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Music

Sheet Music to Guitar Tab Converter

Open a MusicXML file and get six-line guitar tab, with every fret re-checked against the pitch read from the file, every note that does not fit listed by measure, and every note that is not converted counted.

Your sheet music
Or drop a .musicxml, .xml or .mxl file anywhere on this panel.
The file is opened by this tool on your own device. It is not uploaded, and nothing in it is sent anywhere.

This reads MusicXML only. It cannot read a PDF, a scan or a photo of sheet music. If you have the score in MuseScore, use File → Export and choose MusicXML as the format.

Guitar setup
0 means no capo. With a capo, fret numbers are counted from the capo.
Counted from the nut. Notes above this fret are reported, not squeezed in.
Octave

Auto keeps the pitch in the file when every note fits, and otherwise moves the whole piece by one octave if that leaves fewer notes off the fretboard.

Measures per line

Standard tuning only: E A D G B E, low to high.

Guitar tab

Notes placed
Not placed
Not converted (other staves, cue notes)
Frets that do not sound their note
Octave
Every string and fret this tab uses. Hollow circles are open strings.
Based on: MusicXML 4.0 specification · Tested against 34 worked examples, 10 printed in a published source · How this is worked out →
Questions people ask
Can it convert a PDF or a photo of sheet music to tab?
No. It reads MusicXML files only: .musicxml, .xml, or compressed .mxl. It cannot read a PDF, a scan, a photo, a MIDI file or a Guitar Pro file, and it does not write Guitar Pro files. The output is plain text tab that you can copy, download or print.
How do I get a MusicXML file of my score?
If the score is open in MuseScore, choose File, then Export, and pick MusicXML as the format. If it was written in another notation program, look for MusicXML in that program’s export options. A PDF cannot be turned into MusicXML by this tool.
Why is the tab an octave away from what I expected?
Guitar music is written one octave above where it sounds, and MusicXML files record that in different ways. Some add a transpose element with an octave change, which this tool applies. Others store the sounding pitch and show the octave with an octave clef, in which case the tool uses the stored pitch as it is. A piano or vocal part has neither, so its notes are placed at the pitch written, which can sit an octave higher on the neck than a guitarist reading that staff would play. Use the octave setting to move the whole piece by one octave; the tab states when it has been moved.
What happens to notes the guitar cannot play?
They are marked with an asterisk above the staff and listed with their measure number. That covers notes below the open low E string, notes above the highest fret you allow, and notes in a chord that would need the same string twice or a stretch of more than four frets. They are never replaced by a different note.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The tool opens the file and builds the tab inside your browser. It makes no request to a server with your file or the result.