Determine the pitch of each music note. The lines and spaces of the treble clef (upper set of staff lines) and bass clef (lower set of staff lines) have specific note names. If you are unfamiliar with reading standard musical notation, consult a reference chart (see Resources).
Pinpoint the tab line on which a note should be written. The lines represent the strings of the guitar, with the top line being high E and the bottom line being low E.
Write a number on the correct line that corresponds with the fret in which a note should be played. For instance, to transfer a middle C note to tab, you would write a "3" on the line that is second from the bottom. If you don't hold down a string in fret to play a note, you write a "0" on that line. For instance, to transfer a high E note to tab, you would write a "0" on the top line. If you are unsure of where a note is located on a guitar, use a fretboard chart as a reference (see Resources).
Write multiple numbers on top of each other for notes that are played simultaneously. For instance, if you have a high E, C#, A, E and low A written in musical notes, you would write the numbers "0," "2," "2," "2," and "0" in a vertical row, beginning with the top line. This would be an A chord.
Indicate divisions of rhythm with bar lines. Bar lines are vertical lines that divide sheet music into measures. Each measure has a certain number of beats (usually three or four). Draw bar lines after a set number of symbols on a sheet of tab, so that it matches the rhythmic division on the sheet music.