The fretboard looks like a grid of a hundred-plus random positions, but it is built on a handful of simple rules. Once you know them, you can work out any note on any string in seconds, and memorising the rest becomes a short daily habit rather than a slog. This tutorial covers guitar notes for beginners step by step: the musical alphabet, the open strings, where the natural notes fall on each string, and the octave shapes that let you find the same note in several places. Grab your guitar and tune it first; our free online tuner works through your device’s microphone.
Step 1: the musical alphabet
Western music uses only seven letter names: A B C D E F G. After G, the alphabet starts again at A, one octave higher. Between most of these natural notes there is an extra note, a sharp (#) or flat (b). The two exceptions are B to C and E to F, which have no note in between.
That gives twelve different notes in total, called the chromatic scale:
A A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab (then A again)
A# and Bb are the same pitch with two names. Which name you use depends on the key, but on the fretboard they are the same fret. Memorise one fact above all: B-C and E-F are one fret apart; every other pair of neighbouring natural notes is two frets apart.
Step 2: the open strings
In standard tuning the six strings, from the thickest (lowest pitch, closest to your face) to the thinnest, are:
| String number | Open note | Common mnemonic |
|---|---|---|
| 6 (thickest) | E (low E) | Eddie |
| 5 | A | Ate |
| 4 | D | Dynamite |
| 3 | G | Good |
| 2 | B | Bye |
| 1 (thinnest) | E (high E) | Eddie |
Both outer strings are E, two octaves apart. That is handy: anything you learn on the low E string applies to the high E string at the same fret numbers.
Step 3: every fret is one semitone
Each fret raises the pitch by one semitone, the smallest step in Western music. So to find a note, start at the open string and count up the alphabet, remembering the B-C and E-F rule. On the low E string:
- Open = E
- Fret 1 = F (E to F is only one fret)
- Fret 3 = G
- Fret 5 = A
- Fret 7 = B
- Fret 8 = C (B to C is only one fret)
- Fret 10 = D
- Fret 12 = E, one octave above the open string
At the 12th fret the whole pattern repeats. Fret 13 is the same note name as fret 1, fret 15 the same as fret 3, and so on. That means you only ever need to learn frets 0 to 11 on each string, which is why most guitars have double dots at the 12th fret.
Guitar notes for beginners: the natural notes on every string
Here are the natural notes (no sharps or flats) on frets 0 to 12 for all six strings. The sharps and flats are the frets in between.
| String | Natural notes (fret number in brackets) |
|---|---|
| 6 (low E) | E(0) F(1) G(3) A(5) B(7) C(8) D(10) E(12) |
| 5 (A) | A(0) B(2) C(3) D(5) E(7) F(8) G(10) A(12) |
| 4 (D) | D(0) E(2) F(3) G(5) A(7) B(9) C(10) D(12) |
| 3 (G) | G(0) A(2) B(4) C(5) D(7) E(9) F(10) G(12) |
| 2 (B) | B(0) C(1) D(3) E(5) F(6) G(8) A(10) B(12) |
| 1 (high E) | E(0) F(1) G(3) A(5) B(7) C(8) D(10) E(12) |
In tab, the natural notes on the low E string look like this (play each one and say its name out loud):
e|-----------------------------| B|-----------------------------| G|-----------------------------| D|-----------------------------| A|-----------------------------| E|-0--1--3--5--7--8--10--12----| E F G A B C D E
And the same idea on the A string:
e|-----------------------------| B|-----------------------------| G|-----------------------------| D|-----------------------------| A|-0--2--3--5--7--8--10--12----| E|-----------------------------| A B C D E F G A
If tab is new to you, our sibling guide on how to read guitar tabs explains the format.
Step 4: learn the low E and A strings first
Do not try to memorise all six strings at once. The low E and A strings matter most for beginners because they hold the root notes of barre chords and power chords. If you know that the 5th fret of the low E string is A, you know where to play an A power chord or an E-shape A major barre chord. If you know the 3rd fret of the A string is C, you know where to play a C power chord or an A-shape C barre chord.
Spend one or two weeks on these two strings only. Once they are automatic, every chord chart becomes easier to navigate; see our guide to reading guitar chord charts for how root notes appear in chord diagrams.
Step 5: use octave shapes to find notes on the other strings
Octave shapes let you jump from a note you know to the same note on a higher string. These work in standard tuning:
- Low E string to D string: move up two strings and two frets. Example: G on the low E string at fret 3, G on the D string at fret 5.
- A string to G string: up two strings and two frets. Example: C on the A string at fret 3, C on the G string at fret 5.
- D string to B string: up two strings and three frets (the B string is tuned differently, so the shape stretches by one fret). Example: G on the D string at fret 5, G on the B string at fret 8.
- G string to high E string: up two strings and three frets. Example: C on the G string at fret 5, C on the high E string at fret 8.
- Low E to high E: same fret, two octaves higher. Example: A at fret 5 on both.
e|---------------------|
B|---------------------|
G|---------------------|
D|--------5------------|
A|---------------------|
E|--3------------------|
G G (one octave up)
Step 6: the fifth-fret rule
The 5th fret on any string gives the same note as the next thinner open string, with one exception. Low E string fret 5 = A (the open A string). A string fret 5 = D. D string fret 5 = G. But the G string is the odd one: G string fret 4 = B, the open B string. Then B string fret 5 = E, the open high E. This is the same relationship you use to tune by ear, and it is also why chord shapes shift by one fret when they cross from the G string to the B string.
A 10-minute daily fretboard routine
- Say it as you play it (3 minutes). Play the natural notes on one string, ascending and descending, naming each note out loud.
- One note, every string (3 minutes). Pick a note, such as C, and find it on all six strings within the first 12 frets. Do a different note each day.
- Random drill (2 minutes). Call out random notes and find them on the low E and A strings as fast as you can.
- Octaves (2 minutes). Pick a note on the low E string and play its octave on the D string, then move up the neck.
Use a slow pulse on our online metronome to add time pressure: find each note on the click. Most beginners who do this routine five days a week know the low E and A strings within a few weeks and the full neck within a few months. A clip-on tuner such as the Snark SN5X also doubles as a note checker: it displays the name of any note you play, so you can confirm your guesses.
When the notes feel familiar, put them to work. Our guide to guitar scales for beginners shows how these same positions form scale patterns.
FAQ
Do I need to learn every note on the guitar?
Eventually it helps, but not on day one. Start with the open strings and the natural notes on the low E and A strings. That covers most chord roots. Add the other strings gradually using octave shapes.
Why are there no notes between B and C or E and F?
Those pairs are already one semitone apart, so there is no room for a sharp or flat between them. On the guitar, they sit on neighbouring frets. Every other pair of natural notes is a whole tone (two frets) apart.
How long does it take to learn the guitar fretboard?
With ten minutes of focused practice most days, many beginners know the low E and A strings in two to four weeks and can find any note within the first 12 frets in a few months. Naming notes out loud while you play speeds it up considerably.
