Dead note notation

An X written in place of a fret number to show that the string is struck while muted, with no definite pitch.

The dead note mark is the written form of the percussive scrape or thud that appears throughout funk, metal and acoustic rhythm playing. Because no pitch is sounded, the X carries only rhythmic information, and in tab it usually appears in runs among ordinary numbers. Ensemble parts use it heavily to notate percussive guitar figures, and players reading such a line should treat each X as a rhythm event and mute accordingly.

Example: A tab line in which several strokes are written as X rather than numbers asks for muted percussive hits instead of notes.

Dead note notation

See also