Guitar tab to piano, explained

Start with open-string pitches

Standard guitar tuning from the lowest-sounding string to the highest is E2, A2, D3, G3, B3, E4. The string commonly labelled 6 is low E2; string 1 is high E4. Piano octave labels matter because the same letter appears many times. A result that says only “E” lacks enough information to locate the sound accurately.

Add one semitone per fret

Each fret raises the open pitch by one semitone. Identify the string's open pitch and count upward by the fret number. On string 5, A2 becomes A♯2 at fret 1, B2 at fret 2, and C3 at fret 3. On string 2, B3 becomes C4 at fret 1. Accidentals may receive another name in a key context, although the sounding piano key remains the same in equal temperament.

Worked example 1: a single line

Suppose string 1 shows frets 0, 1, and 3. Its open pitch is E4. Fret 0 is E4, fret 1 is F4, and fret 3 is G4. Play those notes in order on piano. The tab gives positions and horizontal order, but unless it includes rhythmic notation or a defined spacing convention, it does not establish how long each piano note lasts.

Worked example 2: a vertical group

Consider fret 1 on string 2 and fret 5 on string 3 aligned vertically. String 2 fret 1 is C4. String 3 starts at G3; five semitones above it is also C4. The guitar therefore has a unison doubling. A literal piano reduction needs one C4 key because a pianist cannot strike the same key twice at the same instant as two independent strings.

Columns are onset clues, not durations

Numbers aligned in one tab column generally begin together. However, the count of dashes between columns is often visual spacing, not a measured value. Some tablature adds stems, flags, bar lines, or a written rhythm staff; use those when present. Otherwise consult the recording or accompanying notation. Do not turn equal-looking gaps into assumed quarter notes.

Build a playable piano version

First write every mapped pitch with its octave. Group simultaneous onsets, mark repeated unisons, and identify the lowest line. Then test whether each group fits two hands. Preserve melody and important bass movement before filling inner harmony. If you move a note by an octave, omit a duplicate, or redistribute a sustained note, label that as an arranging choice rather than a direct conversion.

Guitar details that change the result

Check tuning and capo information before counting. A capo raises the effective open pitches. Bends may end above the ordinary fretted pitch; slides describe movement between pitches; harmonics can sound in another register. Symbols for muting and sustain affect texture even when pitch names stay unchanged. Plain fret numbers alone do not contain enough information to reconstruct all these effects.

Important limits

A pitch converter does not infer rhythm, articulation, fingering, sustain, musical hierarchy, or a complete arrangement. Guitar notes can ring across later attacks, while piano notes decay differently. Wide guitar voicings may need redistribution, and repeated notes may serve an instrumental texture that one piano key cannot copy literally. Use conversion as the first analytical step, not a finished score.