Guitar Fretboard Notes

A Beginner's Guide to Learn the Entire Guitar Neck

guitar fretboard notes names with popular guitarists We, guitar players, are one-of-a-kind musicians.

Often, we never bother to learn the notes of the guitar fretboard , but we keep relying on fixed chord shapes and scale patterns (don't miss our free chords and scales pdf).

Saxophonists, pianists and other musicians usually do their homework and perfectly know where the notes are on the instrument.

This makes them able to apply music theory , sight-reading , and being more complete musicians.

And why we guitarists should we not do the same? On this page, you're going to learn how and why to learn all fretboard notes .

It will be easy and fun, and, above all, rewarding .


Suggested Resource For This Tutorial: Free Guitar Fretboard Chart Pdf

guitar notes map

This free guitar notes map contains several diagrams showing the notes on the fretboard for each musical key.

This will help you understand the fretboard step-by-step , starting from a fretboard map with natural notes only , and introducing one sharp or flat note at a time.

Download The Fretboard Notes Map Pdf

Interactive Guitar Fretboard

This tool shows you the notes on the fretboard.

Click on a fret or select the name of a note and the tool will tell you the note or the fret position. (like this tool? Check the other guitar learning software )

The Musical Alphabet

The musical alphabet comprises the seven natural notes:

A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.

The sequence of these notes repeats itself at higher pitches, known as higher octaves.

Each octave is numbered to help identify the pitch range of notes. For instance, in standard piano tuning, Middle C is designated as C4.

This means it's the C note in the fourth octave of a standard 88-key piano. The next C note higher in pitch is C5, and the one below Middle C is C3.

A1 B1 C1 D1 E1 F1 G1 A2 B2 C2 D2 E2 F2 G2 A3 B3 C3 D3 E3 F3 G3 A4 B4 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4 A5...continue

On a piano, these natural notes correspond to the white keys. If you start at Middle C (C4) and move up to the next C (C5), you'll pass through all the natural notes in order: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and then arrive at the next C.

Guitar Neck Notes | Don't worry, there is a logic in this madness

guitar notes diagram guitar notes diagram
22 frets guitar neck map shown from the same point of view of the guitar player.

The picture above shows you the notes on the fretboard.

At first sight, it seems just a big mess: many note names scattered all around.

If you need help deciphering this map, for now just know that in the diagram the thickest string (E) is at the bottom of the image, and the guitar headstock is on the left .

3d guitar fretboard Basically, the diagram is created with the same point of view of a guitar player playing his/her axe.

Now we're going to learn some strategies that simplify all this stuff (if you want something crazy, I even created a LEGO 3d Model of the fretboard, that should help you visualize the pitches).

Fretboard Guitar Theory | First Things To Know

There are some rules that we can exploit in order to simplify the learning of the fretboard.

We'll take this with baby-steps , so feel free to jump to the sections ahead if you already familiar.

Some guitar players use the CAGED system to organize the fretboard.

It's a helpful tool, but to fully apply it you need to know the name of the notes, so stick with us and go ahead with this tutorial.

1) Learn the Names of the open strings

names of guitar open strings In the beginning, you should memorize at least 6 notes : the names of the open strings!

You should memorize the name and the order of the strings.

This will be useful for learning other things.

Indeed, often in tutorials and videos, you'll encounter instructions like " place your finger on the 2nd fret of the 6th string ".

Guitar Strings Order

The order of guitar strings is a bit counter intuitive, because they are counted from the thinnest to the thickest.

From the point of view of the guitarist, the first string (E high string) is actually the farthest and the nearest to the floor.

So, the guitar strings order is:

  • 1st string - E (the thinnest, highest pitch)
  • 2nd string - B
  • 3rd string - G
  • 4th string - D
  • 5th string - A
  • 6th string - E (the thickest, lowest pitch)

Notes and Frequencies

For the sake of information completeness, it's worth it to also show the frequency of the fretboard notes .

Probably in your musical career you'll need this stuff only when producing music, but it's good to know just the basics.

A pitch is measured in Hertz , each fret has its pitch.

A well-known frequency is 440 Hertz , that is 2 octaves up the pitch of the A open string, 110 Hertz . The Diapason , also called Tuning Fork , a device for tuning the guitar, oscillates at 440 Hertz.

