Scribba
Tab is the fastest way to write down what to play on a guitar. It doesn't ask you to know which note is which, only which string and which fret. That's why so many guitarists learn from it, and why writing your own tab by hand is a good habit: for lesson notes, for riffs you work out by ear, and for parts you're writing yourself.
This guide covers how to read tab, the symbols you'll see, how to write tab that someone else can follow, and how to keep it all in one notebook on an iPad. For staff notation, harmony and theory class notes, see music theory notes on iPad.
How to read guitar tab
A tab staff has six horizontal lines, one for each string.
- The top line is the high E string, the thinnest one. The bottom line is the low E, the thickest. This trips up nearly everyone at first, because it's upside down compared with how the strings look when you glance down at the guitar.
- A number on a line is a fret. A 3 on the second line from the top means the B string, third fret.
- 0 means an open string, played without fretting.
- Read left to right, like text.
- Numbers stacked in a vertical column are played together, as a chord.
- Numbers spread out are played one after another, as a melody or an arpeggio.
Tab assumes standard tuning (E A D G B E, low to high) unless it says otherwise. If a song uses a different tuning or a capo, that should be written at the top.
The symbols you'll see
Most tab uses a shared set of letters and marks between the numbers:
- h for a hammer-on: 5h7 means pick the 5th fret, then hammer onto the 7th without picking again.
- p for a pull-off: 7p5 is the reverse.
- / and \ for slides up and down: 5/7 slides from the 5th fret up to the 7th.
- b for a bend: 7b9 means bend the 7th fret up until it sounds like the 9th. Some tab writes "full" or "1/2" for how far.
- r for a release after a bend.
- ~ for vibrato.
- x for a muted or dead note, a percussive scratch with no pitch.
- PM with a dashed line for palm muting across several notes.
- < > around a number for a natural harmonic, like <12>.
Different sources vary a little. When you write your own tab, put a short key at the top of the first page so future you knows what each mark means.
Tab's big weakness: rhythm
Plain tab tells you which notes but not how long each one lasts. If you already know the song, that's fine. If you don't, the same row of numbers could be a dozen different riffs.
A few ways to fix that by hand:
- Space the numbers to suggest timing. Notes close together are fast; a wide gap is a longer note. It's rough, but it helps.
- Add barlines. A vertical line through all six strings at the end of each measure makes counting much easier.
- Write the count under the staff: "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &," lined up with the notes.
- Add rhythm stems. Draw a stem down from each note, with beams for eighth notes, the way rhythm is written in standard notation.
- Pair tab with a staff. For anything tricky, write standard notation on a staff above the tab.
Writing tab that others can follow
- Line up stacked numbers exactly. A chord that drifts sideways looks like an arpeggio.
- Give two-digit frets room. A 12 takes more space than a 3, so leave a gap after it.
- Write chord names above the staff where the chord changes.
- Label sections: intro, verse, chorus, solo. Mark repeats clearly, like "x4" at the end of a bar.
- Note the tempo if you know it, and any capo position.
Working out a riff by ear
Transcribing is one of the best ways to train your ear. Take it slowly:
- Loop a short section, a few seconds at most.
- Find the first note. Hum it, then hunt on the low strings until it matches.
- Follow the shape. Does the next note go up or down? By a small step or a jump?
- Write as you go, even if you're unsure. Mark doubtful notes with a question mark and come back.
- Check fingering last. The same pitch exists in several places on the neck. Pick the position that makes the passage playable.
Guitar tab paper in Scribba
Scribba's Guitar Tab paper is one of its 39 paper types: six-line tab staves, each marked T A B at the start, so you can start writing right away. You can change any page's paper from the page sidebar, so a notebook for guitar can hold tab pages next to Music Staff pages for notation and ruled pages for lesson notes. A grid or dot grid page works for drawing chord diagrams.
Some tools that help with tab:
- Zoom Window. Fret numbers need to sit right on a line and stay small. Write them large in the magnified strip, and they land small and neat on the page, sliding along as you go.
- Straight lines. Hold the Apple Pencil still at the end of a stroke to snap it straight, for barlines and the line that follows PM.
- A second color for technique marks or rhythm, so they don't get confused with fret numbers.
- Landscape notebooks fit longer lines of tab. Orientation is chosen when you create the notebook.
Lessons and practice
If you take lessons, ask your teacher whether you can record. In Scribba, tap the mic and write the tab as your teacher plays and explains. Every stroke is linked to that moment in the recording, so later you can tap a bar of tab to hear how it should sound. Slow the playback down to hear a fast passage clearly. See lecture playback speed.
To memorize a part, use study tape: drag tape over a bar of tab, play it from memory, then tap to peek and check. See study tape on iPad.
Tip: keep a practice log page at the front of your guitar notebook. Date, what you worked on, the tempo you reached and one thing to fix next time. A few lines a day show you real progress over a semester.
Frequently asked questions
Which line in guitar tab is the low E string?
The bottom line. The top line is the high E, the thinnest string.
Can Scribba play back tab I write?
No. Scribba is a notebook. It doesn't recognize or play back tab or notation. It can record and play back audio you capture while you write, such as a lesson.
Does Scribba have chord diagram paper?
Scribba doesn't have a chord diagram template. Draw chord boxes by hand on grid or dot grid paper, which keeps the strings and frets evenly spaced.