Editing a slap bass tab in Guitar Pro 8? Absolutely! Let’s go through the process step by step so you can set up a precise and versatile tool to accompany you throughout your practice sessions.
In this complete guide, you’ll learn:
How to configure your project for an authentic slap tone
All the essential notation symbols for this technique
5 example bass lines that perfectly illustrate slap playing (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus…)
Useful keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow
A quick reminder before we begin:
Slapping is a percussive bass technique, often referred to as “thumb thumping,” commonly played on the lower strings of the bass. Some players also use it on higher strings, but here we’ll focus on the core fundamentals. Slapping is almost always paired with popping — the plucking of higher strings with the index, middle, or even ring finger. In everyday conversation, “slap” usually refers to both techniques combined.
As for tone, the most important element is, unsurprisingly, your fingers. In an ideal world, you’d get your perfect slap tone without relying on any effects, but certain tools can help enhance your sound and make certain notes stand out. We’ll explore those options along the way.
Don’t forget to download the provided Guitar Pro files to practice the examples yourself.
Creating a New Slap Bass Project in Guitar Pro 8
Start by adding your bass track. Once you’ve created a new project (New File), you’ll be prompted to Add Track. Choose Bass then Electric.
In the Information / Notation / Upper Staff menu (since bass is usually written on a single staff), I recommend starting with a “classic” bass tone that still has the character of a basic slap sound.
I’ve chosen the “Funky” preset because it brings together all the core tonal elements for slap, and funk remains the genre where slap playing really shines. You’ll find other presets as well — some with more complex setups, effects, and even signature artist sounds. Once you’ve grasped the basics, feel free to experiment.
With the track created, look at the Inspector on the right-hand side. In Track, you have Sounds, so you can click Sound Details to access the Soundbank and Effect Chain.
For the Soundbank, the Modern 5 bass is selected by default, but you can swap it for a Precision or Jazz for a more traditional sound. On basses with multiple pickups, you can also adjust pickup position.
Inspector > Track > Sounds > Sound Details > Bank Settings > Position > Choose Position
Under that, the Effect Chain gives you access to amps, EQs, and compressors. In the Funky preset, you’ll find a single amp, a lightly scooped-mid EQ, and a compressor to control dynamics — a simple yet effective recipe for beginners. You can always add more effects later.
Finally, scroll to Interpretation to set the Playing Style to Slap Bass and bring Palm Mute down to 0 for maximum clarity:
Track > Interpretation > Playing Style > Slap Bass
Track > Interpretation > Palm Mute > 0
Notating Slap Bass in Guitar Pro 8
Here’s how to correctly notate the main slap techniques:
Slap
Select your note, click Slap in the editing palette. An “S” will appear between the standard notation and the tablature, or above if you’re using only one of them.
Editing Palette > Slap (shortcut $)
Pop
Select the note, click Pop. A “P” appears in the same location.
These add life and fluidity to your bass lines. Select at least two notes, click the Hammer-On/Pull-Off icon. Depending on whether you go up or down in pitch, “H” or “P” will appear.
Editing Palette > Hammer On / Pull Off (shortcut H)
Left-Hand Slap
An advanced technique where the fretting hand taps the strings against the neck to create a percussive effect. Often used with open strings. Notate it by placing ghost notes (X) on the strings and adding the Left-Hand Tapping symbol. Left-Hand slap was popularized mainly by bassists such as Mark King, Marcus Miller, and many others since.
Editing Palette > Left Hand Tapping (shortcut ( )
Final result
I’ve created a slap groove for you that brings together all the elements we covered earlier. Feel free to download the Guitar Pro file to practice and review the different notation symbols specific to this technique.
Slap Basslines Examples
Higher Ground – Red Hot Chili Peppers
A Flea classic, originally by Stevie Wonder. Fun and accessible, though keeping up with the tempo requires stamina and rhythmic consistency.
An iconic groove recorded by Lenny Kravitz himself. Recreate the sound with an envelope filter, reduced low end, and boosted mids/highs. Slides and ghost notes give the line its character.
Fieldy uses slap in a metal context, playing a 5-string tuned a whole step down (ADGCF). Precision is key when switching between open strings and ghost notes.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Slap Notation in Guitar Pro 8
The keyboard shortcuts for slap notation in Guitar Pro 8 are the same for both macOS and Windows. A summary table is shown below:
Techniques
macOS/Windows Shortcut
Slap
$
Pop
Ctrl + $
Ghost Note (Dead Note)
X
Hammer On/Pull Off
H
Left Hand Slap (Tapping)
(
Your turn!
