Last updated: July 8, 2026
This document is a reference manual for notave, a browser-based guitar/bass TAB and staff notation editor. It documents each screen element and feature with screenshots.
On first launch, a terms-of-service screen appears, followed by a guided tour. The tour can be dismissed with “Skip”; the full keyboard shortcut list is available anytime from the ? icon in the top bar.
1. Screen Layout
The notave screen is made up of the following blocks:
- Header: view toggle (Session Sheet / Chord Chart), undo/redo, new sheet, import/export, print, keyboard shortcuts, feedback, language switch, sign-in
- Sheet settings bar: shows the current time signature, key signature, measures-per-line, and tuning. Click to open/close the settings panel
- Playback bar: play/stop, previous/next measure, loop, BPM, swing, volume, metronome, backing band
- Sheet area: staff and TAB. Clicking a measure number opens that measure’s settings panel
- Input panel: on the right (a bottom sheet on mobile). Switches between four modes: Staff, TAB Input, Chord Select, Manual Input
2. Sheet Settings
Clicking the sheet settings bar opens a panel with a “Sheet” tab and a “Tuning” tab.
2.1 Sheet tab
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Sheet title | Free-text title for the sheet |
| Time signature | 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 6/8, 7/8, 9/8, 12/8 (the sheet’s default; to change it for a single measure, see “5. Measure Operations”) |
| Key signature | Select from a list of major/minor keys |
| Measures per line | 1–6 |
| Equalize measure width | When on, all measures in a line get equal width regardless of note density (a measure that needs more room still gets the space it requires) |
| Show intervals | Shows each note’s interval from the chord root, between the staff and TAB |
| Two-voice input (melody + accompaniment) | For solo-guitar (chord-melody) writing. Enables a voice-switch UI; melody notes are entered as the up-stem voice |
| Open input panel on edit | When the input panel is closed, clicking the staff or TAB auto-opens the matching input panel (on by default) |
2.2 Tuning tab
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Presets | Standard (EADGBE), Drop D, DADGAD, Half-step Down (Eb), Full-step Down (D), Open G, Open D, Drop C |
| Custom | Set each string (6 through 1, or 4/5 for bass) to an individual pitch |
| Capo | Off, or fret 1–7 |
| On tuning change | “Keep fingering (sound changes)” keeps the fret positions as-is; “Keep sound (fingering changes)” recomputes frets to preserve pitch. Determines how existing voicings are handled when tuning or capo changes |
3. New Sheet
“New Sheet” in the header opens an instrument picker. Choose from Guitar (6-string, standard tuning), Guitar (7-string, low B), Bass (4-string), or Bass (5-string, low B), then click “Create” to start a new sheet.
4. Input Panel
The input panel’s top tabs switch between direct-entry modes (Staff / TAB Input) and chord-assist modes (Chord Select / Manual Input).
4.1 Staff mode
Clicking the staff places the cursor at that beat.
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Enter note name (same note removes it) | A–G |
| Flat / sharp | [ / ] |
| Adjust by semitone | ↑ ↓ |
| Adjust by octave | Shift + ↑ ↓ |
| Move between beats | ← → |
| Move note earlier/later (slide or swap) | Alt + ← → |
| Set duration | 1–7 |
| Convert to rest | 0 |
| Tie | L |
| Move note to other voice | Shift + U |
| Cycle fret position | Tab |
4.2 TAB Input mode
Clicking the TAB switches to entry driven by fret numbers.
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Enter fret number | 0–9 |
| Move between beats | ← → |
| Move between strings | ↑ ↓ |
| Jump to next/previous measure | Ctrl + ← → |
| Move note to adjacent string | Alt + ↑ ↓ |
| Move note earlier/later (slide or swap) | Alt + ← → |
| Transpose note (semitone) | Shift + ↑ ↓ |
| Tie | L |
| Hammer-on / pull-off | H |
| Slide | S |
| Mute / ghost note | X |
| Palm mute | M |
| Accent | A |
| Cycle bend | B |
| Bend & release | Shift + B |
| Glissando in | G |
| Glissando out | Shift + G |
| Vibrato | V |
| Move note to other voice | Shift + U |
| Convert to rest | R |
| Erase note on string | Backspace |
| Delete beat | Del |
| Confirm edit | Enter |
4.3 Chord Select mode
Picks a voicing (fingering) from a chord name.
- Choose a root note (C–B, ♯/♭) and a chord type (7th / Triad / Sus / 6th / Tension category, then the specific quality)
- Candidates appear under “Select Voicing.” Narrow them with filters — Open, Drop2, Drop3, Omit Root, Omit 5th, Omit R+5, Triad, Spread — plus root string (6th-string-root-only / 5th-string-root-only) and top note
- Candidates that connect smoothly to the surrounding chords (smooth voice leading) are marked “Recommended”
- Click a candidate to add it, or use “Add w/ Name” to add it with the chord name displayed
4.4 Manual Input mode
Bypasses automatic suggestions; the fingering is specified directly. Click on the fretboard, or enter values into the “String” and “Fret” number fields and click “Add Note,” to build a shape one note at a time.
