Learn to read guitar and bass tablature — from basics to advanced techniques
Tablature (commonly called "tab") is an alternative form of musical notation that tells you where to place your fingers on an instrument, rather than what pitch to play. It is the most popular notation system for guitar, bass, and other fretted instruments.
A guitar tab has six horizontal lines, each representing one string of the guitar. The bottom line represents the lowest-pitched string (E on a standard-tuned guitar), and the top line represents the highest-pitched string (also E, two octaves higher). Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press.
Unlike standard sheet music, tablature does not inherently indicate rhythm or duration. Some modern tabs include rhythmic notation above the tab staff, but many simply show the sequence of notes without precise timing. Reading tab requires familiarity with the song or a reference recording.
Tab is an excellent starting point for guitarists and bassists, but learning to read standard notation alongside tab provides a more complete musical education.
💡 Tips
- •The bottom line = your lowest (thickest) string
- •Numbers indicate fret positions — 0 means play the string open
- •Tab reads left to right, just like standard notation
- •Numbers stacked vertically are played simultaneously (a chord)