How to convert a PDF into editable guitar sheet music

You found a guitar PDF online, or someone sent you a part, and now you want to fix a few frets, change the tuning, or turn a chord chart into full tab. Instead of re-entering every note by hand, you can import the PDF into Flat and turn it into a score you can edit. This guide covers how to import a guitar PDF, what to check afterward, and how to export the finished score.

Importing your guitar PDF into Flat

Importing takes about a minute, on the web or from your phone.

1. In your Flat score library, click New score, then choose Import PDF.
2. Upload your guitar PDF from your computer. On the iOS or Android app you can instead photograph the page, and the in-app scanner finds it, crops it, and cleans up the image.
3. Flat reads the staves, tab, notes, rhythms, and markings, multi-page scores included, and opens the result as an editable score.
4. Press play to hear it, then start editing.

On import, the notes, rhythms, chord symbols, tab numbers, and lyrics usually come across. Faint or complex passages are the most likely to need a correction, so read through the score before you rely on it. Flat's guide to scanning and importing sheet music lists what it reads.

PDF import works on every Flat account and runs on page credits, so you pay only for the pages you import. One-time packs are 30 pages for $9.99, 70 pages for $17.99, and 300 pages for $49.99.

PDF to Sheet Music: Convert PDFs into Editable Scores

Convert PDF sheet music into editable, interactive scores with Flat. AI-powered music recognition, no manual transcription required.

Flat

Refining your imported guitar score

Flat reads most of a guitar score accurately. A few things are worth a look on tab and notation, and a few are yours to add.

• String and fret choices. The same pitch can sit on more than one string, so check that notes landed on the strings and frets you actually play.
  
  💡 Change the string assigned to a note.
  
• Tuning and capo. If the part uses drop D, a capo, or another tuning, set it so the tab and pitches match.
  
  💡 Tuning and capo.
  
• Chord grids. Turn chord symbols into chord diagrams above the staff, or fix the shapes that came in.
  
  💡 Add chord notation and grids.
  
• Strums. Add up and down stroke marks where the part calls for them.
  
  💡 Up and down strokes.
  
• Hammer-ons and pull-offs. Re-add the slurs that mark hammer-ons and pull-offs between notes.
  
  💡 Hammer-on and pull-off.
  
• Slides. Mark the slides between frets so playback and notation match the original.
  
  💡 Add or remove a slide.
  

Sharing and exporting your guitar score

Once the guitar score looks the way you want, share it with a private link so a bandmate or teacher can open it in the browser and edit alongside you in real time. When you want a copy on your computer, export to PDF for printing, MIDI to carry into a DAW, or MusicXML to move it to another program. A common workflow: import a guitar part, set the tuning and fix a few frets, then export a clean PDF to share with the band. See the options on Flat's print and export page.

Getting the cleanest import

A few habits give you a cleaner score from the start. Use the original digital PDF rather than a page you printed and scanned again, since each extra scan adds noise. Keep the file upright and cropped to the music, with one piece per file. Clear, engraved notation and tab read far better than faint or handwritten pages, which Flat cannot read. The sharper the source, the less you fix afterward.

Why Flat for guitar

Flat runs in your browser, so you can open an imported part on a laptop and keep editing on a tablet later, with nothing to install. Playback uses real instrument samples, so you can hear the riff as you work, even away from your guitar. And because scores live online, a bandmate or teacher can edit the same tab with you in real time.

Ready to turn your guitar PDF into an editable score? Try Flat for free!