How to Read Guitar Tabs: Lines, Numbers and Symbols

Tab, short for tablature, is a way of writing guitar music that shows exactly where to put your fingers. You do not need to read standard sheet music to use it, which is why most guitarists learn their first riffs from tab. It takes about ten minutes to understand and a few days of practice to read comfortably. Everything here uses standard tuning, E A D G B E from the thickest string to the thinnest; if those letters are new, see our guide to guitar string names.

How to read the six lines

The six horizontal lines are the six strings. The trick that confuses everyone at first: the order looks upside down. The top line is the high e string, the thinnest one, which is the string closest to the floor when you hold the guitar. The bottom line is the low E string, the thickest one, closest to your face.

It makes sense once you picture it. Lay the guitar flat on your lap with the strings facing up and look down at it. The thinnest string is now at the top of your view, exactly like the tab. Many tabs print the string names at the start of each line to help you:

• e: 1st string, high E (thinnest), top line. A small "e" is often used to tell it apart from the low E.
• B: 2nd string.
• G: 3rd string.
• D: 4th string.
• A: 5th string.
• E: 6th string, low E (thickest), bottom line.

If a tab uses a different tuning, such as drop D, it will usually say so at the top, and the bottom line will be labeled D instead of E.

How to read the numbers

1. Find the line. The line a number sits on tells you which string to play.
2. Read the number as a fret. A 3 means press the string just behind the 3rd fret wire. A 5 means the 5th fret. Count frets from the nut at the top of the neck: the space nearest the nut is the 1st fret.
3. 0 means open. Play the string without pressing it anywhere.
4. Play the notes from left to right, in order, picking only the string shown.
5. Play stacked numbers together. When numbers line up vertically, strum or pick those strings at the same time.
6. Choose your own fingers. Tab shows the fret, not the finger. A good default is "one finger per fret": in a small area of the neck, your index finger covers the lowest fret, the middle finger the next, and so on.

Here is the same idea in plain text, the way tab often appears online. This is the practice riff from later in this guide:

e|--------------------------|--------------------------|
B|--------------------------|--------------------------|
G|--------------------------|--------------------------|
D|---------------------0----|-2------------------------|
A|----------------0h2-------|------2----0--------------|
E|-0----0----3--------------|----------------3----0----|

Read it like this: open low E twice, low E at the 3rd fret, then the open A string with a hammer-on to the 2nd fret, then the open D string. The second bar comes back down: D string 2nd fret, A string 2nd fret, open A, low E 3rd fret, open low E.

What tab does not tell you: timing

This is the one real limit of tab, and it is worth knowing early. Plain tab shows which notes to play and in what order, but usually not how long each note lasts. The spaces between numbers can hint at the rhythm, since notes written close together are often played quickly, but the spacing is rough and differs from writer to writer.

• Listen to the song. The best way to get the timing right is to know how the music sounds. Play along with the recording, slowly at first.
• Bar lines help. The vertical lines through the tab split it into measures (bars). In most songs each bar is four beats long, so the notes inside one bar fill four counts.
• Some tabs add rhythm. Guitar books and many tab programs print rhythm marks above or below the tab, or show standard notation and tab together. If a tab has them, they tell you the exact timing.
• Repeat signs and notes. Text like "x4" at the end of a line means play that part four times.

Guitar tab symbols and techniques

Letters and marks between the numbers tell you how to play them. These are the ones you will meet most often.

• h, hammer-on. 5h7: pick the 5th fret, then bring another finger down hard on the 7th fret of the same string without picking again. The second note sounds from the force of your finger.
• p, pull-off. 7p5: the reverse. With fingers on both the 7th and 5th frets, pick the 7th, then pull that finger off with a slight downward flick so the 5th fret sounds.
• / slide up. 5/7: pick the 5th fret and slide the same finger up to the 7th while keeping pressure, so the note glides up.
• \ slide down. 7\5: the same, sliding down from the 7th fret to the 5th.
• b, bend. 7b9: pick the 7th fret and push the string sideways across the fretboard until it sounds like the 9th fret would. Some tabs write it 7b(9), or "full" for a whole-step bend and "1/2" for a half step. An r after a bend (7b9r7) means release it back down.
• ~ vibrato. 7~~~: hold the note and shake it slightly in pitch by rocking or gently bending the string back and forth. More squiggles usually means a longer or wider vibrato.
• x, muted note. Rest your fretting hand lightly on the strings without pressing them down and pick. You get a percussive "chick" with no clear note. Often used in strumming patterns and funk rhythms.
• PM, palm muting. Usually written above the tab with a dashed line: rest the edge of your picking hand on the strings right next to the bridge for a short, chunky sound.
• Numbers in angle brackets, such as <12>, usually mean a natural harmonic: touch the string lightly right over the fret wire, without pressing, and pick for a bell-like tone.

