ASCII Guitar Tab Maker
A simple notepad designed for writing perfectly aligned guitar tabs to share on forums or discord.
What is an ASCII Tab Maker?
If you have ever tried to share a quick guitar riff or a bassline on a text-based forum like Reddit or in a simple email, you know how annoying it is trying to format it correctly. If your spacing is even slightly off, the entire tab becomes completely unreadable.
An ASCII tab maker gives you a clean, perfectly aligned grid where you can type out your notes. It ensures that all the strings line up perfectly and exports the tab in a simple text format that you can copy and paste anywhere on the internet.
How to write your guitar tabs
Click on the string you want to play and type the fret number on your keyboard. You can use the arrow keys to quickly move across the timeline. If you make a mistake, just hit backspace to clear the note.
Once you have finished writing out your riff, just hit the copy to clipboard button. You can then paste it into any text editor, Discord chat, or web forum, and it will keep its perfect formatting as long as the platform uses a fixed-width font.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my tabs look messy when I paste them?
ASCII tabs only work if you view them in a monospaced font, which means every character takes up the exact same amount of horizontal space. If you paste them into a word processor like Microsoft Word, the spacing will break unless you change the font to something like Courier New.
Can I write tabs for a 7-string guitar?
Currently, the grid is locked to a standard 6-string layout (E A D G B E) or a 4-string bass layout. We plan to add extended range options in the future.
How do I indicate a bend or slide?
You can type letters directly onto the string line. Use "b" for a bend, "h" for a hammer-on, and "/" or "" to indicate sliding up or down the fretboard.