I’m excited to share these main aspects of writing slap bass parts in Guitar Pro 8. I hope this tutorial inspires you to explore the technique and its notation further. If you know of other great slap bass players we should cover in a future tutorial, let me know!
Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary singer of the iconic band Black Sabbath, passed away on July 22, 2025. It’s hard to imagine the history of rock without his unmistakable presence. Nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness,” Ozzy reinvented the sound of heavy metal with Black Sabbath and went on to build an equally legendary solo career.
His unmistakable voice, magnetic stage presence, and lasting influence on guitarists have made him an essential figure for music lovers everywhere.
Here are 10 must-play Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne tracks to honor his legacy.
Download the free Guitar Pro 8 demo to play these 10 scores. Pick up your guitar and dive in!
In Black Sabbath’s War Pigs, the rhythm section blends palm muting with open picking. It’s essential to practice the “palm mute/open” motion with your picking hand. Pay close attention to the pull-offs. Each note should ring out with the same clarity and intensity. Start slow, then gradually increase the tempo using Guitar Pro’s speed trainer feature.
In Black Sabbath’s Iron Man, it’s essential to pay close attention to the syncopated rhythms. This technique involves muting the sound by slightly releasing the pressure of your fretting fingers. Make sure your hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides ring clearly. In Guitar Pro, don’t hesitate to isolate the tricky parts, slow them down, and loop them to improve precision and fluidity.
Guitarist: Tony Iommi
Paranoid (Paranoid – 1970)
In the verse of Paranoid, start by isolating and slowly practicing the grace note in the first bar. Then add the second bar, focusing on the precision of the hammer-on. Next, isolate bars 5 to 8: play bars 5, 6, and 7 with palm muting, then open up the sound on bar 8 without muting. Finally, bring the entire riff together slowly and gradually increase the tempo to build consistency and control using Guitar Pro’s tools.
Supernaut (Black Sabbath Vol. 4. -1972)
In Black Sabbath’s Supernaut, start by practicing bars 1 and 2 slowly, highlighting the slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. Then add bars 3 and 4. From bars 5 to 8, focus on alternating between palm muting and open playing, paying close attention to the slides. Finally, play the entire section slowly and gradually increase the tempo to improve accuracy and control.
Guitarist: Tony Iommi
Sweet Leaf (Master of Reality – 1971)
In Black Sabbath’s Sweet Leaf, the one-bar riff is built with slides and dead notes. This effect is achieved by lifting the fingers of your fretting hand while keeping them in contact with the strings to produce the characteristic sound. Pay special attention to the fourth beat of bar 8, where a dead note on the last sixteenth note restarts the riff cycle.
Guitarist: Tony Iommi
The Mob Rules (Mob Rules – 1981)
In Black Sabbath’s The Mob Rules, to add expression to the G note (3rd fret on the low E string), perform a quarter-tone bend, no need to pull the string too far. Unlike previous bends that don’t return to the starting pitch, the bend in bar 4 is a bend-and-release that must come back precisely to the original note. Practice slowly and gradually increase the tempo using Guitar Pro’s features.
Guitarist: Tony Iommi
Crazy Train (Blizzard of Ozz – 1980)
In Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train, start by isolating the first two bars. As Randy Rhoads played it, this riff should be performed using only downstrokes. Once you have the riff locked in, emphasize the notes played on the A string by striking them harder with your picking hand. Practice slowly and gradually increase the tempo using Guitar Pro’s tools.
Guitarist: Randy Rhoads
Mr. Crowley (Blizzard of Ozz – 1980)
In Ozzy Osbourne’s Mr. Crowley, in bar 1, pay close attention to the quarter-note triplet; to play it well, try singing the phrase as you play. Isolate the last two beats of bar 3 and the first beat of bar 4 to highlight the hammer-on/pull-off sequence. Make sure the syncopated riff is tight and precise. Also, focus on bar 12, which features several techniques that need to be mastered. Ensure your bends are accurate. Practice slowly and gradually increase the tempo using Guitar Pro’s speed trainer.
Guitarist: Randy Rhoads
Bark at the Moon (Bark at the Moon – 1983)
In Ozzy Osbourne’s Bark at the Moon, break the riff down and play it slowly to properly internalize the chord changes and the alternation between palm muting and open playing. Emphasize the chords with your picking hand using downstrokes, making sure the D, G, and B strings ring out clearly. Also, isolate the last six sixteenth notes to position and execute the pull-off accurately.
