Guitar tabs from audio, with the notation above
Guitar tabs from audio, written the way a player reads them: upload a guitar recording, or a song with guitar in it, and Midify writes the part out twice, notation for the rhythm and tab underneath with a string and fret for every note, chosen so your hand stays in one place on the neck.
Try it free: transcribe 3 songs a month and edit every score in the browser.
How to get guitar tabs from audio
- 1
Upload the guitar or the song
A DI or miked guitar, a guitar stem, or a full song (the guitar is separated first).
- 2
Notes become notation and tab
Every note is written on the staff and given a string and fret, with the chord names above.
- 3
Check it against the guitar
Play the tab against the isolated guitar, and click a fret number to try the same note on another string.
- 4
Download the tab
A PDF with notation and tab, or MusicXML to open in your tab or notation editor.
How the frets are chosen
On a guitar most notes can be played in two, three or four places. A converter that picks the lowest fret every time writes tab that is technically right and impossible to play. Midify looks at the whole phrase and picks the positions that keep your hand in one area of the neck, use open strings where they help, and avoid stretches and string skips that no guitarist would choose.
If you play a passage in a different position, click a fret number to cycle through the other places that note can be played, and pin it. The notes around it are re-fingered to follow.
Riffs, arpeggios and strummed chords
Single-note riffs and lead lines come out as one line of notes and frets. Fingerpicked patterns are written as the notes you hear, beamed by the beat, so the rhythm is as clear as the frets. Strummed chords are written as stacked notes with the chord name above, the way songbook transcriptions show them.
Audio to guitar tab, from an MP3 or a song
An AI guitar tab generator is only as good as the guitar it hears. MP3 to guitar tab works well when the guitar is clear in the mix; for a full band, the guitar is separated from the drums, bass and vocals first, so the tab holds only guitar notes. A recording of you playing alone converts most cleanly of all.
The same upload can give you the rest of the song as notation through the audio to sheet music converter, or the whole band written out with song to sheet music.
What the tab does not show yet
Being straight about the limits saves you time:
- Bends, slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs are written as plain notes, without the technique markings. They are next on the list.
- Tab assumes standard tuning (E A D G B E). A capo can be set, and the frets follow it. Drop tunings are planned.
- Heavy distortion adds so many harmonics that chords get harder to read. A DI recording, straight from the guitar, converts best.
- Guitar Pro export is planned. Until then, download MusicXML, which Guitar Pro and most tab editors can import.
Bass tabs too
Bass lines come out the same way: bass clef notation with four-string tab underneath. Basslines are one of the most reliable things to transcribe, so a bass tab is a good first try.
Guitar tabs: questions people ask
Does it give tabs and standard notation?
Both, together: notation on top for the rhythm and pitch, tab underneath for where to play each note. The PDF and the MusicXML include both.
Which tunings are supported?
Standard tuning, with an optional capo. Drop D and other tunings are planned.
Does it work on distorted electric guitar?
Light overdrive is fine. Heavy distortion makes chords harder to read correctly; if you recorded a clean DI track alongside, upload that.
Can I export to Guitar Pro?
Not directly yet. Download MusicXML and import it into Guitar Pro; a native Guitar Pro export is planned.
Does it show the chords?
Yes. The chords of the song are detected and written as chord names above the staff.
Can I get bass tabs as well?
Yes. The bass is written in bass clef with four-string tab underneath.
More ways to get sheet music from audio
Need MIDI for your DAW instead?
Sheet music is for reading and playing. For producing, the same upload gives you MIDI tracks with a tempo map and real velocities.
Guitar to MIDITry it on your own recording
Transcribe 3 songs a month for free and check every bar in the score editor. Upgrade when you want to download the scores.