Rhythms on tablature

When notation staves and tablature are both shown, it is customary only to notate rhythms on the notation staff. However, when only tablature is shown, it is necessary to show rhythms on tablature.

The following items are shown to indicate rhythms when tablature is shown without notation staves:

  • Time signatures

  • Stems, stem flags, and beaming

  • Rhythm dots

Figure 1. Rhythms shown on tablature
Note

Stems, stem flags, and beaming always appear stem-up on tablature in single-voice contexts, which means they can collide with guitar bends.