 0 means you play the string open.
Read TAB from left to right to see the order of the notes.
In the example below, you play E, F, F#, G, G#, and A on the low E string, starting with the open string and moving up one fret at a time.
E—————————————————————-
B—————————————————————-
G—————————————————————-
D—————————————————————-
A—————————————————————-
E—0–1–2–3–4–5——————————————-
In this example, the notes are played one at a time. When two or more notes are played together, the numbers are written directly above one another.
The next example shows a G chord. Because the numbers line up vertically, you play all the notes together.
E—-3————————————————————
B—-3————————————————————
G—-4————————————————————
D—-5————————————————————
A—-5————————————————————
E—-3————————————————————
You can see the same chord written like this:
E——–3——————————————————–
B——-3———————————————————
G——4———————————————————-
D—–5———————————————————–
A—-5————————————————————
E—3————————————————————-
Here, the same chord is played from the low E string upward, one string after another.
Rhythm and Timing in Guitar TAB
So how do you know how fast or slow to play? Do all notes have to be the same length?
TAB usually doesn’t show exact note lengths or rhythm, so the best way to get the timing right is to listen to the song while following the TAB.
But, TAB can give you some timing guidance. Wider spaces may mean a longer pause between notes, but don’t treat the spacing as exact unless the TAB says otherwise.
TAB may include rhythm notation above or below the lines.
In the example below, the wider spaces show longer gaps between some of the notes.
E—————————————————————-
B——————-0–1—–0——–0–1—-0————–
G—–0—-0—-2——-2——–2———–2–0–2—-0–
D-0————————————————————-
A—————————————————————-
E—————————————————————-
Guitar TAB Symbols
TAB also uses letters and symbols to show how a note should be played – for example, whether to bend it, slide into it, or use a hammer-on or pull-off.
Here are the most commonly used symbols:
- h – hammer-on
- p – pull-off
- b – bend the string up
- r – release a bend
- / – slide up
- \ – slide down
- v – vibrato
- ~ – vibrato
- t – right-hand tap
- x – muted note
- < – harmonics
- > – harmonics
Not every TAB uses exactly the same symbols, so check the legend if one is included.
Writing Your Own Guitar TAB
Writing your own TAB is useful when you want to save a riff, work out a song by ear, write down your own music, or share an idea with another guitarist.
Before you start, decide what information actually needs to be in the TAB.
Ask yourself some important questions:
- Does the song use mostly chords?
- Are there several riffs in the song?
- What is the verse/chorus structure of the song?
If chord names are enough to explain the part, there’s no need to write every note in TAB.
Keep the layout clean and easy to follow.
- Use spaces
Leave blank lines between TAB sections, chord names, and lyrics so it’s always clear what belongs together. - Define the symbols
Use common TAB symbols when possible. If you use anything unusual, add a short explanation at the top.
That’s the basics of guitar TAB. Once you can read and write TAB, you can move on to more advanced techniques like palm muting, tapping, sweep picking, and other lead and rhythm guitar playing.