TuxGuitar

TuxGuitar is an open-source multitrack tablature editor and player for macOS that focuses on writing, editing, and listening back to music in both tablature and standard notation.

It is a good fit for guitarists, bassists, and other musicians who want a desktop tool for arranging multiple parts, practicing with playback controls, and exchanging tabs through common file formats.

Writing and reading: tablature with standard notation when you need it

TuxGuitar centers on a score view that can show tablature, standard notation, or both, depending on how you prefer to work. The editor includes multiple layout options, including a page-style view and a linear view, plus a multitrack display mode that can show all tracks together. When screen space gets tight, a compact view can help, although some details may be hidden.

For note entry, TuxGuitar can bring up a fretboard view you can click to edit, with support for right-handed and left-handed guitars. There is also an on-screen piano for entering pitches by clicking keys, and a matrix editor geared toward percussion-style editing.

Multitrack arranging with practical track controls

Songs are organized as tracks, and TuxGuitar lets you add, remove, clone, and reorder them as your arrangement grows. Track-level controls include mute and solo, plus track properties where you can adjust details such as track name, color, instrument, and tuning.

For navigation during playback, TuxGuitar includes a dedicated player window and a track-table “transporter” style view that follows along as the song plays, letting you jump to specific measures and instruments.

Playback tools that support practice

TuxGuitar’s playback options go beyond basic start and stop. A built-in metronome and count-in help when you are practicing timing, and play modes support both a fixed-speed approach and a training approach that can increase tempo cycle by cycle. Looping options let you focus on a section rather than running the full song every time.

Formats and exporting for sharing and printing

TuxGuitar uses its own .tg format, and it can also work with a wide range of tablature and music formats. On the tablature side, it can open and, for some formats, save files such as .gp3, .gp4, .gp5, and it can also open related variants like .gtp, .gpx, and .gp. It also supports other tab-oriented formats like .ptb (load) and .tef (import).

For broader interchange and output, TuxGuitar can import and export MIDI, and export to formats commonly used for printing and sharing, including PDF, SVG, MusicXML, and ASCII text. Audio export is also available (including formats such as WAV). If you have a folder of files to process, the batch file converter can convert supported inputs into a chosen output format using default exporter options.

One caveat: when you work outside the native .tg format, some features may not carry across formats perfectly, since not every format supports everything TuxGuitar can represent.

Workflow touches and customization

The interface combines classic menus, toolbars, and right-click context menus. The toolbars expose many functions at once, which can feel busy at first, but they are optional and can be shown or hidden. TuxGuitar also supports reassignable keyboard shortcuts for many actions, and some tools provide visual customization, such as matrix editor font and color settings. Display options like chord styling and zoom controls help tailor readability to your screen and your material.