Learn how to use tabs to learn guitar parts. Use ToFret to play along to tablature or find chords, notes and scales you need. ToFret supports guitar, bass, ukulele, banjo, mandolin and technically violin. Various alternate tunings are available.
Horizontal lines represent the strings on your instrument. The number varies. The top line is the thinest string that is the farthest away from you when looking down. Subsequently, the bottom line is the fattest string closest to your eyes.
Think of the tabs as if you are holding your guitar and look down on it. The top string on your instrument, closest to your eye is the bottom string in the tab notation. The top string is the furthest away from you so that is the bottom string on your guitar. Try the interactive example to see it in action.
Time moves from left to right, just like reading. The most left numbers are played first and you move to the right playing the numbers you see.
A number on a line stands for a fret number on the neck of the guitar. Zero means an open string, one means the first fret etc.
The examples below are simple but cover the basics of reading guitar tabs.
Here is an example.
e |-------------------------| B |-------------------------| G |-------------------------| D |-------------------------| A |-------------------------| E |0----3----5----3----0----|
_:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| E:|_____|_____|__G__|_____|__A__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
This simple example tells you to play this sequence on one single string:
Tablature notation can also be used to express full chords by showing the numbers aligned vertically like below.
C Major E Minor
e |---0--------------0------| B |---1--------------0------| G |---0--------------0------| D |---2--------------2------| A |---3--------------2------| E |---0--------------0------|
E:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| B:|__C__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| G:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|__E__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|__B__|__C__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| E:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
These are a C major and an E minor chord written in tablature notation.
You take the numbers and count up on your fretboard to the notes you have to play.
Tablature notation does not specify fingering but there is always a way to play the chords.
You might already recognize the pattern on the fretboard to tell the chords.
Playable tablature notation example with two full chords and their arpeggios. The player will not only show the tablature but also a representation of the fretboard showing the positions of the notes on the neck.
C Major Arpeggio E Minor Arpeggio
e |---0------0-------------------|---0------0-------------------| B |---1---------1----------------|---0---------0----------------| G |---0------------0-------------|---0------------0-------------| D |---2---------------2----------|---2---------------2----------| A |---3------------------3-------|---2------------------2-------| E |---0----------------------0---|---0---------------------0----|
E:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| B:|__C__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| G:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|__E__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| _:|_____|__B__|__C__|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| E:|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Tablature notation can include various symbols to indicate techniques or note length. ToFret does not support these symbols yet.
The ToFret guitar tab player uses the plain text ASCII format as a source. This has lots of benefits but also brings along some problems.
Since ASCII code is just plain text it can be shared accross every platform you can imagine. No proprietary code, licenses or accounts needed. Very old tablature still exists, you just have to find it.
Musically, plain text ASCII tabs do pose an issue when you try to play them. The spacing between notes is critical to allow for accurate playback. Sometimes tabs will lag behind or jump forward, it is hard to prevent without a clear standard.
Back in the day there was OLGA, the On-line Guitar Archive. This aggregated guitar tabs posted in various newsgroups. Eventually copy right claims killed the archive.
The future is right here. ASCII will not be going anywhere. It still is the most easy and versatile medium to carry data. After all it is just text.
ToFret will keep the plain text world alive. Not only by using ASCII tablature but by the sheer nature of this pure HTML web site.