How to Read Blank Strings, Zeros, and X Marks in Guitar Tablature

A six-string tab has six horizontal lines. From top to bottom in standard tuning, they represent high E, B, G, D, A, and low E. Read the music from left to right. Numbers identify frets on particular strings; vertically aligned numbers indicate notes played together. Fender: How to Read Tabs.

e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|-------------|
A|-------------|
E|-------------|

In these examples, lowercase e labels the high E string and uppercase E labels the low E string. The dashes draw the string lines and provide spacing. They are not instructions to play anything. Before trying a passage, locate its first number or x and trace that line back to its string label.

A blank position on a string line does not supply a note to play. Because tablature identifies notes through fret numbers on specific lines, the practical reading rule is to play the marked strings at that position and add no extra open strings. This is an application of the notation system described in Guitar Pro’s fundamentals guide.

Consider this original three-note example:

e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|---------2---|
D|-----2-------|
A|-0-----------|
E|-------------|

Read it as three separate actions: play the open A string, then fret 2 on the D string, then fret 2 on the G string. The blank low E line contributes no note. You do not strum all six strings simply because all six lines appear.

However, no new note does not automatically mean stop the previous note. A string may already be vibrating when the next event occurs elsewhere. Check written durations and articulation instructions. For example, a “let ring” marking explicitly extends resonance beyond a note’s written duration. A blank alone cannot settle that question. Guitar Pro: Let Ring in Guitar Pro 8.

A zero is an instruction to sound the string without pressing a fret. The line determines which string to play. Thus, 0 on the A line means open A, while 0 on the high E line means open high E. Guitar Pro: Fundamentals of Musical Notation in Guitar Pro 8.

e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|-------------|
A|-0---2---0---|
E|-------------|

For this original example, pluck the A string open, press its second fret and pluck again, then release the fretted position and pluck the open string again. Keep the other strings out of the exercise so you can hear each instruction clearly.

The useful distinction is between the absence of a marking and the presence of zero. In this example, each zero requires a sounding note. The blank lines require no additional notes. When checking your reading, point to every zero before playing; it is easy to overlook one while concentrating on the fretted numbers.

An x occupying the place of a fret number commonly represents a dead note: a short, percussive sound made by striking a muted string. Guitar Pro explicitly uses x for this articulation. Guitar Pro: Dead Notes and Ghost Notes in Guitar Pro 8.

To try the technique, rest two or more fretting-hand fingers on the target string without fretting a normal note, then pick it. Aim for a brief rhythmic sound rather than a clear sustained pitch. This method is described in Flat’s dead-note documentation.

e|-------------|
B|-------------|
G|-------------|
D|-------------|
A|-0---x---2---|
E|-------------|

This original example asks for three events on the A string: an open note, a muted percussive note, and a second-fret note. Skipping the x would remove an intended rhythmic event. Playing it as zero would substitute an open pitched note.

If your x sounds like an ordinary fretted note, check whether you are pressing the string down instead of merely resting your fingers on it. If it rings openly, check whether your fingers are actually contacting the string. Practice the muted sound separately before putting it between the other two notes.

First identify the format. A chord diagram is a fretboard grid, with strings usually drawn vertically. An X above a string tells you to omit or mute it when playing the chord. An O above a string means play it open. These marks specify the chord’s participating strings. Fender: How to Read Guitar Chord Charts.

Where the mark appears	How to interpret it	Your action
Blank position on a tab line	No new note indicated there	Add no new attack on that string
0 on a tab line	Open-string note	Sound that string without fretting it
x replacing a fret number	Muted percussive note	Dampen and strike the string
X above a chord diagram	String excluded from the chord’s sounding notes	Omit or mute that string
O above a chord diagram	Open string included in the chord	Sound that string open

Read the table together with any legend supplied by the transcriber. In particular, determine whether an X belongs to a fixed chord shape or occupies a timed position in a musical passage. That context resolves the apparent conflict between “leave this string out” and “play a muted sound here.”

When numbers share a vertical position in tablature, play them together. A zero participates just like a fretted number; an unmarked string adds nothing to that group. Fender: How to Read Tabs.

e|-----0-------|
B|-----1-------|
G|-----0-------|
D|-----2-------|
A|-----3-------|
E|-------------|

In this original example, play five strings together, from A through high E. Fret A at 3, D at 2, and B at 1. Include the open G and high E strings. Leave the low E out of the attack.

A useful preparation method is to name the included strings before forming the shape. Here, say “A, D, G, B, high E,” then identify the two open strings. This checks both parts of the task: which strings belong and which of those need fretting. Pluck them individually once before trying the combined chord.

Plain text tabs may provide incomplete timing information. Spacing can offer clues, but counting dashes is not a dependable substitute for explicit rhythmic notation or listening to the passage. Fender recommends using the tab together with your ear when rhythm information is limited. Fender: How to Read Tabs.

For practice only, give each event in 0—x—2—x one equal count. That creates a simple four-event exercise: open, muted, fretted, muted. The equal timing is an instruction for this exercise, not a rule inferred from the printed spacing.

Also distinguish an x from a palm-mute marking. Guitar Pro displays palm muting as “PM,” with a dashed extension over the affected passage; the technique dampens the strings near the bridge. Do not automatically replace a fret number under PM with an x. Read the fret and the articulation together. Guitar Pro: Palm Mute in Guitar Pro 8.

Use this sequence on one small section at a time:

1. Identify the format: horizontal tab lines or a chord-diagram grid.
2. Check the string labels and tuning: the examples here assume standard tuning.
3. Read one event vertically: locate every number or x belonging to that moment.
4. Translate the marks into actions: fret a number, sound a zero open, or produce the indicated muted attack.
5. Leave unmarked strings out of the new attack: check duration and let-ring instructions separately.
6. Resolve timing: use written rhythm, a stated practice count, or the accompanying recording.

Before moving on, describe the passage aloud in actions rather than symbols: “open A, muted A, second-fret A.” Then play those actions slowly. Once you consistently distinguish an unmarked string, an open note, and a muted attack, you can read the passage without adding unintended strings or dropping its percussive events.

• How to Read Tabs — Fender
• How to Read Guitar Chord Charts — Fender
• Fundamentals of Musical Notation in Guitar Pro 8 — Guitar Pro
• Dead Notes and Ghost Notes in Guitar Pro 8 — Guitar Pro
• How to add a dead note in Flat — Flat
• Let Ring in Guitar Pro 8 — Guitar Pro
• Palm Mute in Guitar Pro 8 — Guitar Pro