Free Printable Guitar PDFs (TAB, Chord Charts, Fretboard Templates)

Blank printable Guitar TAB templates are handy when you want to quickly write down any ideas or exercises you want to work on.

In this guide, you can download a variety of free blank Guitar TAB, chord chart, fretboard diagram, or sheet music templates.

An alternative to these printable templates is to use a program like Guitar Pro to create any resource you want. Check out my review of Guitar Pro 8 to learn more.

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Blank Guitar TAB PDFs

These blank Guitar TAB PDFs give you a simple way to quickly write down any guitar riff or lick ideas you come up with, or any songs you’re learning to transcribe.

The lines print as light grey, which makes it easier for you to read any pencil or pen you write.

How to Use These Guitar TAB Templates

To use these blank Guitar TAB templates, simply write down the fret numbers for any notes on the lines as needed.

For example, here’s how you would write down the first part of the classic guitar riff from the song Smoke on the Water using these templates:

Check out how the above example compares with the actual Guitar TAB in this guide on 14 Easy Guitar Riffs to Learn.

Don’t worry if you don’t know how to write in rhythm notation, you can write down any notes or comments to help you as you like.

Check out this guide on How to Read Guitar TAB for a list of common symbols you might want to use.

Blank Guitar TAB Templates (Portrait Page)

These templates give you a few horizontal Guitar TAB staves per page with plenty of space in between each staff to write any comments or notes you may have.

String names aren’t noted on the templates just in case you want to write parts that use alternate tunings.

Download Free Horizontal Blank Guitar TAB PDFs here:

Blank Guitar TAB Templates (Landscape Page)

These templates print the Guitar TAB staff longways down the page, which can be handy when you want to write down long parts.

Download Free Vertical Blank Guitar TAB PDFs here:

Blank Guitar Chord Chart PDFs

These blank chord chart templates are handy if you want to memorize chord shapes. Simply fill in the templates with the chords you want to memorize and you’ll have a useful cheat sheet to use in your practice sessions.

If you’re a beginner and want to get started learning guitar chords, check out these 10 Easy Guitar Chords to Learn First.

You can use these templates for open chords or for barre chords in any tuning.

Download Free Guitar Chord Chart Template PDFs here:

How to Use These Guitar Chord Chart Templates

To use these templates, simply fill in the note positions and write down the finger numbers you want to use for each chord.

For example, here are three different ways you can use this template to write down the basic C Major open chord:

You can either write the finger numbers (1 = index finger, 2 = middle finger, 3 = ring finger, 4 = pinky) underneath each string or on the fret positions so you know which fingers to use for each note.

Some people like to use dots on the fret positions while other people may prefer seeing the finger numbers in each position. All three examples above show the same information, so have a think about which way you prefer reading your chords.

If the chord doesn’t play a certain string, write an X above the string line (eg: the above example doesn’t play the low E string). If a string is played open, write a big O above the string line.

Check out this guide on How to Read Guitar Chord Charts for more examples.

Blank Guitar Fretboard PDFs

These blank guitar fretboard diagrams are handy if you want to memorize scales or work on arpeggios.

These fretboard templates show 12 frets – remember that the notes repeat at the 12th fret, so you can use these templates for below or above the 12th fret.

Download Free Guitar Fretboard Template PDFs here:

How to Use These Guitar Fretboard Templates

There are a lot of ways you can use these fretboard templates. Here are two useful examples:

Memorize arpeggios: let’s say there’s a song that uses a few arpeggios you want to memorize. While you can memorize them by using Guitar TAB, sometimes it’s handy to have a way to visualize the arpeggio shapes on your fretboard.

The below image shows an arpeggio in Guitar TAB format:

You can certainly memorize this arpeggio by reading the Guitar TAB or Standard Notation, but being able to visualize the shape of the arpeggio on the fretboard will help you memorize it faster.

Here’s the same arpeggio filled in on the fretboard diagram template:

The above diagram makes it crystal clear how the arpeggio is played on your fretboard. You can easily figure out which fingers you should use to play each note just by glancing at the diagram.

Memorize scale shapes: instead of memorizing scale shapes using Guitar TAB, it’s much easier and faster to memorize scales using fretboard diagrams.

The below example shows the first ‘box’ shape of the Pentatonic Scale in Guitar TAB format:

While this is easy enough to understand and use to memorize the scale shape, here’s the same shape on the fretboard diagram:

Seeing the scale shapes on a fretboard diagram makes it much easier to work on finger positions. Check out this guide on the Pentatonic Scale if you want an easy scale to memorize.