A guitar tab maker you can play back
This guitar tab maker lets you write tablature the way you think about it: click a string, type the fret, step to the next beat. Hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, releases, slides, vibrato and muted notes use the usual tab letters, chord shapes drop in with one click, and you can hear the result straight away with the built-in player.
When it sounds right, copy it as plain ASCII tab for a forum, a message or a lesson, or save a clean PDF to print. It works with standard tuning, drop D, DADGAD, open G, open D, open E, half-step down and ukulele tunings, and it runs in your browser — free, without an account, with your draft kept on this device.
How to use the Guitar Tab Maker
- Set a Title, the Tuning and the Tempo.
- Click a cell in the grid and type a fret number. Use the arrow keys to move between strings and beats, or the keypad buttons on a phone.
- After a fret, type h, p, b, r, / or \ and the next fret (for example
5h7or7b9), or ~ for vibrato; x is a muted note. - Use Add measure, Duplicate measure and Insert column to shape the piece, or type a chord name and press Insert chord.
- Press Play to listen, then Copy tab, Download PDF, Print or MIDI.
Guitar Tab Maker features
Keyboard-first grid
Digits enter frets (two quick digits make 10–24), Space steps right, arrows cross bar lines, Insert adds a column, Backspace and Delete clear, and Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y undo and redo up to 100 steps.
Standard tab techniques
h hammer-on, p pull-off, b bend, r release, / slide up, \ slide down, ~ vibrato and x muted note, written exactly as they appear in ASCII tab.
Playback
Every fretted note is played at its string’s pitch in the chosen tuning; the second note of a hammer-on, pull-off, slide or bend is played softer, and the current column lights up.
ASCII tab in and out
Copy aligned plain-text tab with one line per string, or paste an existing tab to edit it in the grid.
Chord shapes
Type G, Am7 or D/F# and the engine’s easiest voicing for your tuning fills the column.
Print, PDF and MIDI
A vector PDF at A4 or Letter size with measure numbers and a technique legend, a print view, and a MIDI file for notation software.
How to read guitar tab
Tab has one line per string with the highest-pitched string at the top: in standard tuning the lines read e, B, G, D, A, E from top to bottom (the high e is written in lower case so it is not confused with the low E). A number is the fret to play on that string, 0 is the open string, and numbers stacked above each other are played together. Read from left to right; vertical bars separate measures. Tab shows where to play but not exactly how long each note lasts — this tab maker spreads each measure evenly over four beats, so put notes in the column where they fall in the bar.
| Symbol | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| h | Hammer-on: pick the first note, hammer a finger onto the second | 5h7 |
| p | Pull-off: pick the first note, pull off to the lower one | 7p5 |
| b / r | Bend up to the pitch of the second fret, then release back | 7b9r7 |
| / and \ | Slide up / slide down to the next fret | 5/8, 8\5 |
| ~ | Vibrato on the note | 12~ |
| x | Muted (dead) note — percussive, no pitch | x |
Tips for clear tabs
- Pick the number of columns per measure from the rhythm: 8 for eighth notes, 16 for sixteenths, 6 or 12 for triplet feels.
- Write the chord name above a strummed part in the title or as a separate measure, and check shapes in the guitar chord chart.
- Tune up with the online tuner and practise slowly with the metronome before raising the tempo.
- For songs with lyrics and chords rather than single notes, the chord sheet maker is the better format.
What playback can and cannot do
Playback uses a simple plucked-string synthesizer in your browser after you press Play; nothing autoplays and Mute silences it. It does not glide the pitch: a bend or slide is heard as the target note, softer, half a column later. Muted notes and vibrato are shown in the tab but are silent or plain in playback. ASCII import is best effort — it reads the common format with one line per string and bar lines, but not rhythm stems or notes written above the tab.
Guitar Tab Maker FAQ
How do I make a guitar tab online?
Click a cell on the string you want, type the fret number and press Space or the right arrow to move on. Add measures as you go, then copy the ASCII tab or download a PDF.
Is this guitar tab maker free?
Yes. It is free with no account or watermark, and your tab stays in your browser.
Can I hear my tab played back?
Yes. Press Play: each note sounds at the right pitch for your tuning and tempo, and the current column is highlighted. Tick Loop to repeat it while you practise.
Does it work for drop D, DADGAD or ukulele?
Yes. Choose the tuning and the string names and playback follow it. Switching between six-string and four-string tunings keeps the top strings, and Undo restores the rest.
How do I write a hammer-on or a bend?
Type the first fret, then h (hammer-on), p (pull-off), b (bend), r (release), / or \ (slide), then the second fret — for example 5h7 or 7b9. Add ~ for vibrato.
Can I import an existing ASCII tab?
Yes. Open “Import an ASCII tab”, paste a tab with one line per string such as e|---0---|, and it is converted into the editable grid.