How to Read Guitar TAB

The short answer

• The six lines are the six strings. The top line is the thin high E string (string 1); the bottom line is the thick low E string (string 6).
• A number on a line is a fret on that string. A 0 means play the string open.
• Read from left to right, one column at a time.
• Numbers stacked in the same column are played together, as a chord.

That covers most of the TAB you'll ever read. The rest of this guide deals with the parts that catch people out: two-digit frets, chords, rhythm, techniques like hammer-ons and slides, and the extra markings you'll find in TAB online.

The lines are strings

TAB draws the thin high E string as the top line and the thick low E string as the bottom line. That catches almost everyone at first, because when you look down at your guitar, the thick string is the one nearest your face. Here's an easy way to remember it: the higher the line, the higher the string sounds.

Most TAB starts each line with the name of its string. In standard tuning that reads e B G D A E from top to bottom, with a lowercase e so you can tell the two E strings apart. If the letters say something different, such as a D on the bottom line for drop D tuning, retune before you start, or every note on that string will come out wrong.

The numbers are frets

Each number tells you which fret to press on that line's string, counting up from the nut. A 3 means the third fret. A 0 means play the string open, without pressing anything at all.

Further up the neck you'll see two-digit numbers. A 12 is one note at the twelfth fret, not a 1 followed by a 2. Notes you play one after another always get their own columns, so two digits side by side are always a single fret.

e|-----------10--|
B|--10--12-------|

Read one bar

Here's one bar of a short phrase, four beats long at 60 BPM. Under the lines this TAB adds two rows: the count, so you know which beat each note lands on, and how many beats each note rings for.

1. Beat 1: 0 on the top line. Pick the high E string open.
2. Beat 2: 3 on the top line. Press the high E string at the third fret.
3. Beat 3: back to 0 on the top line. Open high E again.
4. Beat 4: 3 on the second line. That's the B string, third fret.

Read a whole scale: C major

Now try something longer. This is the C major scale, C D E F G A B C, in open position: up one octave and back down again, one note per beat. Read it one column at a time, and say the string and fret before you play each note.

Use one finger per fret and your hand never has to move: your first finger plays fret 1, your second finger fret 2 and your third finger fret 3. The open strings give your hand a moment to get ready for the next note.

When it sounds even and steady, play it twice through without stopping. That's sixteen notes of TAB read and played. To see where the same notes sit across the rest of the neck, open the C major scale page.

Chords in TAB

When numbers line up in the same column, play them together. That's how TAB writes a chord. Here are E minor and A minor, the first two chords in the beginner chords guide:

e|--0--|
B|--0--|
G|--0--|
D|--2--|
A|--2--|
E|--0--|

e|--0--|
B|--1--|
G|--2--|
D|--2--|
A|--0--|
E|-----|

An empty line in a chord means that string stays silent. When the same chord is spread across several columns instead, one number per column, hold the whole shape and pick the strings one at a time. That's called an arpeggio, and it's how a lot of fingerpicked accompaniment is written:

e|--------------0--|
B|-----------1-----|
G|--------2--------|
D|-----2-----------|
A|--0--------------|

Rhythm in TAB

Plain text TAB is good at telling you where to play and not much help with when. The dashes between numbers are only a rough hint: numbers close together are probably quick, but you can't count from them.

When TAB does show rhythm, it usually does it in one of three ways:

• A count or duration row under the lines, like the ones in the examples above.
• Note stems and beams under the numbers, borrowed from standard notation. Guitar Pro files and printed songbooks usually include them.
• A standard notation staff above the TAB, with the TAB underneath telling you where to play each note.

Try it: decode two bars

The fastest way to get comfortable with TAB is to read some. Walk through the first bar, decode the second bar on your own, then try a phrase you haven't seen. If something goes wrong, the feedback points you to the rule you missed. Nothing plays while you choose, so every answer is your own.

Symbols and techniques

Letters and marks between the numbers tell you how to move from one note to the next. These are the ones you'll meet most often. Writers don't all use them the same way, so if the TAB comes with a legend, trust that over this table.