  • 1st open string: E 329.63 Hertz
  • 2nd open string: B 246.94 Hertz
  • 3rd open string: G 196.00 Hertz
  • 4th open string: D 146.83 Hertz
  • 5th open string: A 110.00 Hertz
  • 6th open string: E 82.41 Hertz

If you want to learn more about note names and frequency, check my MIDI, note and frequency interactive tutorial.

Guitar String Acronym: Mnemonic Tricks

We can use a mnemonic trick to help us memorize open strings names.

By using a phrase in which the first letter of each word corresponds to the name of a string, our life will be easier.

In the acronyms below, the names of the strings are ordered from the thickest to the thinnest ( E A D G B E ):

  • E at A ll D ay G et B ig E asy
  • E very A mateur D oes G et B etter E ventually
  • E ddie A te D ynamite G ood B ye E ddie
  • E lephants A nd D onkeys G row B ig E ars

It's perfectly fine to create phrases in the opposite order: from the thinnest string (1st) to the thickest (6th), E B G D A E .

Choose what works better for you!

  • E aster B unny G ets D runk A fter E aster
  • E very B oy G ets D izzy A round E lle

For a more effective memorization, you should create your phrases ( there are endless possibilities ); here's one of my phrases, with Italian words: E mozionanti A vventure D ove G randi B arche E splodono . If you come up with something cool, please share it in the comments below!

2) The notes of the lowest E string are the same as the highest E string

Probably you already noticed that there are 2 strings with note E: the lowest (6th) and the highest (1st).

These strings, also called external strings (because they are at the upper and lower border of the fretboard) have different pitches, but their note names are the same .

So we just have to memorize the notes of 5 strings!

guitar notes on 6th and 1st stringsguitar notes on 6th and 1st strings
The notes on the 6th (thickest) string are the same as the 1st (thinnest) string!

3) Learn frets number (0-11)

So far we've considered open strings only. Now it's time to think horizontally and put our attention on frets.

Here are some facts about the frets of the guitar neck:

Frets number 0 corresponds to the open string

On chord diagrams, tabs and another kind of guitar music notation, if you find a fret numbered with 0 , that means that you should play the string open, without pressing any fret

On each string, the note at the fret 0 is the same of the note at fret 12 (the same for the next frets, 1=13, 2=14, 3=15 and so forth)

Here's the reason: in music, there are in total 12 notes , the natural notes: C D E F G A B and the sharp/flats notes (we'll get to this later in this article) C#/Db D#/Eb F#/Gb G#/Ab A#/Bb
So, if you start from C and go up one note after the other, after 12 steps will get again to the C:
C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C
The same happens with guitar frets, if you start from any fret, after 12 steps (or frets) you'll get to the same note.

Let's take as a example the E lowest string , shown in the picture below.

The notes of the first 11 frets (0-11) are the same of the 12-22 frets:

first 12 frets of the guitarfirst 12 frets of the guitar
The notes of the frets from 0 to 11 are the same of the frets from 12 to 22 (depending on the model, a guitar can have 20-24 frets) Click to zoom

To help you grasp better this concept, here's a different angle: a guitar has 2 equal fingerboards of 12 frets each , one placed next to the other.

4) Use Fretboard Dots as a Visual Help

Have you ever wondered what the dots on a guitar fretboard mean?

Even if certain brands fretboard dots are fancy and sometimes really beautiful (guessing game: what guitar has birds on the fretboard?), they are also useful for finding your way on the neck.

You can exploit them as landmarks for fretboard navigation .

On most of the guitars, these rules apply:

  • An inlay is applied at the 3rd fret
  • An inlay is applied at the 5th fret
  • An inlay is applied at the 7th fret
  • An inlay is applied at the 9th fret
  • A double inlay (or other symbol) is applied at the 12th fret
  • The same pattern is repeated on the frets above the 12th (inlays on frets 15, 17, 19, 21 and double inlays on 24)

Ok, so far we have learned that actually, we need to learn the notes of only 12 * 5 = 60 frets (because the first 12 frets are the same as the next 12, and the 1st and the 6th strings have the same notes).

But there are many other things that can help us master the fretboard .

We're going to take a look in depth at the geometry of the fretboard in the next sections:

Guitar Notes On Staff

Here below you find six images showing the fretboard notes on staff. Even if the ability to read music is not strictly mandatory for being a great musician, it certainly helps.

