How do you read ukulele tab?

Ukulele tab has four horizontal lines, one for each string. From top to bottom they are A, E, C and G — the same order as the strings when you look down at the uke in playing position. A number on a line tells you which fret to press on that string; 0 means play the string open. You read left to right, like text.

What does 0 mean in ukulele tab?

A 0 means play that string open — without pressing any fret. Any other number is the fret you press: 1 is the first fret, 3 is the third fret, and so on.

How do you know whether to strum or pluck in tab?

Numbers lined up in a vertical stack are played together as a chord — one strum. Numbers spread out left to right are played one at a time as a melody. So a stacked column is a strum, and a horizontal run is a tune.

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How to read ukulele tabs

Most ukulele songs you’ll find online are written as tab (short for tablature) — a simple picture of the strings that tells you exactly where to put your fingers. No sheet music required. Once you can read the four lines and the numbers on them, the whole internet of uke songs opens up. Here’s everything you need, with worked examples.

The four lines are your four strings

A piece of ukulele tab is four horizontal lines. Each line is one string. From top to bottom they go A, E, C, G — which is the order you see the strings when you hold the uke and look down at them, highest-pitched at the top:

The four lines, top to bottom:

A1st string — thinnest, closest to the floor E2nd string C3rd string G4th string — closest to the ceiling

An empty stave, before any notes are added:

A|-----------------------
E|-----------------------
C|-----------------------
G|-----------------------

Why is the G on the bottom but not the lowest sound? Standard ukulele tuning is re-entrant — the 4th (G) string is tuned high, not low. Tab still lays the strings out by their physical position, so G sits on the bottom line even though it isn’t the deepest note. Don’t overthink it: bottom line = the string nearest the ceiling.

The numbers are frets

A number sitting on a line tells you to press that string at that fret, then play it. You read the page left to right, just like text.

0 means play the string open — don’t press any fret at all.
1 is the first fret, 3 is the third fret, and so on up the neck.
The dashes are just spacing to keep everything lined up in time. They don’t mean anything on their own.

Example: open A string, then 2nd fret, then 3rd fret on the same string.

A|--0--2--3--
E|-----------
C|-----------
G|-----------

One at a time vs. all together

This is the single most useful thing to learn, and it’s purely visual:

Numbers spread out left to right are played one at a time — that’s a melody (a tune).
Numbers stacked in a vertical column are played together in one strum — that’s a chord.

A C-major chord — all four numbers line up, so you strum them as one:

A|--3--
E|--0--
C|--0--
G|--0--

A C-major scale — the same kind of numbers, now spread out, so you play them one by one (C D E F G A B C):

A|--------------0--2--3--
E|--------0--1--3--------
C|--0--2-----------------
G|-----------------------

A column is a strum; a horizontal run is a tune. Many real tabs mix the two — a melody line with the odd full chord stacked in.

The handful of symbols you’ll meet

Beyond plain numbers, tab uses a few little letters and marks between notes. You can play almost any beginner song knowing just these:

h	Hammer-on. Play the first note, then sound the second by slamming a finger down without re-plucking. `2h4` = play fret 2, hammer onto fret 4.
p	Pull-off. The reverse — play a fretted note, then pull the finger off to sound a lower one. `4p2` = play fret 4, pull off to fret 2.
/	Slide up. Pluck the first fret and slide your finger up to the next without lifting. `2/5` = slide from fret 2 to fret 5.
\	Slide down. The same, sliding to a lower fret. `5\2`.
x	Muted / dead note. Touch the string without pressing — a percussive click rather than a clear pitch.
( )	Let it ring / ghost note. A note in brackets is held over from before or played lightly. Context tells you which.

Example with a hammer-on and a slide on the A string:

A|--0--2h4--5\3--
E|---------------
C|---------------
G|---------------

What tab doesn’t tell you

Tab is brilliant for where to put your fingers, but it’s weak on timing. Plain tab usually doesn’t show how long each note lasts or where the beat falls. So:

Know the song first. If you can hum the tune, your ear fills in the rhythm the tab leaves out.
Count slowly and keep notes even until you recognise the melody, then add the song’s natural feel.
Some fuller tabs add the rhythm above the staff or pair the tab with standard notation — handy, but rarely needed for simple songs.

How to practise reading it

Start with the scale above. Play it slowly until your eye links each number to a string and fret without thinking.
Pick a one-line melody you already know by ear — a nursery tune is perfect — and find a tab for it.
Say the strings out loud (“A, A, E…”) as you go. Naming them wires the layout in fast.
Only speed up once it’s smooth. Clean and slow beats fast and stumbling every time.

Tune up before you read a note. Tab assumes your uke is in standard G–C–E–A — if it isn’t, the frets won’t match the song. The lele app has a built-in tuner: tap a string, match the pitch, and you’re ready.

Open the tuner →

Ready to read a real one? Grab a tune from the easy songs list, look up any chord shape on the chord chart, get the strumming pattern going, and make sure you’re in tune first.