Tabs
How to read a tab?
Tabs (short for tablature) are a notation designed for guitar — not a staff but six lines for six strings. You read them faster than sheet music, as long as you know the symbols.
Example
e|---0---3---0------| B|---1---0---1------| G|---0---0---0------| D|---2---0---2------| A|---3-------3------| E|------------------|
The top line is the high E (thinnest string), the bottom is the low E (thickest). The numbers tell you which fret to press — a 0 means open string, a 3 means third fret. Read from left to right over time.
Try it right away
Paste a tab and hear it
Knowing the symbols is one thing, hearing them makes it concrete. Paste an ASCII tab into the tab player and play it directly in your browser — that way you immediately check if you're reading correctly.
Oefen het met een les
Les · met Levi
Levi shows you how to play the tab symbols h and p
The h (hammer-on) and p (pull-off) in a tab aren't just symbols to read — they're techniques. In the Hammer-on & pull-off lesson, Levi teaches you how to sound two notes with one pick strike, exactly as the tab intends. Small difference on paper, big difference in your playing.
Hammer-on & pull-off zit in de abonnementen Gitaarles en Alles-in-één. Probeer een maand voor € 1.
More on video
Professionele videoles · met Niels Onstenk
All tab symbols in one video lesson
Want to see áll picking and expression techniques from a tab — hammer-on, pull-off, slides, bends, and vibrato? In this video lesson, Niels demonstrates them one by one, with the corresponding tab symbol.
Aanslag & expressie technieken (tab-symbolen) zit in de abonnementen Gitaarles en Alles-in-één. Probeer een maand voor € 1.
Frequently asked questions
What do the six lines mean?
Each line is a string. At the top is the high E (thinnest, highest-sounding string), at the bottom the low E (thickest). That's the opposite order from how they sit on the guitar — takes getting used to, but you read tabs so that high is also visually on top.What do the numbers mean?
The number is the fret you press on that string. 0 = open string (no finger), 1 = first fret, 3 = third fret, and so on. Multiple numbers on different lines at the same vertical position? Then you play those strings together — a chord.And all those letters between the numbers — h, p, b, /, \?
Playing techniques. The most common ones:- h = hammer-on (you tap the next note without picking again, e.g. 5h7)
- p = pull-off (you pull a finger away to sound the lower note, 7p5)
- / = slide up, \ = slide down (5/7)
- b = bend (you push the string sideways to raise the pitch, 7b9)
- ~ = vibrato (let the note wave by bending the pressed string slightly back and forth)
- x = muted pick (string is struck but not pressed)
How do I know the rhythm from a tab?
Text tabs (classic tabs in plain text) tell you which notes, not always when. That's why the best approach is: read the tab while listening to the recording. On Gitaartabs, every ProTab comes with a play-along player that shows the tab in sync with audio — that's where you see exactly when each note comes. For standalone text tabs: playing the original recording is your time machine.What's the difference from a chord diagram?
A chord diagram shows one moment in time — which fingers go where for one chord, viewed from the neck. A tab shows an entire melody or riff over time — vertically the strings, horizontally the time. Many tabs combine both: chord names above the tab for accompaniment, tab for intros, riffs, and solos.What tabs are on Gitaartabs?
Three types: ProTabs (fully developed with interactive play-along player — for members with the Songs & ProTabs or All-in-one subscription), tabs (in plain text, free for everyone to play), and chord/lyrics (only chord names above the text, also free). The type is listed at the top of each song.
Ready to read a tab?
Pick a song and recognize the symbols — you'll read faster than you think. Play along right away.