Guitar Tab and Chords: Play-Along Tunes
Pick a free tune and read it the way you like: tab, a fretboard showing where your fingers go, chord boxes with a strumming pattern, or note names. Slow it down, change to an easier key, and play along with the backing – or switch on wait mode so the music waits for you.
Everything runs in your browser. The microphone is never used and nothing you play is recorded or sent.
How it works
Type a title or composer in Find a tune, or open a list such as Beginner tunes or Songs with chords. Only tunes that suit the guitar are listed: pieces written for guitar, and melodies that fit the guitar's range. Press Play to hear it, with a one-measure count-in.
Four ways to read the music
- Tab – one line for each string (the top line is string 1, the thinnest); the numbers are frets, 0 means play the string open. The note you play now lights up and the tab scrolls.
- Fretboard – a picture of the neck showing where to put your fingers now (filled) and next (dotted). Tap a fret to hear it.
- Chords – chord boxes, a chord chart measure by measure and a strumming pattern (↓ down, ↑ up). Shown only when the chords can be worked out reliably.
- Note names – letter names, do re mi, numbers or color notes, as on the falling-notes piano.
Easier keys and capo
Tunes start in an easy guitar key (C, G, D, A, E, A minor or E minor) so the chords are open chords. Choose Original key or move up or down a semitone at a time. With a capo, the tab and chord shapes are counted from the capo, so you can keep easy shapes and still play in the original key. Guitar pieces stay in the key they were written in.
Wait mode
Switch on wait mode and the music stops at each note. The screen shows the string and fret; play it on your guitar, then tap that string on the screen or press its number (1 = string 1). Space skips a note. The note sounds when you tap, so you can check by ear.
Play-along and backing
Change the speed from 25% to 150%. Under Sound and more options turn on or off the tune, strummed chords, bass and drums (the same beats as our backing tracks) and a metronome click.
Where the tunes come from
The tunes are from the Classfern free library: out-of-copyright music from the OpenScore and Mutopia projects (public domain, CC0 or CC BY). Every piece shows its credit line with composer, edition, source and license. Tab, fingering and chords are worked out by computer, so treat them as a guide. Where the music comes from.
New to the guitar? Start with the beginner guitar chords and first strums lesson.
Frequently asked questions
Does it listen through the microphone?
No. The microphone is never used. In wait mode you play the note on your guitar, then tap that string on the screen (or press its number key) and the music moves on. Nothing is recorded or sent.
Can I get tab for any song?
Only for music that is out of copyright – folk songs, carols, hymns, classical guitar pieces and songs by composers who died long ago. We never copy copyrighted songs.
Why do some pieces have no chords?
Chords are worked out from the piece's own accompaniment. When the harmony isn't clear enough (it changes key, or the notes don't fit simple chords) we leave chords out rather than guess.
What tuning does it use?
The standard tuning E A D G B E (thickest string to thinnest). Other tunings are not offered yet.
How is the fingering chosen?
The computer picks a string and fret for every note, keeping the hand in open position (frets 0–5) where it can, avoiding big jumps and stretches of more than 4 frets. It is a sensible guide; a teacher may prefer another fingering.