Guitar Tab Symbols Chart

This is an interactive guide to common symbols used in guitar tablature. Clicking each symbol will show you how it looks on the six guitar strings and let you hear it being played.

To use this widget click with your mouse on the symbols, alternatively if you have a computer keyboard then use the Tab key to highlight and Enter or Space to activate. A row of buttons is used for the interface. Each one represent a commonly used tab symbol.

How to Use the Guitar Tab Symbols Guide

When you tap a button, the tab symbol highlights in green. A visual diagram then show where the symbol goes on a regular tablature staff. For example, if you tapped on a symbol, the six lines that are the guitar strings would be visible as horizontal line in a diagram with the notation placed on the correct string. Below this, explanation is written out clearly so even without the visual clue you’d know what to do.

When you choose a symbol, it plays an audio demonstration too. This lets you connect what is written with how it sounds.

There is a Replay sound button located at the bottom of the display. If you missed a small detail or want to hear something again, you can replay any technique by clicking the Replay sound button. This will re-play the corresponding audio clip but not alter the visual data on-screen.

For added convenience, volume control has been put directly in the widget. To do this, there’s a slider called Vol that lets you change the master output level. This is handy if you find the default volume too loud for the situation, or if you’re using headphones. The setting will persist from one symbol to the next, meaning you only have to set it once.

There’s also a quicker method for browsing list of symbols by using your computer keyboard: use the Tab button to select various buttons of symbols in the grid; then hit the Space or Enter button once you’ve got focus on a particular symbol. You’ll hear what that symbol sounds like along with seeing an updated view onscreen just like if you’d clicked on it with a mouse, but without having to take your fingers from the keyboard. It is quicker to try out several approaches this way.

If you’ve forgotten where the number represent in terms of fret position, or which line is for which string, just click on the How to play button and it will open up this helpful tab reading guide. As you can see here, the lowest line is the E-string (the lowest string), while the highest line is the high E-string. Numbers represent the frets and they are read from left to right.

The Fullscreen button will expand the widget so it fills out the browser window (which is good for when you’re looking at it from a smaller screen or just need a better look at the tab diagrams). In that larger space, the interface will expand to fit and make the tab examples a bit bigger. Just click the same button again to return to normal.

Take some time to click around a few symbols, see what they look like, hear how they sounds. You’ll start to notice how techniques like pull-offs and hammer-ons connects two numbers on the fretboard. Compare this to single note modifiers like vibrato or bend which come directly after a number. The distinction between a trill and a slide for example can help you hugely when it comes to interpreting tabs you find online.

As you learn to play the guitar on your own try using this widget as a guide. If you find yourself with a new symbol in a piece of music that you are working through then return here and listen for how it sounds played on a guitar. This is the best way to bridge the gap from what is written down into what is actualy performed.

You should of begin by exploring the symbols below and increase your fluency when it comes to reading guitar tablature.