5. Measure Operations
Clicking a measure number (①②③…) above the staff opens a settings panel scoped to that measure.
| Group | Options |
|---|---|
| Edit | Copy / Cut / Delete Measure |
| Insert | Insert Measure Before / Insert Measure After |
| Barlines | \|: (repeat start) / :\|: (repeat end + start) / :\| (repeat end) / \|\| (double bar) / \|] (final barline) |
| Time Sig | Override the time signature for this measure only (2/4–12/8) |
| Volta brackets | 1st / 2nd / 3rd ending, for repeat branches |
| Repetition signs | 𝄉 (Segno) / 𝄌 (Coda) / D.C. (Da Capo) / D.S. (Dal Segno) / Fine / To 𝄌 / D.C. al 𝄌 / D.C. al Fine / D.S. al 𝄌 / D.S. al Fine |
Among the repetition signs, 𝄉 and 𝄌 place the Segno and Coda markers themselves; the rest (D.C., D.S., Fine, To 𝄌, etc.) are navigation instructions specifying where playback should jump to or end.
6. Playback
6.1 Basic controls
The playback bar has Play/Stop, Previous/Next measure, and a loop toggle that repeats the selected measures (or the whole piece if none are selected).
6.2 Tempo, swing, volume
BPM is set with -/+ or by typing directly into the field. The Swing slider adjusts the shuffle ratio; the Vol slider adjusts playback volume. “Restart” returns playback to the beginning.
6.3 Metronome
Clicking the metronome icon expands a settings row.
| Field | Options |
|---|---|
| Pattern | All Beats / 2 & 4 / Upbeat |
| Click volume | Slider |
| Count-in | Off / 1 Bar / 2 Bars |
6.4 Backing band
Clicking the backing-band icon expands a settings row. It auto-generates bass, drums, and comping (accompaniment) that follow the entered chord progression.
| Part | Options |
|---|---|
| Bass | E.Bass / Upright (volume slider) |
| Drums | Volume slider only |
| Comp | Nylon gtr / Piano (volume slider) |
7. notave AI
The purple icon in the bottom-left corner opens notave AI, a natural-language sheet generation and editing feature.
- Generate a sheet from scratch, e.g. “Autumn Leaves as a jazz guitar comping part”
- Hand it the current sheet and request an adjustment, e.g. “make this more jazzy”
Output is AI-generated and not guaranteed to be accurate — play it back to verify before relying on it. Usage is capped; see “14. Plans (Free/Pro)” below.
8. Import / Export
The “Import / Export” menu in the header provides:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Share link | Share the sheet via a URL |
| Open file | Load a sheet from a JSON file |
| Save to file | Save the sheet as JSON |
| Video export | Export an MP4 with the sheet scrolling in sync. Supports YouTube (16:9), Shorts (9:16), and square (1:1); includes guitar audio and metronome clicks. A chroma-key (green screen) background is also available |
| Image export | Export the sheet as an image |
| Audio to score | Generate a sheet from an audio file |
| MIDI to TAB | Generate a sheet from a MIDI file |
| MusicXML to TAB | Generate a sheet from a MusicXML file |
| MIDI export | Pro plan only — export MIDI for DAW editing |
Video and print exports on the Free plan include a watermark.
9. Print
“Print” in the header lets you set measures-per-line (2 or 4) and print size (Large/Medium/Small) before printing to PDF.
10. View toggle: Session Sheet / Chord Chart
The toggle at the top-left of the header switches the sheet’s display format.
- Session Sheet: the standard view, showing staff and TAB together
- Chord Chart: hides TAB and shows only the chord progression, for viewing the whole song’s changes at a glance
11. Mobile
notave is responsive and works from a phone browser. The input panel appears as a bottom sheet, with tabs to switch between Staff, TAB Input, Chord Select, and Manual Input.
12. Keyboard Shortcuts Reference
Shortcuts specific to each input mode are listed in the tables under “4. Input Panel.” Below are the global shortcuts.
General
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Undo | Ctrl + Z |
| Redo | Ctrl + Shift + Z |
| New Sheet | Ctrl + N |
| Open file | Ctrl + O |
| Save to file | Ctrl + S |
| Ctrl + P | |
| Session Sheet view | Ctrl + 1 |
| Chord Chart view | Ctrl + 2 |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | ? |
Input mode
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Staff mode | Ctrl + Shift + 1 |
| TAB mode | Ctrl + Shift + 2 |
| Chord mode | Ctrl + Shift + 3 |
| Manual mode | Ctrl + Shift + 4 |
| Switch voice (melody/accompaniment) | U |
Playback
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Toggle playback | Space |
Measure operations
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Copy measures | Ctrl + C |
| Cut measures | Ctrl + X |
| Paste measures | Ctrl + V |
| Delete measures | Del / Backspace |
Editing
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Exit edit mode / Deselect | Escape |
| Navigate events | ← → |
Duration (edit mode)
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Set duration (whole–64th) | 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 |
| Shorten duration | + / = |
| Lengthen duration | - |
| Toggle dotted | . |
| Toggle triplet | T |
| Toggle 5/6/7-tuplet | Shift + 5/6/7 |
13. Mic input (TAB Input mode)
The TAB Input panel includes a “Mic Input” section at the bottom. It listens to audio from the microphone and estimates the fret/string being played, entering the corresponding notes once enabled (see the panel’s “How it works” link for details).
14. Plans (Free/Pro)
| Feature | Free | Pro ($2.99/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| Measures | Up to 8 | Unlimited |
| notave AI generations | 5 (trial) | 50 / month |
| Video export | Watermarked | No watermark |
| Print export | Watermarked | No watermark |
| MIDI export | — | ✓ |
Related: Create Guitar TAB in Your Browser for Free (feature overview)
