What is Guitar TAB?
Guitar tablature (TAB) is a notation system that represents the physical action of playing guitar rather than the abstract pitch of notes. Instead of a five-line musical stave, TAB uses six lines representing the six guitar strings, with numbers showing which fret to press.
TAB has been used for centuries — early lute music was written in a form of tablature. Today it is the most widely used notation for guitar on the internet, in guitar magazines, and in many instructional books.
The TAB Staff
TAB uses six horizontal lines — one for each string:
The bottom line is the thickest string (low E) and the top line is the thinnest string (high E). Numbers placed on a line indicate which fret to press on that string. The number 0 means play the open string (no fret pressed).
When you look down at your guitar, the thinnest string is at the bottom. In TAB, the thinnest string is at the top. This reversal confuses many beginners at first — just remember the TAB bottom line = thickest string = lowest sound.
Reading Basic TAB
Numbers are read left to right — just like reading text. A number on a line means: press that fret on that string and pluck it. Numbers in sequence are played one after another. Numbers stacked vertically are played simultaneously (a chord).
Example — melody: Numbers appearing one at a time, left to right on the top (1st string) line: 0–1–3–1–0 means play open E, then F (fret 1), then G (fret 3), then back to F, then back to open E.
Example — chord: Multiple numbers stacked vertically (e.g. 0 on line 1, 1 on line 2, 0 on line 3, 2 on line 4, 3 on line 5) are all played simultaneously — this represents a C chord in TAB form.
Special Symbols in Guitar TAB
5h7 means pluck fret 5, then hammer onto fret 7 without re-plucking. The number after H is sounded by the left hand alone.
7p5 means press both frets, pluck fret 7, then pull off to sound fret 5. The pull-off note is not plucked by the right hand.
5s7 or 5/7 means play fret 5, then slide the same finger to fret 7 while keeping string pressed. The pitch glides between the two notes.
7b9 means play fret 7 and bend the string until it sounds like fret 9 (a whole-tone bend). The target pitch is shown after B.
A number followed by ~ means apply vibrato — repeatedly bend and release slightly to create a wavering, singing quality in the note.
Harm.12 or <12> means play a harmonic at fret 12. Lightly touch the string directly over the fret wire without pressing down.
TAB vs Standard Notation
The main difference between TAB and standard notation:
- TAB shows WHERE — which string and fret. Standard notation shows WHAT pitch.
- TAB often omits duration — you may not know exactly how long to hold each note. Standard notation always shows duration precisely.
- TAB is guitar-specific — it only works for guitar (and similar instruments). Standard notation works for every instrument.
- TAB is faster to learn — most people can read basic TAB after 30 minutes. Standard notation takes months to read fluently.
Many modern guitar books and online resources show both notations simultaneously — standard notation on top (for rhythm and duration) and TAB below (for string and fret position). This combined format gives the best of both systems.
Online TAB especially often omits or inaccurately represents note duration. If rhythm is important to you — and it always is — listen to a recording of the piece alongside the TAB to understand the correct timing. Never rely on TAB alone for rhythm information.
What's Next?
Lesson 34 covers transposing — how to change a piece of music to a different key, how to use the transposition chart, and how to transpose both chords and melodies accurately.