Guitar Tab Maker

Write guitar tabs online, free and instant. Click the fretboard. Watch real notation appear — stems, beams, rests. Add hammer-ons, slides, palm mutes and bends. Play it with a studio guitar sound. Export Guitar Pro, MIDI or ASCII tab — no account, no install.

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Click the fretboard to write a note at the cursor. Low string sits at the bottom; lit dots mark notes already in the riff. Click the score to move the cursor — with a technique armed it toggles onto that note. Turn Chord on (or Shift-click) to stack strings into one slot. Write the first note, then the second with h/p//armed: the notation links them, like 5h7. Rests you write with Rest (or .) are content — later notes land after them instead of replacing them; untouched gaps still auto-fill.
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Keyboard: arrows move the cursor · digits 0–9 write a fret · C toggles chord mode · H P S M T V L X arm techniques · B arms a bend (Shift+B half) · R arms triplets (3:2, write groups of three equal notes) · Ctrl+Z undoes, Ctrl+Yredoes · Esc disarms · Backspace erases the whole note · Space plays. Arm ⌣ Tie to hold a note into the next same-pitch note — across the bar line too; ~ adds vibrato, ↔ lets a note ring past its length. Durations run from 16th to whole (dotted included) and never cross a bar line; ＋/− Bar changes the length of the riff. The tab autosaves in this browser — Share link puts the whole riff in the URL.

Why Write Tabs Here?

Most tab tools make you learn software before you write a single note. This guitar tab maker flips the order. You click a fretboard, and the tab writes itself.

⚡ Write a riff in 30 seconds

Click the fretboard. The grid fills in. Keyboard users type digits and arrows. No menus, no manuals.

🔊 Hear every note

Play the riff with a real string sound. Wrong note? You hear it. Fix the cell and play again.

📤 Take the tab anywhere

Copy ASCII tab for forums and lessons. Export MIDI for your DAW. Share a link that carries the whole riff.

How to Make a Guitar Tab

With the Mouse or Touch

  1. Click a fret on the fretboard. The note lands at the cursor and the cursor steps forward.
  2. Play the riff at any tempo. The grid highlights each note as it sounds.
  3. Arm a technique — h, p, /, PM, b or x — then click the next fret. The tab writes 5h7 or 5/7 for you.
  4. Export: copy the tab, download .txt or MIDI, or create a share link.

With the Keyboard

  1. Move the cursor with the arrow keys.
  2. Type digits 0–9 to write a fret on the selected string.
  3. Press Backspace to erase and Space to play.

Features

🖱️ Fretboard input

Click strings and frets like you play them. Two-digit frets work up to the 12th position.

🎼 Real notation

Standard staff and tab side by side. Stems, beams, ties and proper rests, engraved like sheet music.

⏱️ Per-note durations

Write 16ths to whole notes, dotted values included. Rests fill the gaps automatically.

♫ Chord slots

Stack strings into one slot. Playback strums them like a real chord.

🤘 Playing techniques

Hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides link notes. Palm mutes damp them. Dead X notes chug. Bends raise the pitch by a half or full step.

🎚️ 18 tunings

Standard, drop, open and shifted tunings. Switch any time — the tab keeps your frets.

▶ Studio playback

A sampled guitar sound plays your riff. Loop a section, slow it down, or add the metronome.

📄 ASCII export

Copy or download classic text tab. Paste it into forums, chats and lesson notes.

🎸 Guitar Pro export

Download a .gp file and open it in Guitar Pro 7. MIDI export included for your DAW.

🔗 Share links

One click puts your whole riff in the URL. Send it, open it, keep writing.

What Guitarists Say

★★★★★

"I sketch riffs on my phone during commutes. Click the fretboard, hit play, done. The share link ends the 'what was that riff again' texts with my bandmate."

Leo V.

Riff Collector, Commute Guitarist

★★★★★

"I teach beginner guitar. This tab maker fills the gap between 'just play it' and buying notation software. My students write their first tab in minute one."

Rachel T.

Guitar Teacher, Youth Program

★★★★☆

"The MIDI export drops straight into my DAW, and per-note lengths plus chords cover everything I write. I want a drum track under it next."

Anton M.

Bedroom Producer

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this guitar tab maker do?

It turns clicks on a fretboard into real notation: standard staff and tab together. You set each note’s length from 16th to whole, build chords, add techniques, play it back with a studio guitar sound, and export Guitar Pro, MIDI or ASCII tab. Riffs run 2 to 16 bars.

Is this guitar tab maker free?

Yes. You pay nothing, create no account, and install nothing. The tool runs entirely in your browser.

Can I export my tab?

Yes. Download a .gp file for Guitar Pro 7, a MIDI file for any DAW, or ASCII text for forums and lessons. Share links carry the full riff in the URL.

Which tunings does the tab maker support?

The tuning menu covers 18 tunings: standard, drop tunings, open tunings and shifted standards. The fretboard and tab re-label themselves when you switch.

Can I write hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides and bends?

Yes. Arm a technique, then write the next note. The tab maker writes 5h7 for hammer-ons, 7p5 for pull-offs, 5/7 for slides and 5b7 for bends. Palm mutes and dead X notes work too. Playback and every export carry them.

Does it work on phones and tablets?

Yes. Tap the fretboard and the grid on any touch screen. Your tab autosaves in the browser, and share links move it between devices.

Write It, Play It, Keep Building

Your riff deserves a full track. Take the tab into the rest of the toolkit and finish the song.

Test the riff on the virtual guitar, arrange it in the music sequencer, find its chords with the chord finder, tune up with the guitar tuner or thebass tuner, and add a beat on the virtual drums.