Guitarist: Jake E. Lee
Mama, I’m Coming Home (No More Tears – 1991)
This acoustic rhythm is played with alternate picking. Work through it step by step, breaking the section down and adding the bars one at a time, starting with the first two. Play the E (9th fret) with your third finger, then the D♯ (8th fret) with your second finger, which then shifts to the G♯ with your first finger. In bars 2 and 3, place the full chord shapes even if not all the notes are played, to avoid wrong notes in case of string mistakes. Practice slowly, then gradually increase the speed.
Guitarist: Zakk Wylde
I hope you enjoyed this tribute to Ozzy. Tell us your favorite track in the comments below.
Hi everyone, I’m Thomas Duflos from Guitar Pro and Guitar Pedal Of The Day. As a big fan of the Back to the Future trilogy, I’m happy to show you the amazing guitars played by Marty McFly!
Few movie scenes have had such a lasting impact on guitar culture as Back to the Future. From Marty McFly’s blistering performance of “Johnny B. Goode” to his run-ins with futuristic amps and classic gear, the film is a treasure trove of musical moments that inspired entire generations to pick up the guitar.
In this article, we dive deep into the legendary instruments seen (and heard) on screen: the stunning Gibson ES-345, the underrated Ibanez Roadstar II, the quirky but powerful Chiquita travel guitar, and of course, the jaw-dropping CRM-114 amp built by Doc Brown. Each piece of gear has its own backstory, and many were chosen with specific visual or symbolic intent, even when they weren’t period-accurate.
And because this is Guitar Pedal Of The Day, we go further. We break down the songs featured in the trilogy, the riffs that made history, and the tones that shaped Marty’s musical universe. Better yet, you can play these three iconic tracks from the film in mySongBook:
Let’s plug in and go 88mph into one of cinema’s most electrifying soundtracks.
Gibson ES-345
In the 1985 film Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox‘s character, Marty McFly, performs Chuck Berry‘s “Johnny B. Goode” at the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance. This performance, featuring the cherry red Gibson ES-345, has become one of the most memorable moments in cinematic history, inspiring countless musicians to pick up the guitar.
This guitar wasn’t introduced until 1959, while the scene is set in 1955. Still, the guitar was chosen for its flashy appearance and classic rock-and-roll vibe, making it visually iconic.
Gibson has launched a worldwide hunt to find the actual guitar played by Michael J. Fox. Real hunt or clever marketing buzz? We’ll probably discover it sooner or later…
The specific ES-345 used in the film was rented from Norman’s Rare Guitars in California. After filming concluded, the guitar was returned to the shop. However, when the filmmakers sought to use the same guitar for the 1989 sequel, it was nowhere to be found. It’s believed that the guitar was sold during the vintage guitar boom of the 1980s, possibly to a collector overseas.
Chiquita – Travel Guitar
This amazing small travel guitar is seen in the first scenes of Back to the Future. Travel guitars don’t have the reputation of being reliable guitars, but this one was made by a legendary luthier and a guitar hero! Indeed, this guitar was thought out and made by Mark Erlewine in collaboration with Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top.
Guitar legends like Joe Bonamassa, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Andy Summers, Paul McCartney (a left-handed bass version), Billy Gibbons, and Pat Metheny played on that thing! More details about this guitar can be found on the official Erlewine website.
Ibanez Roadstar II
The Ibanez RS430 Roadstar II Deluxe is a standout guitar that gained iconic status through its appearance in Back to the Future. In the film, Marty McFly uses this sleek black guitar during the high school band audition scene, showcasing its distinctive design and sound.
This black-finished guitar was part of Ibanez’s Roadstar II series, produced in Japan between 1984 and 1985. Its electronics include three Ibanez V7 single-coil pickups, providing a versatile range of tones suitable for various music styles.
PRS CE-24
In Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly is seen playing a 1989 PRS CE-24 in a striking Electric Blue finish during a scene set in his future home. This guitar, part of Paul Reed Smith’s Classic Electric series introduced in 1988, features a bolt-on maple neck, 24 frets, and dual humbucking pickups, combining the snap and clarity of a bolt-on design with PRS‘s renowned craftsmanship.
The Electric Blue finish, rare for the time, adds to the guitar’s futuristic aesthetic, aligning with the film’s vision of 2015. The CE-24’s appearance in the movie not only showcased PRS’s innovative design but also cemented its place in pop culture history.
