To learn a guitar song from tab, read each number as a fret on the string its line stands for, then play the song slowly, one section at a time, and raise the speed as it gets clean. The Guitar coach does the hard parts for you: add a recording or a MIDI file and it becomes tab, the notes roll toward a "now" line at the speed you pick, and your microphone hears your guitar and scores each take. A tuner is built in. The Guitar coach is free, runs in your browser and needs no account.

How do you read guitar tab?

Tab draws the six strings as six lines. In standard tab, and in the Guitar coach, the top line is the high e string and the bottom line, drawn thicker, is the low E. The string names sit at the start of each line.

• A number on a line is the fret to press on that string.
• 0 is the open string, played with no finger down.
• Numbers stacked at the same moment are played together, as a chord.
• You read left to right. In the Guitar coach the notes move instead: they roll from right to left onto the "now" line, and you play each one as it lands.

Tab tells you where to put your fingers, not how long to hold each note. That is why playing along with the song, or the coach, matters more than reading tab on paper.

What do you need?

• A guitar in standard tuning: E A D G B E.
• A microphone, so the coach hears you. A laptop mic works.
• The song as a MIDI file (.mid, .midi or .kar) or a recording (MP3, WAV or M4A). No song yet? Ode to Joy is built in.

The Guitar coach makes tab from recordings and MIDI files. It does not open tab files.

First, tune your guitar

Press the tuning fork in the bar (Tuner). It listens while it is open.

1. Play one open string.
2. The tuner names the note you play and marks which of the six strings it is nearest to.
3. It shows how far off you are in cents, and says whether to tune up or tune down.
4. Turn the peg until it reads In tune, then do the next string.

The needle turns green within five cents of the note. Tune every time you pick up the guitar: strings drift, and a guitar a little out of tune makes the coach's listening less sure.

How to turn a song into tab

1. Open the Guitar coach.
2. Drop a file on the coach, or open the song menu in the bar and press Add a song. Songs you added in the Piano coach are here too.
3. A MIDI file is ready at once. A recording shows as Transcribing while it is turned into notes in your browser, then plays when it is done.

The coach then arranges the notes for guitar. Each note gets a string and a fret up to the 15th fret, placed so your hand moves as little as it can, with lower positions slightly preferred. Notes too high or too low for a guitar move by an octave into range. A chord keeps at most four notes, what four fingers and the open strings can hold.

How to practise a song with the Guitar coach

1. Pick your part with Melody and Bass in the bar. A part you switch off plays along, so you can play the melody over the bass, or the reverse, or both.
2. Pick the sound of what plays along, and the speed: from 50% to 125%.
3. Press a section in the strip above the tab to loop it. Press it again to let the song run on.
4. Press the microphone button (Hear my guitar and score it) and allow the microphone. While it listens, your part stays silent so the mic hears only your guitar.
5. Press Play, or Space. Play each note as it reaches the "now" line. The neck under the tab lights what to play now, what comes next, and what the microphone heard.
6. Stuck? In settings (the sliders button), turn on Wait for me at each note. The song stops at each note until it hears it.

Each take is scored by how many of your notes were heard on time, and your best score shows beside the song in the song menu. A note counts when it sounds close to its time, a fraction of a second either way. The coach listens for the notes it expects, so it hears a chord as well as a single note.

A practice routine that works

• Every day, 15-20 minutes. Daily beats long and rare: fingers learn shapes through repetition.
• Tune first, every time. Thirty seconds with the Tuner.
• One section, one part, slow. Loop a section, play only the melody or only the bass, and start at 60-70%. Use Wait for me at each note for the first passes.
• Raise the speed in small steps. When a section scores high two or three times in a row, move it up one step, 10% at a time, until you reach 100%.
• When it gets easy, take the help away. Turn off waiting, play both parts, play two sections in a row, then the whole song. Try 110% so full speed feels relaxed.
• When it falls apart, go back a step. Slower, or one part, or one section. Missed notes at speed are a sign to slow down, not to push.

What does progress look like?

At first you watch the neck for every note and the song waits for you. Then you look at the tab more and the neck less, the best score on a section climbs, and you play it with waiting off. Progress is the same score at a higher speed, then both parts, then the whole song without a loop.

To know a song's key before you jam over it, see how to find the key of a song. The Ear trainer builds the ear that lets you find notes by ear. Playing keys too? The same songs work in the Piano coach.

The Guitar coach is included with Aden. When you start writing and recording your own songs, sign up at aden.space to keep tracks, versions and feedback in one place.

FAQ

How do you read guitar tab?

Each of the six lines is a string, high e at the top and low E at the bottom. Each number is the fret to press on that string, and 0 is the open string. Numbers in a column are played together.

How can I turn a song into guitar tab for free?

Add the song to Aden's Guitar coach as a recording or a MIDI file. It turns it into tab in your browser, picks the frets so your hand moves least, and lets you play along at your speed. It is free and needs no account.

Is there a free online guitar tuner?

Yes. The Guitar coach has one built in: press the tuning fork, play a string, and it names the note, shows how many cents off you are and says whether to tune up or down.

How do I practise a guitar song that is too fast?

Loop one section, drop the speed to 60-70%, and turn on Wait for me at each note. Raise the speed 10% at a time once a section scores well a few times in a row.

How long should I practise guitar each day?

Fifteen to twenty minutes every day is a good start, with the tuner first. Practising daily matters more than long sessions.

Does the Guitar coach need a pickup or an audio interface?

No. It listens through your computer's microphone. A quiet room helps it hear you clearly.