E string fretboard notes on staff

E low string notes on staff

A string fretboard notes on staff

A string notes on staff

D string fretboard notes on staff

D string notes on staff

G string fretboard notes on staff

G string notes on staff

B string fretboard notes on staff

B string notes on staff

E string fretboard notes on staff

E high string notes on staff

How To Really Master The Fretboard

Now things are going to get interesting.

Once Andres Segovia , the famous virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist, said " The guitar is the easiest instrument to play, and the hardest to play well ".

True story. Even if you're a complete beginner, you could memorize a pair of chord shapes, strum the strings a bit, and you can tell yourself that you're " playing the guitar ".

But you can't say anything about the notes that compose the chords you're playing, or how to introduce variations in what you're playing.

In the following, we'll learn how the fretboard really works.

Before going forward, be sure to get your free access to the download area here: you'll get access to many chords, scales and theory pdfs.

Why Should I learn The Fretboard?

Learning the fretboard opens up a new world of possibilities

I make you a promise: if you want to really understand the guitar fretboard theory, and you are ready to commit yourself in studying and learning a bit of music theory and its relationship with the neck geometry , you'll be rewarded with the ability to play better and better.

During your solos, you'll find automatically the notes that your mind and your heart suggests.

Long story made short, you'll play music, not guitar .

If you have ever felt yourself like trapped in fixed scale patterns and chord shapes, you know what I mean.

Ok, now you have understood that, in order to become a complete musician, you need to learn the fretboard, but why it seems so difficult at first ?

Well, the main problem with your guitar neck is that, unlike the piano keyboard in which the frets are disposed horizontally one after the other, on the guitar there are different places in which to find the same note .

piano C major scale

Piano keyboard layout: there is only 1 path, 1 option for playing the C major scale from C lowest to C one octave (7 white frets) higher

For example, suppose you want to play a C major scale that starts from the 3rd frets of the fifth string (A string).

We all know (at least we should) that the C major scale is composed of C, D, E, F, G, A, B notes.

Have a look at the image below: clearly you have different paths.

You could skip string soon after the C and play the D note on the fourth string (D), or you could stay on the fifth string, playing the D on the fifth string.

c major scale on fretboardc major scale on fretboard

Guitar fretboard layout: there exist different paths for playing the same scale
(option 1: yellow path , option 2: red path )

From a beginner's perspective, having too many options make things complicated .

On the other hand, for those who master the fretboard, the nature of the guitar layout enhances the expressive and musical possibilities.

But don't worry, you'll see some strategies useful to tame the fretboard complexity.

Trick n.1: See the fretboard strings as 6 piano keyboards

One good mental trick useful to understand the fretboard, is to consider every string like a distinct piano keyboard , that starts from the respective note.

As said before, the standard tuning of the guitar, starting from the thickest string to the thinner, is E A D G B E .

  • The sixth string (and its related piano keyboard) starts with the E note
  • The fifth string (and its related piano keyboard) starts with the A note
  • The fourth string (and its related piano keyboard) starts with the D note
  • The third string (and its related piano keyboard) starts with the G note
  • The second string (and its related piano keyboard) starts with the B note
  • The first string (and its related piano keyboard) starts with the E note (2 octaves, 14 white keys higher than the lowest E string)
piano and fretboard guitar relationship

Fretboard Map: Notes With Same Pitches

A beneficial visualization is showing the notes comprised in a certain pitch range, but on different strings, with the same color.

In the fretboard diagram below you see where you can play the same notes (equal name and pitch) on different strings.

guitar fretboard notes with same pitch

Fretboard strings relationship and guitar standard tuning

Given the piano keyboard - strings analogy, it's easier to explain the standard guitar tuning .

First of all, we need to have at least the E lowest string tuned with the aid of a tuner device.

This gives us a standard reference coherent with other musicians.

Then we can tune the other strings using the previous string as a reference.

We said that the fifth string has to be an A note.

  • So we press the A note on the sixth string (low E), which is located at the 5th fret, and we tune the fifth open string (A) until the two strings sound the same pitch.
  • We do the same with the other strings (see the diagram below).
  • The fourth open string (D) has to have the same pitch of the 5th fret of the fifth string.
  • The third open string (G) has to have the same pitch of the 5th fret of the fourth string, and so forth.
  • Just notice the small difference at the third string (G), on which you must play the 4th fret (instead of the 5th) to tune the second string (B). We'll see why later.