CRM 114 – Marty McFly amp
In the opening scene of Back to the Future, Marty McFly doesn’t just play a guitar, he unleashes sound through one of the most absurdly powerful fictional amplifiers ever shown on screen: the CRM-114. Towering at nearly 8 feet high, this custom-built rig sets the tone (literally) for the film’s blend of science, music, and mischief.
Designed by Doc Brown in his garage-lab, the CRM-114 looks more like an experimental military device than an audio system. It’s overloaded with analog controls, massive speaker cones, and vintage electronics — all meant to exaggerate its raw, uncontrollable power. Marty plugs in his Erlewine Chiquita travel guitar, dials every setting to the max, and strums a single chord. The result? He’s violently thrown backward into a bookcase by the amp’s deafening output. It’s one of the most memorable intros in sci-fi movie history.
While the CRM-114 is pure Hollywood fiction, the amp’s design is rooted in real-world components. Prop builders have identified elements like Heinemann circuit breakers, vintage VARIAC dials, and Powerstat transformers, which add to its steampunk, mad-scientist look. These details helped sell the illusion that Doc had truly invented something dangerously overpowered.
Play Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry
This song needs no introduction! Performed by Marty McFly at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in the first film. This is the most iconic guitar song in the trilogy.
This is one way to achieve Chuck Berry’s tone; there are many other ways!
Chuck Berry primarily used a 1955 Gibson ES-350T for his early recordings, including “Johnny B. Goode.” This hollow-body electric guitar featured two P-90 single-coil pickups, contributing to its bright and punchy sound. The ES-350T’s construction and pickups played a significant role in achieving Berry’s distinctive tone.
The D’Angelico Deluxe Bobby Weir 3 is a semi-hollow electric guitar that blends vintage aesthetics with modern versatility, making it a suitable choice for emulating Chuck Berry’s iconic tone in “Johnny B. Goode.”
Berry favored Fender Tweed amplifiers, such as the Fender Deluxe and Fender Bassman, during his early career. These amps are renowned for their warm, overdriven tones when pushed to higher volumes. The natural breakup of these tube amplifiers complemented Berry’s playing style, adding grit and sustain to his sound. We invite you here to discover the amazing Invaders Amplification amps.
Gain/Volume: Set high enough to achieve natural tube overdrive without excessive distortion.
Play “The Power of Love” – Huey Lewis and The News
Featured as the opening theme when Marty skateboards to school. Great power chords and riff!
Other songs with guitar featured in the movie are:
“Earth Angel” – The Penguins Played by the Starlighters during the dance 🎵 1950s ballad style, chords and simple melodic lines
“Night Train” – Marvin Berry and the Starlighters (originally by Jimmy Forrest) Also featured at the school dance Primarily a sax tune, but has easy guitar backing riffs
NEW eBOOK AVAILABLE! This 118-page eBook is your go-to resource for everything related to guitar pedals. Whether you’re just getting started or have years of experience, it breaks down the essentials and dives deep into advanced techniques for crafting the perfect tone.
“The Complete Guide to Guitar Pedals” delivers practical advice, clear explanations, and creative inspiration to help you build your sound and push your musical boundaries.
Guitar Pro is 20% off until June 30, 2025. Don’t wait! Summer is the perfect time to grab your Guitar Pro 8 license at a low price and to start jamming!
And that’s not all: mySongBook is 50% off! One year of access to the mySongBook tabs for only 30€. It’s a fantastic deal, with top-quality tabs for all levels.
As a special bonus, get 60 days of free access to online guitar lessons from Your Guitar Academy when you buy Guitar Pro 8 or subscribe to mySongBook on our website!
Got questions? Drop them in the comments below, we’re here to help! ⬇️
Why do you need Guitar Pro 8?
Guitar Pro is THE essential tool you need as a guitarist, bassist, composer and musician. With Guitar Pro 8, you can play and learn tabs at your own pace, edit your compositions, and share them with the world. And above everything else, it’s easy to use.
We’ve added a bunch of new features in the 8th version of Guitar Pro. One of the most popular so far is the Audio Track feature, which lets you add your own recordings directly into your tabs. It’s more than just a way to enhance playback, it helps you check the accuracy of your transcriptions and makes practicing more enjoyable with the sound of a real guitar.
mySongBook is the library of tabs available in Guitar Pro 8. With mySongBook, you’ll get access to thousands of quality tabs right inside the software. You’ll find essential guitar riffs, solos, and full songs from legendary bands. There’s plenty to practice and help you improve your skills by learning some of the greatest hit songs of all time. Many scores include professionally recorded backing tracks, making your practice sessions more immersive and rewarding.
