Entering music is easy with GuitarTab, lets start by entering the following ASCII tab into a new document in GuitarTab:

Double click on the GuitarTab application to start it up. If GuitarTab is already running, open a new document by selecting File->New from the menu bar.

Entering notes on frets is as easy as using the arrow keys or clicking with the mouse to move the selection box around, and then typing the fret number using the number keys. The open single quote key (the ~ key) next to the 1 key has been mapped to the number zero to make entering the fret number zero easier. To remove a fret value so that it is not played, hit the delete key.

Make sure your selection box is on the top string and try typing the following key combinations:

0 (or `)

0

1

2

2

0

0

2

2

1

0

0


Your screen should look similar to this:

Now press the SPACEBAR key and you should hear what you have entered played using QuickTime! To select

Fret numbers must be between 0 and 29. If you type a fret number that is larger than 29, the last number entered will become the fret number. Try entering the fret number 34. You should see the fret number reset to the number 4. When you are finished entering frets for the current notes, press the key, the , the key, or the TAB key to move to the next entry.

Try moving the selection box around the existing note groups by pressing , , and keys. You can also click your mouse anywhere in the tab window to move the current selection around.

Each newly created event's duration is set to the currently selected duration at the top of the window.

To change the duration of an event, select any string in an event and select a new duration from the event duration push buttons shown above, or select the desired duration from the Event menu. Note durations have also been mapped to keys on the keyboard:
Q - Whole note
W - Half note
E - Quarter note
R - Eighth note
T - 16th note
Y - 32nd note

Lets change the duration of the first 6 events to eighth notes. Press the key repeatedly until any fret in first event that you entered is selected. Now press the eighth note button at the top of the window. Proceed to change the other single note events. When you press the right/left arrow keys and a different event becomes selected, the note duration buttons change to reflect the duration of that event. You can also change the duration from the Event menu in the menu bar. Your song should now look like the picture below:

All frets in an event will have the same duration, but frets in the current event can be tied to the frets in the next event so notes of any duration can be made. This is done with the tie button: . The tie button is used to tie notes together, and to perform hammer-ons and pull-offs. When two frets in consecutive events on the same string have the same value (as shown below) and the first fret is selected and the tie button is pressed, the two notes get tied to each other and they play as one note.

When two frets in consecutive events on the same string have the differing values and the first of the two is selected and the button is pressed, a hammer-on will occur if the second note is higher than the first note, and a pull-off will occur if the second note is less than the first.

There are shortcuts to the buttons and menu selections. To see all of the shortcut keys, select "Keyboard Shortcuts..." from the Apple menu while GuitarTab is running. The keys do not require and modifier keys (, , or ).

You can edit the note value at the current selection at any time by re-typing the fret number.

To goto the next event, press the key, the key, the key, or the TAB key.

To goto the previous event, press the key, the SHIFT + keys, the SHIFT + keys, or the SHIFT+TAB keys.

To clear an individual fret note, select it and hit the key. If all notes in an event are deleted, the event will become a rest event. If the key is pressed on a rest event, the entire event is deleted. Also pressing +" will delete an event without having to delete each note in the event first.

The key is the copy modifier key when used with the arrow keys.
Press + to copy the fret to the left of the cursor.
Press + to copy the fret to the right of the cursor.
Press + to copy the fret above the cursor.
Press + to copy the fret below the cursor.
Press + to copy the entire event to the left of the cursor to the current event.
Press + to copy the entire event to the right of the cursor to the current event.

The key is the shift modifier key when used with the up and down arrow keys.
Press + to shift the current fret number up by 1 fret
Press + to shift the current fret number down by 1 fret
Press + + to shift all fret numbers in an event up by 1 fret
Press + + to shift all fret numbers in an event down by 1 fret