Guitar Tab Symbols, Notations and Abbreviations

On this page I published the ultimate table of guitar tab notation and symbols for both graphic tablatures that mostly used in guitar magazines, books, software editors, as well as the ASCII (plain text) tabs that often can be found on web pages.

It is one of the most complete references out there, so you might bookmark this page for future use, rarer notation symbols I've put closer to the bottom.

You'll see that in the ASCII column there's a lot of blank cells, it's because ASCII tabs do not have some equivalent notation and symbols, this presumes that you know the song and can figure out additional playing techniques on your own.

Graphic tablatures often include lines of staff notation along with tab lines, that's why I created diverse examples in order to get you used to different tab formats.

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Symbols, Notations and Abbreviations Used in Guitar Tablatures
ASCII tab examples	Abbreviations and extra info	Whole name
		Downstroke (down picking)
		Upstroke (up picking)
		Finger Numbering for the fretting hand
character “x” before notes: 1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|--x5-x5-x5-x5--- 6\|---------------- and sometimes as PM: PM - - - - - -\| 1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---5--5--5--5--- 6\|----------------	P.M.	Palm Mute
		Rake
		Arpeggiated Chord Strumming across the strings in the direction of the arrow.
p i m i a i m i 1\|---------0------- 2\|-----1-------1--- 3\|---0---0---0---0- 4\|----------------- 5\|-3--------------- 6\|-----------------	p i m a	Fingerstyle Guitar fingering system for the plucking hand: p - thumb i - index finger m - middle finger a - ring finger
A.H. or Harm. 1\|---3------------ 2\|---------------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	A.H.	Artificial Harmonics
1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|-----<12>------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	N.H.	Natural Harmonics in ASCII tabs it can also be marked as N.H. and sometimes as '+' symbol above the tab.
TH 1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|------12-------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	T.H.	Tapped Harmonics
1\|---------------- 2\|--<8>----------- 3\|--------<7>----- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	fret numbers inside triangles used with graphic tabs	Pinched Harmonics
	TCH	Touch Harmonics a ringing note is touched above the fret, indicated by the TCH abbreviation.
1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|-----7b9-------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	BU or b	Bend Up
1\|------r2-------- 2\|---------------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	BD or r	Bend Down or Release
1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|------pb7------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	PB	Pre-bend
~~~ 1\|--7v--or-7------ 2\|---------------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	v or ~~~	Vibrato
1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|-5h7--rarely-5^7 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	H.O.	Hammer On (legato )
1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|-7p5--rarely-7^5 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	P.O.	Pull Off (legato )
1\|-10s12--or-10/12 2\|---------------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	s	Sliding (glissando) "/" - sliding up "\" - sliding down
T 1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|-12---or--12t--- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	T, + or	Tapping
1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|-2-x-x-2-x-x-2-x 4\|-2-x-x-2-x-x-2-x 5\|-0-x-x-0-x-x-0-x 6\|----------------	x	Fret-Hand Muting
1\|---------------- 2\|-TP10- or 10tr - 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|---------------- sometimes as tr (confusing with the trill notation right below)	TP	Tremolo Picking
	a smaller digit or a tiny note with a line across	Grace Note (Acciaccatura) A very brief note, as though brushed on the way to the master note. A grace note takes its small amount of duration from the master note.
1\|---------------- 2\|-----7tr8------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	tr	Trill
1\|---------------- 2\|---------------- 3\|-----\1/-------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------		Dip Slightly pushing and releasing a whammy bar. The number near the symbol means amount of pitch to lower.
		Inverted Dip The number is an amount of pitch to raise.
		Dive Diving a whammy bar.
		Dive and Return
		Scoop Depressing the bar before stroking a note, and releasing it on stroking.
		Whammy Bar Bends
		Gargle (with a whammy bar)
	Capo	Capo Fret numbering begins from the capo.
		Pick Scrape
	3 5 6	Tupleto: triplet fiveplet sixplet
> 1\|---------------- 2\|-------12------- 3\|---------------- 4\|---------------- 5\|---------------- 6\|----------------	>	Accented note
		Fermata Freely increase note duration.
		Dotted Note Dot placed to the right of the corresponding note lengthens the note by one-half its value. examples:
		Repeat Signs Notes between these symbols are played repeatedly.
		Staccato Dot over or under the note. Staccato means playing notes sharply by means of shortening ringing duration of a marked note and leaving a silent gap before the next note, so the rhythm remains unchanged.
	8^va	Ottava Alta Notes on the staff along the dashed line are played one octave higher. The reason to use 8^va is to avoid the staff to look too complex with a lot of highly located notes. NOTE This is related only to the staff, the numbers in the tablature remain unchanged and show genuine location on the fingerboard. Original and containing 8^va notation.
	8^rb	Ottava Bassa Notes on the staff along the dashed line are played one octave lower than notated. The tab numbers remain unchanged as with 8^va next above. Original and containing 8^rb notation.