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    Ultimate Guitar: The Largest Chord and Tab Library for Guitar, Bass, and Piano

    Ultimate Guitar gives you chords, tabs, and lyrics for millions of songs — with a built-in tuner and tools that help you play songs you already know.

    4 min read 5 stepsApril 20, 2026Verified April 2026
    1

    Download the app and search for a song

    ~32s
    Search for "Ultimate Guitar: Chords & Tabs" in the App Store or Google Play and install it. Open the app and use the search bar at the top to type in a song title or artist name. Results appear quickly and are labeled by type — Chords, Tab, Bass Tab, Chords & Lyrics, or Pro Tab. You do not need an account to search and view many results.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: When multiple versions of a song appear, look at the star rating and the number of "favorites." The most-rated versions are usually the most accurate.

    2

    Choose the right version for your skill level

    ~24s
    Each song listing shows a difficulty rating — Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced. If you are newer to guitar, choose a Chords version over a full Tab version. A Chords sheet shows you the chord names above the lyrics, which is much easier to follow than a line-by-line tab of every single note. You can always come back for the full tab version once you know the basic structure of the song.
    3

    Use auto-scroll while you play

    ~26s
    Once you open a tab or chord sheet, tap the play button at the bottom of the screen to activate auto-scroll. A slider lets you adjust the scroll speed to match the tempo of the song. This keeps the tab moving at the same rate as the music so your eyes always see the next chord or note coming up. Tap the screen once to pause scrolling if you need to stop and figure out a tricky part.
    4

    Tune your instrument with the built-in tuner

    ~38s
    Tap the tuning fork icon at the bottom of the app to open the chromatic tuner. Allow microphone access when prompted, then play one string at a time on your guitar. The tuner shows you what note it is hearing and whether you are sharp (too high) or flat (too low). Turn the tuning peg on your guitar to adjust. When the indicator sits in the center of the display and turns green, that string is in tune. Repeat for each string.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: Always tune before you practice. An out-of-tune guitar sounds wrong no matter how well you play, and it trains your ears to accept incorrect pitch — which makes learning harder over time.

    5

    Save songs to your favorites for offline access

    ~24s
    Tap the heart icon on any song to save it to your favorites. Free users can save songs to view them easily later. Pro subscribers can also download tabs for offline use, which is helpful if you want to practice somewhere without an internet connection. Build a short playlist of five to ten songs you are working on so you can find them quickly each time you practice.

    You Did It!

    You've completed: Ultimate Guitar: The Largest Chord and Tab Library for Guitar, Bass, and Piano

    Need more help? Get Expert Help from a TekSure Tech

    Ultimate Guitar is the largest online database of guitar tabs, chords, and bass lines in the world. With more than 1.5 million song entries contributed and rated by musicians worldwide, the chances are very good that the song you want to play is already in the library. You can search by song title or artist name and find multiple versions of the same song at different difficulty levels.

    Tabs (short for tablature) are a simplified form of sheet music designed specifically for stringed instruments. Instead of reading traditional musical notation, you read a diagram that shows you exactly which string to press on which fret. Ultimate Guitar uses this format throughout, making it accessible even if you have never read music in your life.

    The app is especially useful for people who already know a few basics on guitar or bass and want to learn specific songs rather than following a structured curriculum. You pick the song you want to play, find a tab that matches your skill level, and follow along. The auto-scroll feature moves the tab down the screen at the tempo of the song so you do not have to scroll manually while playing.

    Ultimate Guitar also includes a built-in chromatic tuner — which means it can help you tune any stringed instrument by listening through your phone's microphone. There is also a metronome and a chord library that shows you finger diagrams for thousands of chord shapes.

    The app is available on iPhone, iPad, and Android. The free version covers basic browsing. Ultimate Guitar Pro (a paid subscription) removes ads, adds offline access, and unlocks guitar, bass, and ukulele tabs in an interactive format with playback. More details are at ultimate-guitar.com.

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    Ultimate Guitar: The Largest Chord and Tab Library for Guitar, Bass, and Piano — Step-by-Step Guide | TekSure