Here's a handful of them in a single line on the G string:

G|--5h7--7p5--5/7--7b9--|

Pick fret 5 and hammer on to 7. Pick 7 and pull off to 5. Pick 5 and slide up to 7. Then pick 7 and bend the string until it sounds like fret 9.

Reading real-world TAB

TAB you find online usually comes with a few extra markings:

• Bar lines (|) divide the music into bars. In 4/4 time, each bar holds four beats.
• Repeats: x2 or x4 after a section means play it that many times. Some TAB marks the part to repeat with |: and :|.
• Capo notes: "Capo 2" at the top usually means the numbers count from the capo, so a 0 is the fret the capo sits on. Check the notes to be sure, because some writers count from the nut.
• Tuning: read the letters at the start of each line, or a note such as "Tuning: D A D G B E".
• Chord names above the TAB, like Em or Am, tell you which shape your fretting hand should hold while you pick.
• let ring means keep each fretted note held down so the notes overlap.

Most TAB online is written by fans, and its accuracy varies. If something sounds wrong, trust the recording, and look for a version with the rhythm written in.

Common mistakes

• Reading the lines upside down. The top line is the thin high E string, not the thick one.
• Treating numbers as fingers. They're always frets.
• Reading 10 or 12 as two notes. A two-digit number is a single fret.
• Picking a stacked column one note at a time. A column is a chord, so strum or pick those strings together.
• Guessing the rhythm from the spacing. Count from a duration row or stems if there are any; otherwise, listen to the recording.

Play it on your guitar

1. Tune to standard tuning, E A D G B E, or to whatever the TAB asks for.
2. Say each note out loud before you play it: "top line, open", "second line, third fret".
3. Count four steady beats and play one number per beat. When a note lasts two beats, let it ring through the next count without picking again.
4. Press just behind the fret wire with your fingertip. If a note buzzes, move a little closer to the wire.
5. Play the bar slowly three times in a row before you speed up.

Once strings and frets feel automatic, the next step is knowing which note each position plays. The fretboard notes chart is a good place to start.

Quick answers

How do you read guitar tabs?

Each of the six lines is a string, with the thin high E string on top and the thick low E string at the bottom. A number on a line tells you which fret to press on that string, and 0 means play it open. Read left to right, one column at a time.

What do the numbers on guitar tabs mean?

They are fret numbers, counted up from the nut. A 3 on the second line means press the B string at fret 3. They are not finger numbers, so use whichever finger is comfortable.

Is the top line of a guitar tab the high E or low E string?

The top line is the high E string, the thinnest one (string 1). The bottom line is the low E string, the thickest (string 6). Many tabs label the top line with a lowercase e to tell the two apart.

What does 0 mean in guitar tabs?

A 0 means play that string open, without pressing any fret.

How do you read double-digit numbers in guitar tab?

A two-digit number such as 12 is one note at fret 12, not a 1 followed by a 2. Separate notes always sit in separate columns.

What does it mean when numbers are stacked in a tab?

Numbers in the same column are played at the same time, as a chord or double stop. Numbers in separate columns are played one after another, left to right.

What does x mean in guitar tab?

An x is a muted, or dead, note: rest a finger lightly on the string so it makes a percussive click instead of a clear pitch.

What do h and p mean in guitar tab?

h is a hammer-on: pick the first note, then press a higher fret hard enough to sound it without picking. p is a pull-off: pick the higher note, then pull that finger off so the lower note sounds.

Do guitar tabs show rhythm?

Plain text tabs usually don’t. The spacing between numbers is only a rough guide. For exact timing you need the recording, or tab that writes the rhythm out with note stems, counts or durations.

Keep learning

• Beginner Guitar ChordsRead chord diagrams and play your first Em to Am progression.
• Guitar Fretboard NotesSee which note every string and fret plays.
• Memorize the FretboardLearn where every note lives with octave shapes and short recall practice.
• Guitar Chord ChangesSwitch between chords without stopping the beat.