Guitar technique
Tremolo picking is the technique of rapidly alternating downstrokes and upstrokes on a single note or chord to produce a sustained, rapidly-repeating sound.
Free for the first 3 songs.
What it is
Tremolo picking is heard in surf rock, metal (especially black and death metal), classical mandolin and bouzouki crossover styles, and ambient guitar work where it creates sustained, droning textures. The picking speed typically ranges from 8 to 16 notes per beat depending on tempo, and the technique requires forearm relaxation and a controlled wrist motion to sustain for more than a few bars.
How to read it
Tab notation uses three slashes through the note stem to indicate tremolo picking (in standard notation) or 'trem.' written above the tab measure. Some tab editors also use a wavy line distinct from the vibrato line.
See the full guide to reading guitar tab for the complete symbol reference, or browse the glossary for related terminology.
How audio2guitar detects it
The pipeline detects tremolo picking by identifying sustained sequences of repeated identical notes with attack rates above the threshold for normal picking (typically 12+ notes per second on a single pitch). The detection avoids false positives from genuine tremolo machine effects by analyzing the attack-envelope shape.
Where it shows up
The tab shows it as a single notated note with the tremolo marker, not as dozens of duplicated note heads. This matches standard tab convention and stays readable.
Pedal-effect tremolo modulates volume, not pitch attacks. The pipeline detects pick attacks regardless of volume modulation, so a tremolo pedal does not produce tremolo-picking annotations.
Every tremolo picking our pipeline detects gets marked in the tab automatically. First 3 songs free.