Hello guys, this is Edina, UK-based guitarist and educator. Today I’m going to teach you a few exercises that will help you improvise more freely, musically on Spanish Guitar. Remember you can also download the Guitar Pro files attached to this article to practice along and save them to keep improving your skills. Now without further ado, let’s get on with the lesson:
When I was younger and just starting out on guitar, I was always mesmerized by people who seemed completely freeon their instrument. One of my most memorable early experiences was when I was playing guitar somewhere and a random person joined me, effortlessly playing beautiful solos on the spot.
I remember wondering: How can they do that so easily and sound so musical at the same time? How do they know what notes to play to sound good, even though they’ve never played with me before?
Early in my guitar journey, I was lucky enough to meet a jazz guitarist who helped me understand the major scale and showed me how to practice it in a way that sounded musical. That opened the door to playing over any chord progression with more confidence and creativity.
So, what was the secret of those guitarists who joined me and played solos over my chord progressions? What did they need to do to achieve a good sound while improvising?
To actually sound good, you need to be able to play at a certain speed and practice specific exercises.
The first two exercises below will help you increase your speed and strengthen your technique. After that, we’ll look at six more exercises based on one of the major scale positions. These will not only improve your phrasing and creativity but also help you memorize scale patterns more effectively.
How fast should you play to sound great when soloing?
To sound truly dynamic and expressive during improvisation, it’s important to be able to speed up, slow down, and incorporate a variety of rhythms. Some of the best guitarists in the world captivate their audiences not just with melody, but with the incredible speed and control they display in their solos.
The key to developing this level of control is using a metronome. It helps you track your progress, build speed gradually, and develop rock-solid technique. In this section, you’ll learn two excellent speed-building exercises: the three notes per beat and the four notes per beat.
Nearly every guitarist I’ve played with (especially before live gigs) relied on these exercises. The three-notes-per-beat drill, in particular, was a go-to warm-up for building clean, fast technique that translates into confident solos.
Before diving into the exercises, it’s important to focus on reducing unnecessary movement. This is essential for increasing speed and efficiency:
Right-hand movement: Minimize motion. If you play with your fingers, use alternate picking (alternating between your index and middle finger) and keep movements small. If you use a pick/plectrum, also use alternate picking—alternate the direction of the pick with each stroke.
Left-hand movement: Only move your fingers when absolutely necessary. For example, when playing consecutive notes on the same string, don’t lift your fingers unless needed. Keep them in position to reduce wasted motion.
Hand positioning: Stay stretched and hover close to the frets you’ll be playing. Avoid pulling your fingers back unnecessarily, as this adds extra, inefficient movement.
Speed goals
Aim for a minimum of 130 BPM when playing three notes per beat.
For the four notes per beat exercise, aim for at least 100 BPM.
Some advanced players can push these exercises well beyond that, reaching speeds of 200 BPM and up with the three-notes-per-beat drill.
Three notes per beat speed training exercise
This exercise is excellent for practicing alternate picking and building speed. Since three notes are played per string, changing strings is forced in an alternating pattern.
With a pick/plectrum, the picking alternates between downstrokes and upstrokes as you move across the strings.
With fingerpicking, the strokes alternate between the index and middle fingers.
Four notes per beat speed training exercise
This exercise is also beneficial because it engages all four fingers, even though string changes are executed using the same finger (if fingerpicking) or the same side of the pick (if using a plectrum).
Now, let’s look at the six musical exercises to master scale positions
The exercises here will be on the C major scale, also called C Ionian. The names of all the modes originate from ancient Greek terminology, and C Ionian is what most people commonly refer to as C major.
When you start learning the scales, it’s best to start with the key of C, because this scale does not have any sharp or flats. It consists of seven notes: C, D, E, F, G, A and B.
The Cnote is on the eighth fret of the low E string, so that’s where we will start the exercises.
Exercise 1.C Ionian Up and Down
Set the metronome to 60 bpm and just go on the scale up and down playing two notes per beat.
Exercise 2. C Ionian Beat Switching
In this exercise, the exact same sequence is played, but the pattern alternates between two notes, three notes, and four notesper beat at a time. This drill is incredibly effective for building rhythmic control and flexibility. To truly sound musical during improvisation, it’s not just about hitting the right notes—it’s about how you play them. By practicing rhythmic variation, you’ll learn to speed up or slow down intentionally, giving your solos more emotional expression and dynamic range.
Exercise 3. C Ionian Steps
In this exercise, the scale is played by moving two steps forward and one step backward until reaching the last note, after which the same pattern is followed in reverse.