Tab writers do not all use exactly the same marks. Most tabs that use anything unusual include a short key at the top. When in doubt, check the key, then listen to the recording.

How chords look in tab

When numbers stand in a vertical stack, play them all at once. That is how tab writes a chord. Read the stack from the bottom line up and you get the same shape you would see in a chord chart, from the thickest string to the thinnest.

• G major reads 3, 0, 0, 0, 2, 3 from the top line down: low E 3rd fret, A 2nd fret, D, G and B open, high e 3rd fret.
• C major reads 0, 1, 0, 2, 3 from the top down, with nothing on the low E line, so you leave the low E out.
• D major reads 2, 3, 2, 0 on the top four lines; strum from the D string only.
• E minor reads 0, 0, 0, 2, 2, 0: all six strings, with fingers on the 2nd fret of the A and D strings.

Song tabs often skip the stacks and just print chord names above the lines, or above the lyrics, for you to strum. For the fingering of every common beginner chord, see our guitar chord chart for beginners. If the notes of a chord are written one after another instead of stacked, pick them one at a time; guitarists call that an arpeggio, and it is how many fingerpicked songs are written.

Practice riff: read your first tab

This short riff is written for this guide. It sits in the key of E minor and uses only open strings and the first few frets, so it suits an acoustic or an electric guitar.

1. Tune your guitar to standard tuning. A clip-on tuner makes this quick; see our guitar tuners.
2. Find the bottom three lines. Every note is on the low E, A or D string.
3. Bar 1: pick the open low E twice, then the 3rd fret of the low E with your ring finger. Pick the open A string and hammer your middle finger onto its 2nd fret. Finish with the open D string.
4. Bar 2: middle finger on the 2nd fret of the D string, then the 2nd fret of the A string, then the open A. Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the low E, then the open low E.
5. Play it slowly and evenly, one pick stroke for each number (the hammer-on note gets no extra pick). Count a steady beat out loud if it helps.
6. Loop it. When the two bars feel smooth, play them over and over without stopping, and speed up a little at a time.

Good to know

• Bass tab has four lines, for the four strings of a bass guitar, read the same way: G on top, low E on the bottom. Ukulele tab has four lines too.
• Tab and chord charts work together. Tab is best for riffs, melodies and solos; chord boxes are quicker for strummed songs. Most guitarists use both.
• Tab is a great start, and standard notation is a bonus. Many players read only tab their whole lives. If you later study music formally, learning standard notation adds rhythm and theory, and the two are often printed together.
• Check a tab against the recording. Tabs written by other players are sometimes simplified or slightly off. If something sounds wrong, trust your ears and the song.
• Electric guitar techniques such as bends and vibrato are easier with the lighter strings found on most electric guitars, and an amp lets you hear every note clearly.

Guitars to read tab on

Tab works the same on any six-string guitar. These are popular choices in stock now. Prices and stock update automatically.

Browse all electric guitars, steel-string acoustics and electric guitar amplifiers. For a fresh set of strings, see guitar strings; for picks, our guitar picks. Buying for a young player? Our guide to choosing the right size guitar for a child helps.

Keep learning

• Guitar chords for beginners: the chord chart and your first chords.
• Guitar string names: E, A, D, G, B, E and how to remember them.
• Parts of a guitar and parts of an electric guitar: labeled diagrams, including the frets and nut.
• How to restring a guitar: new strings make bends and slides feel smoother.

Frequently asked questions

What do the numbers on guitar tabs mean?

Each number is a fret. The line it sits on is the string. 0 means play that string open, 3 means press the string at the 3rd fret, and so on.

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

The top line is the high e, the thinnest string. The bottom line is the low E, the thickest string. Picture the guitar lying flat in your lap and looking down at it.

How do you read chords in guitar tab?

Numbers stacked in a vertical column are played together as a chord. Read the stack to see which fret to press on each string; a string with no number in the stack is not played.

Does guitar tab show rhythm?

Usually not. Plain tab shows which notes to play and their order, but not how long each one lasts. Listen to the song for the timing, or use a tab that includes rhythm marks or standard notation.

What do h and p mean in guitar tab?

h is a hammer-on: pick a note, then bring a finger down on a higher fret of the same string without picking again. p is a pull-off: pick a note, then pull that finger off so a lower fretted or open note sounds.

Is tab easier than sheet music?

For guitar, yes, for most beginners. Tab shows exactly where to put your fingers, so you can play a riff the same day you start. Sheet music shows rhythm and theory better, and many guitar books print both together.