Tablature
Tablature is a fingering notation for stringed instruments. Each line stands for a string, each number for a fret. It says where to fret, but not which note comes out or how long it sounds.
- Lines
- stand for strings (6 on the guitar, 4 on the bass)
- Numbers
- stand for frets, 0 = open string
- Top line
- highest string (E4)
- Abbreviation
- TAB, clef at the start of the line
- Origin
- lute tablatures since the 15th century
Lines are strings
The page Notation symbols describes the tablature clef: a vertically written “TAB” at the beginning of a tablature system. The lines stand for the strings, numbers for frets. The top line is the highest string, the bottom line the lowest. A 0 means an open string, a 3 the third fret. The rhythm is often given additionally in the staff above. There is also a variant for four strings, above all for the bass guitar, with the lines E–A–D–G.
Reading it requires the tuning. The standard tuning of the guitar is, according to the page Notes on the Fretboard, E, A, D, G, B, E from the lowest to the highest string, each fret corresponds to a semitone. The note follows from string and fret, but the tablature does not name it.
Where it comes from
Tablatures have a long history: for the lute they are documented since the 15th century, and organ tablatures are older still. The modern six-line guitar TAB spread with rock and pop music and the internet.
What tablature does not show
The page Classical Guitar Sheet Music explains why the 112 sheets of classical guitar literature there are all in standard notation: tablature says where you should fret, but not which note comes out or how long it sounds. For picking up a riff quickly that is efficient. But as soon as two voices run at the same time, tablature breaks down. It cannot show that the bass note stays for four beats while the upper voice goes on in eighth notes.
| Standard notation | Tablature | |
|---|---|---|
| shows | pitch and duration | frets and strings |
| Rhythm | through note values | often additionally in the staff above |
| Voices | stems up and down separate the voices | only numbers, voice leading stays invisible |
| Strength | shows structure: melody, bass, inner voice | quickly picking up a riff, for example |
This holding, according to the page, is the core problem of the classical guitar. Standard notation shows with stems up and down which note belongs to which voice. Anyone who has read that plays differently: the bass is no longer damped as soon as the finger is needed for the next melody note.
Tablature as a substitute?
The article The shift on the fretboard calls it a common mistake to take tablature as a substitute. Tablature shows frets, not notes, and so hides exactly the structure that matters there. It is practical for quickly picking something up and useless for understanding. That does not mean you have to avoid it: for a first attempt at playing a piece it is convenient. But anyone who wants to understand what they play needs standard notation, which records notes and duration.
Common mistakes
- Taking numbers for notes: A 3 in tablature is a fret, not a note name. Which note it is depends on the string.
- Mixing up top and bottom: The top line stands for the highest string, the bottom for the lowest.
- Overlooking the rhythm: A pure tablature often names no note values. Then the rhythm stays unclear.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
ClefGuitarFingerboardFingeringLute
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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