Exercise 4. C Ionian Thirds
In this exercise, thirds are played within the scale by playing the 1st note, then the 3rd note, followed by the 2nd note, and then the 4th note, and so on.
Exercise 5. C Ionian Four Notes
In this exercise, the scale is played only in reverse. Four notes are played, starting from the top, then the starting point moves to the second note of the scale and another four notesare played, and so on. This pattern continues until the first note of the scale is reached.
Exercise 6. C Ionian Arpeggios
In this exercise, arpeggios are played using the first, third, and fifth notes of the scale, repeating the pattern across the next octaves within the shape. After that, seventh arpeggios are played using the first, third, fifth, and seventh notes of the scale, with the pattern repeating throughout the shape.
Of course, these exercises are only the startof your improvisation journey, but they’ll help you sound better than simply running up and down generic scale shapes. With consistent practice, they’ll not only improve your musicality but also reinforce your understanding of each shape and position on the fretboard.
Jam over a backing track
Ready to try improvising over this position? Here is a Spanish rumba backing track in the C major scale so you can jam over right away. The chords for this backing track are: C major, A minor, D minor and G major.
Learn more
If you want to truly master the fretboard and take your improvisation skills to the next level, check out my newly published book: Learn to Improvise on Guitar with Exercises.
Inside, you’ll find everything you need to master the major scale and its modes, including:
6 hours of video lessons
Over 200 Exercises
Key Changes
Backing Tracks
GuitarPro files
Ready to dive deep and unlock your full potential on guitar? This book has got you covered!
“The best improvisation course I’ve ever taken.” – Huy Nguyen
“Edina Balczo’s courses are always educational and highly recommended. In this particular course, what I learned exclusively was the key change through modal scales. There are tons of lessons about modes on the internet, but they are mostly limited to theory. Even after studying them, I still didn’t know how to apply modes in practice. This course opened the door to modal application. Although it’s just a small part of the course, it was the most important part for me and fully met my expectations. I look forward to more courses from Edina Balczo.” – Felix Chen
“I wish I had this course when I first started playing Spanish guitar!! I highly recommend.” – Philip W Empey
Great course!! Fantástico! – Ferzy Torrez
About Edina
Edina Balczo is an award-winning UK-based guitarist, author, and educator with over 25 years of experience. As a registered guitar tutor (Grade 8 with distinction, University of West London), she is passionate about helping students master Spanish, classical, Latin, and folk guitar styles.
Edina is an official Guitar Pro artist. She also runs the popular YouTube channel The Spanish Guitar Hub, which has garnered millions of views and tens of thousands of subscribers worldwide.
In addition to her solo work, Edina performs with her acclaimed guitar duo De Fuego, winners of the 2019 LUKAS (UK Latin) Award for Best Jazz/Folk Act of the Year. Through her books, Edina shares her expertise, passion, and proven teaching methods to help guitar players at every level unlock their musical potential.
Struggling to learn a new song on guitar? You’re not alone. Every guitarist has experienced the frustration of spending hours on incorrect tabs, stumbling over the same riffs, or simply giving up on that dream song still playing in their head.
Here’s the good news: learning songs faster isn’t about natural talent—it’s about using the right method. In this guide, you’ll discover how to learn a new song fast on guitar using Guitar Pro’s powerful features.
We’ll walk you through a proven 7-step process that transforms frustrating practice sessions into rapid progress. You’ll master essential skills like identifying correct tabs, using the speed trainer effectively, and building a practice routine that actually works.
Ready to learn your favorite songs faster than ever? Let’s dive in!
The Best Tips for Learning a Song Quickly with Guitar Pro
Download Guitar Pro to access a comprehensive tool for guitarists
Get the song’s tab to visualise and read the score
Review the chords and practise playing them to improve transitions
Review the rhythms of the song
Break the song into small sections for more effective learning
Don’t hesitate to slow down the tempo to work on difficult passages
Practise regularly to gradually master the song
The Best Tips for Learning a Song Quickly with Guitar Pro
1. Download Guitar Pro to access a comprehensive tool for guitarists
If you’re new to Guitar Pro and want to follow along this guide step by step, just download the Guitar Pro 8 demo.
Guitar Pro is the #1 tablature software used by guitarists worldwide. With user-friendly practice features, a realistic sound engine, and professional editing tools, it’s the perfect companion for beginners learning songs faster. Try the free demo today!
2. Get the song’s tab to visualise and read the score
Start by finding a Guitar Pro tab for your chosen song. Simply search online for “[song name] Guitar Pro tab” to find downloadable files shared by musicians and creators worldwide.
