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.
Which finger?
But which finger do you press the fret with?
Good question — and a common misconception. A tab tells you which string and which fret, but deliberately not which finger. That's your call, because the handiest finger depends on what comes before and after. Still, there's a fixed numbering and a rule of thumb that gets you started almost every time.
The four fingers of your fretting hand — numbered 1 to 4
You'll see these numbers again in chord diagrams and lesson material. They refer to your fretting hand (the left hand for a right-handed player); your thumb stays behind the neck and doesn't count.
- 1index
- 2middle
- 3ring
- 4pinky
Rule of thumb: one finger per fret
In first position (the first four frets) you give each fret its own finger: fret 1 → index, fret 2 → middle, fret 3 → ring, fret 4 → pinky. That way your hand doesn't have to shift and every note sits ready under a finger. So if a tab plays a 3 on the D string, you'll grab it with your ring finger by default.
Two things guide your choice when you deviate: keep your hand relaxed (pick the finger that stretches the least) and look ahead (pick the finger that makes the next note easiest to reach). Higher frets? Shift your whole hand up and apply the same one-finger-per-fret logic again.
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.