This video shows you clearly how to tune your guitar

C major scale on B string guitar fretboardC major scale on B string guitar fretboard

Guitar standard tuning

What about the black keys? (half-steps and whole steps)

Now it's time to talk about a bit (just a bit) music theory. In Western music, the minimum distance between two notes is called half-step (or semitone).

A distance of 2 half-steps is called whole step .

On the piano keyboard, the distance between the keys (white or black) is 1 half-step .

If we look again at the piano keyboard, we can see that there is a black key between each pair of white keys, except for the space between the B and C keys , and the E and F keys .
So here's the first important thing to notice:

  • Between C and D there is 1 whole-step (2 half-steps)
  • Between D and E there is 1 whole-step (2 half-steps)
  • Between E and F there is 1 half-steps
  • Between F and G there is 1 whole-step (2 half-steps)
  • Between G and A there is 1 whole-step (2 half-steps)
  • Between A and B there is 1 whole-step (2 half-steps)
  • Between B and C there is 1 half-steps

Thus, the structure of the Major Scale is composed of 2 whole steps ( C-D-E ), 1 half-step ( E-F ), 3 whole steps ( F-G-A-B ) and 1 half-step ( B-C ). On the fingerboard, we have not black or white keys, but we have frets .

1 fret = 1 half-step = 1 semitone

Let's look at the C Major Scale on the guitar neck .

As previously said before, we have different options for playing a given scale.

This time, for visualization convenience, I've chosen to start from the first fret of the B string , that is a C, and play the scale horizontally on the same string , in order to visualize better the steps and half-steps structure:

C major scale on B string guitar fretboardC major scale on B string guitar fretboard

C major scale on the second (B) string

Sharps and flats and neck frets

In music theory, there are two symbols that, when applied to a note, change its pitch and its name.

They are called sharps and flats:

flat (b) : lowers a note by 1 half-step

sharp (#) : raises a note by 1 half-step

For example, a D flat is a D note lowered by 1 half-step, while a C sharp is a C note raised by 1 half-step. D flat and C sharp have different names, but they have the same pitch .

On the guitar fretboard, they are placed on the same fret ! You'll learn why the same fret can have different names in future lessons, technically this topic is called " enharmonics ", but don't worry for now.

Let's now introduce the chromatic scale , a scale composed of 12 half-steps required for going from a note to the same note 1 octave above.

The C chromatic scale is the following:

C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab - A - A#/Bb - B - C

C major scale on B string guitar fretboardC major scale on B string guitar fretboard

C chromatic scale on the second (B) string

Playing the chromatic scale on the fretboard is straightforward because you only have to play one fret after the other.

Notice that between the lowest C and the higher C there are 12 frets , or 12 half-steps

Trick n.2: Fretboard Octaves

Beginners guitar players usually memorize only the notes on the sixth and fifth strings , because they have learned bar chords shape and they need to find the root note of the chords.

Starting from this knowledge, it's possible to exploit the fretboard geometry to find notes on the other strings.

Drill down: At the following link I'll show you the so called octave intervals : starting from a given notes, you can find the same note on the higher strings, 1 or 2 octaves above.

This is a great visual aid that helps you find your notes quickly.

Octaves will be also useful when you approach guitar triads and chord inversions.

Trick n.3 | Fretboard Chart Pdf

In the free guitar notes chart pdf , you'll find several neck notes map.

Let's have a look at them:

We can have natural notes (C D E F G A B), notes with sharps (like C# and D#) and notes with flats (like Bb, Db and Eb).

In the beginning, it's easier to memorize only the natural notes, and then the notes with flats, and finally the notes with sharps.

Guitar Fretboard Notes Chart with natural notes only
Diagram showing only natural notes (no sharps and no flats) Guitar Fretboard Notes Chart with natural and sharp notes
Diagram showing natural notes and sharps notes. Guitar Fretboard Notes Chart with natural and flat notes
Diagram showing natural notes and flats notes.

The chart pdf contains several fretboard maps , each one showing a particular guitar key . In this way is easier to focus on the notes of a given key and learn the notes step-by-step.