Alternatively, explore mySongBook, Guitar Pro’s official library of professionally transcribed tabs, where you can browse thousands of songs by genre, instrument, or type. Subscribers can access the full library directly within Guitar Pro, while everyone can enjoy one free tab daily on our website.
Once you have your file, open it in Guitar Pro and let’s begin!
TAB PLAYBACK WITH TABLATURE READER AND RSE SOUND RENDERING OR AUDIO TRACK
Press play, notice how you can follow along the tablature with Guitar Pro’s playback feature, which incorporates a tablature reader, RSE Sound Rendering and audio tracks.
RSE (Realistic Sound Engine) is Guitar Pro’s Sound Rendering system based on our own proprietary sound bank, it’s been specifically designed to offer you the most realistic and pleasant sound experience.
Of course, you can also combine it with MIDI, if you prefer lighter files, and audio tracks for a completely customisable auditory experience.
3. Review the chords and practise playing them to improve transitions
Now that you’re all set up, let’s move on to the nitty-gritty of your practice session. Chords are the basic unit of guitar playing. It’s important to practise playing them individually and consecutively in order to transition between them.
With Guitar Pro 8, you can customise if and how you want chord diagrams to show up in your score, and if you’re scribbling down your own ideas you can access the chord library to help you notate chords and come up with interesting voicings. Here’s how to access CHORD DIAGRAMS and the CHORD LIBRARY:
Chord diagrams in Guitar Pro
You can choose whether you want to see them at the top of your score, in the score or both. You’ll find how to customise chord diagrams following these steps:
In the right Inspector Panel: Song >Musical notation > Stylesheet.
In the Stylesheet: Page Score & format > Chord diagrams
Chord library
Guitar Pro 8 lets you create a chord library individual to each project. Name the chord you want to add, create it from scratch, add alterations, inversions and omissions. To open your Chord Library go to:
In the Menu Bar (top of your screen) : Note > Chord…
Alternatively, press “A” on your keyboard to display the Chord view and then press enter to display the chord diagram on your tab
So, once you’ve set up the score in your preferred way, practise the chords for a few rounds, use single downstrokes if necessary, and make sure to get those transitions as clean as possible!
4. Review the rhythms of the song
Now that we’ve practiced chords and transitions we’re onto the next step: rhythms.
In Guitar Pro 8 you can visualise rhythms in various ways, here we’ll show you two of them, but keep in mind, again, it’s fully customisable to each player’s preferences!
Tab displayed with the rhythmic notation
If your score is both in standard notation and tablature you might not be able to see rhythm figures in your tabs by default. To visualise them follow these steps:
In the right Inspector Panel: Song > Musical Notation > Stylesheet
In the Stylesheet: Notation > Rhythmic
Uncheck: “Hide in tablature when using standard notation” if you want to see rhythmic notation in your tablature.
Check: “Extend rhythmic inside tablature” if you want the rhythmic notation to extend over your tablature lines.
Slash notation for chord grids
If, on the other hand, you’d rather only see the chords along with the rhythm, you can switch to slash notation and activate chord grids (shown above). Here’s how to change your score to slash notation:
In the right Inspector Panel: Track > Musical notation > Slash notation
Again, once you’ve chosen your preferred notation, take some time to practise just the rhythm. For the newbies reading, if you’re strumming and struggling you can always mute the strings with your left hand and practise getting into the groove of the song.
Once you feel slightly comfortable with it, go ahead and put chords and rhythm together. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, for now we’re just practising coordinating those two movements together.
5. Break the song into small sections for more effective learning
When trying to learn a new fine motor skill, we need repetition to give our brain a chance to catch on to that new movement pattern.
If you’re running the song from top to bottom, you might be embracing more variability than optimal, and might be making it way harder for yourself. Therefore, the more complex a song, the more necessary it’ll become to break it into small sections. So, here are a few ways you could break down the song into smaller sections for more effective learning:
Section markers
You can start by dividing the song into sections. These often share the same rhythmic patterns and chord progressions, which is exactly what we’re looking for when trying to learn. Section markers will generally appear in your score as verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, etc.
To access section markers go to the Edition Palette: “| A |” icon
Loop playback
If there’s a specific part you’re struggling with, like a technical riff or a bar chord transition, give it special attention. You can loop that section using loop playback by activating it in the toolbar and selecting the section in question.
You can also adjust the tempo and practise playing it slower, which we’ll discuss in the next step of this guide.
