How to read tab
Tab shows you where to put your fingers, no music reading needed: six lines for the six strings, numbers for the frets. Five minutes is all it takes to learn.
The basics
Tab has six lines, one per string. The top line is the highest string (high E, written e), the bottom line the lowest (low E, written E). Careful: that’s the opposite of what you see when you look down at your guitar.
On a line, a number tells you the fret to play: 0 for the open string, 3 for the 3rd fret. You read from left to right, like text.
Example: the six open strings, from lowest to highest.
e|-----------0-| B|---------0---| G|-------0-----| D|-----0-------| A|---0---------| E|-0-----------|
Notes one after another
When the numbers follow one another, the notes are played one at a time. Here’s the A minor pentatonic, position 1, going up: two notes per string, from low to high.
e|---------------------5-8-| B|-----------------5-8-----| G|-------------5-7---------| D|---------5-7-------------| A|-----5-7-----------------| E|-5-8---------------------|
Tab doesn’t tell you which finger to use. Simple rule: one finger per fret. Here, your index plays the 5th fret, your middle finger the 6th, your ring finger the 7th and your pinky the 8th.
Chords
When numbers are stacked in the same column, the strings are played together: that’s a chord. An x means “don’t play this string.” Here’s C major, as tab and as a diagram:
e|--0--| B|--1--| G|--0--| D|--2--| A|--3--| E|--x--|
Technique symbols
Between the numbers, letters and signs tell you how to play the note:
| Symbol | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| h | 5h7 | Hammer-on: the 2nd note is struck by the fretting hand, without picking |
| p | 7p5 | Pull-off: the upper finger comes off by plucking the string |
| / and \ | 5/7, 9\7 | Slide: the finger slides to the fret shown |
| b | 7b9 | Bend: the string is pushed until it sounds like the 9th fret |
| r | 7b9r7 | The bent string is released |
| x | x | Dead note: string muted by the fretting hand, just a click |
| PM | above the tab | Palm muting: the palm mutes the strings near the bridge |
| PH | above the tab | Pinch harmonic |
What tab doesn’t tell you
Standard tab doesn’t show rhythm: it tells you what to play, not for how long. Some tabs add note values above the lines; otherwise, you have to listen to the song. That’s why every tab on this site has its own “Listen” button.