The layout of the maps is clear and easy-to-remember

In the diagrams, the musical keys are organized following the circle of fifths , that is a way to display and memorize the sharps/flats that belong to a given key.

Starting from the C key, that has not any sharp/flat, you'll notice that changing key, following the Circle of the Fifths, will introduce just one single sharp/flat at a time.

Don't worry if you're not familiar with the circle of fifths , this concept is well visualized in the pdf.

Here below you find some guitar notes map for the most common tonalities.

Neck Notes Chart for C Major Key

  • C Major : C - D - E - F - G - A - B - C
    Sharps/flats: none

As said before, one of the best ways to learn the notes on the fretboard is to start memorizing only the natural notes.

This strategy requires less effort, as you have to deal with just 7 notes.

So here below you find the guitar notes diagram for the C key , that has natural notes only.

Take your time to memorize these notes, as they'll be the foundation for more complex concepts.

guitar notes diagram - c major key

Fretboard Diagram for G Major Key

Once you have the major C notes under your belt, you can proceed to the next key, that, following the Circle of Fifths, is the G key.

The G key has the F sharp instead of the F , so you only have to raise the F by one half-step

  • G Major : G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G
    Sharps/flats: F#

guitar notes diagram - g major key

Guitar Fretboard Notes Chart for D Major Key

  • D Major : D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D
    Sharps/flats: F# C#

The D major key introduces the C sharp notes, now you're a fretboard wizard and you easily find this new note by raising the C note by one half-step.

guitar notes diagram - d major key

Guitar Notes Diagram for A Major Key

  • A Major : A - B - C# - D - E - F# - G# - A
    Sharps/flats: F# C# G#

The same mechanism of above, the new note in A major key is G#. So please raise that G by one half-step

guitar notes diagram - a major key

Guitar Neck Diagram for E Major Key

  • E Major : E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E
    Sharps/flats: F# C# G# D#

Here it comes the E major key with a new note, the D sharp

guitar notes diagram - e major key

Fretboard Notes Chart for B Major Key

  • B Major : B – C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A# - B
    Sharps/flats: F# C# G# D# A#

Now it's time of the B major key, A sharp is the new note! You'll find the other keys and relative diagrams in the pdf .

guitar notes diagram - b major key

Tricks 4: Online Fretboard Trainer Game

We are a little proud of this tool because is used by thousands of guitar players daily. It's a free browser game that you can use online, without installing anything.

It helps you memorize all the fretboard notes quickly while having fun.

Launch the fretboard trainer now.

There are many exercises to memorize the fretboard , but this little tool can really speed up your learning, check it out!

Guitar Neck Notes | More Resources To Learn The Fretboard

Ok, in this tutorial we have covered a lot of ground. Now you should have a good knowledge of the guitar fretboard and some material to work on.

Take your time to internalize these concepts, download the notes map pdf , practice the fretboard trainer game at least 10 minutes a day, and in no time you'll find yourself flying effortlessly up and down the neck .

If you have any doubts or questions, just ask in the comments below, and please share your feedback.

To stay updated on new tutorials, subscribe to the free newsletter (you'll also get access to the download area with lots of free printable resources)

Here below you'll find more resources that will help deepen your fretboard knowledge:

The Reasons For Standard Guitar Fretboard Tuning

Have you ever wondered why the guitar is tuned E A D G B E?

In this tutorial we'll go back in time and figure out the reason.

Guitar Triads: The Way To Fretboard Freedom

Triads are the most powerful concept you can use to gain fretboard fluency.

In this tutorial you'll learn the 4 types of guitar triads and how to build upon them.

Guitar CAGED System

CAGED is a useful tool to know. Not everybody like it but, the more you know, the better you can decide.

Fretboard Navigation Choices: Left Or Right?

On the guitar, you always have 2 choices. You can move to the left, or on the right.

Unlike the piano, on the fretboard, you can play higher pitches even going left, and the opposite.

Fretboard Interval Complete Diagrams

A complete map with all the interval geometries across the 6 strings.

This is a useful reference if you want to create your own chord/scale patterns.

All Fourths Guitar Tuning

Want to experiment with something new?

Try out this tuning. It's a logical and clear layout that pure guitar soloist will appreciate a lot!