Pro tip: After practising the specific hard part, always practise “uniting it” with what comes before and after. This way you’ll teach your brain to remain calm and confident going into and getting out of the technically challenging parts.
6. Don’t hesitate to slow down the tempo to work on difficult passages
Every guitarist knows: to play fast, you must first practice slow. This essential studying technique helps you build precision and efficiency.
When working on challenging passages, slow down to focus on finger placement and movement optimization. This allows you to eliminate unnecessary motions and develop muscle memory for cleaner playing. As you gradually increase speed, your refined technique will make you faster and more accurate.
Guitar Pro’s features will help you master this process:
Pro tip: You can add an inter-loop countdown when repeatedly practising looped sections. (It can be especially useful if you’re increasing the tempo of the loop to practise being faster.)
Tempo adjustment
In the toolbar: Current tempo (quarter note value icon)
In the toolbar: Relative speed to apply a certain percent of the current speed to the score (90%, 80% and so on)
Guitar Pro speed trainer
Guitar Pro offers an inbuilt speed trainer. With this feature you can choose to practise at a relative speed or a fixed bpm. You can also set it up to automatically increase tempo for a looped section based on the “progressive speed” increase.
For instance, you could set it up to start at 70% of the original speed, having a 10% tempo increase every four repetitions, all the way to the original tempo (100%). Let’s see where to find the speed trainer in Guitar Pro:
In the toolbar:
Relative speed (Up and Down arrows) to customise the settings.
To configure the speed trainer precisely, you’ll have to clic on “Custom values” to access the Speed settings window
Make use of all these tools and knowledge to practise the song you’ve chosen at different tempos, if you’re patient you’ll notice immense improvements in your technique just by modifying the speed.
7. Practise regularly to gradually master the song
If you’ve made it to this last step, congratulations, you definitely have the perseverance to learn a new skill! Here’s the last best kept secret: you’ve got to put in the hours, practise, practise and more practise. Here are a couple Guitar Pro features that’ll keep you doing just that no matter what:
Focus / unfocus mode
In global view you’ll find all the tracks, you can lower the volume or mute the guitar track you are working on to play along the other instruments.
Audio track feature
Watch this tutorial to learn how to add audio tracks to your Guitar Pro project:
Add a recording (.mp3 or .wav file) via the audio track to synchronise the song with the score and create the ideal learning environment.
Additional Tips to Optimise Your Song Learning on Guitar
Listen to the song repeatedly to immerse yourself and memorise it
Listen to the song, many times, passively, actively, however you want. You could try learning other parts, even if you’re not a singer nor a pianist, give it a go. It’ll transform how you perceive yours, and teach you how to play alongside a band.
Record yourself to identify mistakes and areas for improvement
It’s always good to have an external reference. Think about it as an audio mirror, we might think we’re doing a fantastic job, but discover we’re not really hitting those bass notes when we listen back to it. It’s an easy trick to implement, and it sure is guaranteed to reveal details you were blind to, or deaf, let’s say.
Try to memorise the song without relying on the score
It goes without saying, if you ever want to perform in public you will have to memorise the score. But even if that’s not the case, memorising it will free up space to really dial in on that technique or, to simply enjoy playing!
Conclusion
You now have the building blocks for learning songs faster: choosing the right song, mastering chord transitions, analyzing rhythm patterns, focusing on specific sections, and using tempo control effectively. Guitar Pro supports each step with powerful learning features, realistic audio, and flexible practice tools.
Remember: progress comes from consistent practice. Don’t fear mistakes—they’re essential for learning. Take that challenging song out of the drawer, use Guitar Pro’s speed trainer to master it, and explore mySongBook for accurate tabs.
Share your experience in the comments! Which tips worked best for you? What would you like to learn next?
How long does it take to learn a new song with Guitar Pro?
With Guitar Pro’s practice tools, most beginners can learn a simple song in 1-2 weeks of regular practice. Complex songs may take 4-6 weeks. The speed trainer and loop features help you progress 2-3 times faster than traditional methods.
Can I use Guitar Pro if I’m a complete beginner?
Yes! Guitar Pro is designed for all skill levels. The tablature view makes it easy to see exactly where to place your fingers, and features like tempo adjustment let you start slow and gradually build speed as you improve.
What’s the best way to practice difficult passages?
Use Guitar Pro’s loop playback to isolate challenging sections, then apply the speed trainer to start at 60-70% of the original tempo. Practice for 10-15 minutes daily, increasing speed by 5-10% each session until you reach full tempo.
