Enter notes by fret, apply techniques, generate content, and edit the score structure.
Click any beat in the score to select it. Type the fret number on the keyboard to enter a note on the active string. Use arrow keys to move between strings and beats.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| 0–9 | Enter fret number (two digits: type quickly, e.g. 12 = fret 12) |
| ↑ / ↓ | Move to next / previous string |
| → / ← | Move to next / previous beat |
| Alt+↑ / ↓ | Nudge selected note fret +1 / −1 (creates a note on empty beat) |
| Enter | Advance to next beat |
| Tab | Advance to next beat |
| Del | Delete selected note or beat |
| R | Insert rest beat |
| Alt+1–7 | Set note duration (1=whole, 2=half, 3=quarter, 4=8th, 5=16th, 6=32nd, 7=64th) |
With a note selected, use the technique buttons in the editor toolbar or the keyboard shortcuts below.
| Technique | Button / Key | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dead note | X button | Muted percussive hit, ×-head notation |
| Staccato | · button | Shortened articulation |
| Tie | T button | Connects note to previous beat, no re-attack |
| Slide | S (cycles types) | Slide up, slide down, legato slide, shift slide |
| Slide-in | I (cycles type) | Slide from below or above into the note |
| Vibrato | V (cycles depth) | Slight, wide, or palm vibrato |
| Hammer-on / Pull-off | H | Legato connection to next note |
| Bend | ¼ ½ 1 1½ buttons in toolbar | Quarter, half, full, release; shown as bend curve above tab |
| Harmonic | ◇ button (cycles: off → NH → PH) | Natural harmonic (diamond head) or pinch harmonic; displayed as ◇ / NH / PH |
| Dynamics | D (cycles ppp → fff) | First press sets mf; subsequent presses cycle through 8 levels |
With a note selected, the note editor toolbar shows bend amount buttons: ¼ ½ 1 1½ (quarter, half, full, full-and-a-half step). Click one to apply; click again to clear. A release bend curves back down after the peak. Bends are encoded as BendPoint curves. Guitar Pro renders them identically.
In the Generator panel, open Transpose to Key. Choose a target key from the 24-key picker (12 major + 12 minor). Click Apply to shift all notes in the score by the necessary semitones. The chord chart and Roman numeral analysis update automatically.
Select a range of bars (A-B loop), then use the transpose control to shift just that range. Good for testing how a riff sounds in a different register without committing to a full transpose.
The ♭≡ popup in the player bar offers one-click tune-down / tune-up by a half step, plus quick access to Drop D and 11 other common alternate tunings. An Apply to all tracks toggle extends the tuning change to every instrument in the score.
Found in the Generator panel (right side of editor toolbar). All generators share the same Root note and Quality (major/minor/dom7/etc.) controls at the top.
Choose from 5 strum patterns and a time signature. Click Generate to create a new bar with that rhythm applied to the current chord. Good for building rhythm guitar parts over a chord progression.
Generates an arpeggiated version of a chord across a bar. Set the chord root, quality, and arpeggio direction (up, down, up-down, random). Click Generate to insert a bar of arpeggiated 8th or 16th notes.
Select a key - a palette of diatonic chords appears (I through VII). Click chords to sequence a progression, then click Generate to create new bars with those chords. Chord voicings are automatically selected for guitar.
Generates a drum/percussion track with a selectable groove pattern. Adds a new percussion track to the score if one doesn't exist. Useful for backing a guitar part with a basic rhythm track.
A 16-step grid for building rhythmic patterns. Toggle individual steps on/off and set accent levels. Save up to 8 pattern slots (localStorage). Generate creates a bar from the current pattern. Good for building drum or bass patterns from scratch.
Runs Drone + Bass + Drum generators in one pass - creates a full backing arrangement from the current chord root and quality. Useful for quickly scaffolding a practice track around a riff.
With an A-B loop set, press Ctrl+Shift+D to duplicate that range of bars and insert the copy immediately after bar B. Useful for extending a riff or creating a new section based on an existing one.
Press Ctrl+K to open the command palette. Type to fuzzy-search across 44+ commands - everything from tool tabs to editor actions to navigation shortcuts. Hit Enter to execute. The fastest way to reach any feature without clicking through menus.
While editing, Riffwork watches for bars that don't fill their time signature (too few or too many beats). When detected, a suggestion banner appears above the bar with options to fix it automatically - pad with rests, truncate, or split into two bars. You can dismiss and fix manually instead.
When you open a #tex= share link while a score is already loaded and has notes, Riffwork asks whether to replace the score or add the incoming track as a new track alongside your existing ones. Choose Add as track to merge without losing your work. You can then reorder or rename tracks in the Track panel.
Drop an audio file (MP3, WAV, OGG) onto the score to attach it as a stem layer. The audio locks to the score tempo and plays back in sync. Useful for practicing along with a reference recording, or for matching a tab to a specific performance. See Import & Export for full details on supported formats.
Attach a text note to any bar. Right-click a bar and choose Add note, or press Alt+N. Notes appear as gold pins in the minimap and as a tooltip on hover. All notes for the current file are listed in the Notes tab of the Tools panel.
Bar notes are stored locally by default. Cloud sync for bar notes is available on Pro accounts.