How the fretboard works
Every fret you move up a string raises the note by one half step. So the note at any spot is the open string's note plus the number of frets. On the low E string, fret 1 is F, fret 2 is F♯, fret 3 is G, and so on. After 12 frets you are back at E, one octave higher, and the whole pattern repeats.
Landmarks that save time
- No sharp between E and F, or B and C. Those pairs are one fret apart. Everything else is a whole step (two frets) with a sharp or flat in between.
- The 12th fret is the open string again. Anything past it is the same as the first frets.
- The dots at 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12 let you find your place quickly.
- Octaves sit two strings up and two frets along (a fret less when crossing from G to B).
Every natural note on the neck
Here are all the natural notes (no sharps or flats) up to the 12th fret. Notice how few shapes there are: the same note names keep reappearing in a pattern.
How to practise
Do Warm-up until the natural notes on frets 0 to 5 are instant, then move to the Working set for the whole neck and the sharps and flats. In Find it mode you tap every place a note lives, which builds the neck as a map, not a list. The Heavy lift hides the fret numbers, so you have to count from the dots.
Want to put it to use? See the guitar chord library, tune up with the tuner, or find an easy key with the capo calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I learn the notes on the guitar fretboard?
Start with the open strings (E A D G B E), then learn the natural notes on one string at a time up to the 5th fret. Use the shortcuts: each fret is one half step, there is no sharp between E and F or between B and C, and fret 12 is the open note again. Then work on the other strings and the sharps and flats, a few minutes a day.
What are the open strings of a guitar?
From the thickest (lowest) to the thinnest (highest): E A D G B E. A common phrase is "Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie".
Why is fret 12 the same note as the open string?
Twelve half steps make an octave. After twelve frets you are back at the same note name, one octave higher. The 12th fret is usually marked with two dots. The pattern of notes then repeats.
What are the dots on the neck for?
Inlay dots at frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12 (and often 15) are landmarks so you can find your place without counting every fret.
Is the pattern the same on bass and ukulele?
Yes, the logic is identical: a fret raises the string by a half step. A four-string bass is tuned E A D G, the same as the four lowest guitar strings an octave lower. A standard ukulele is tuned G C E A, with the G higher than the C (re-entrant tuning).
What is the quickest shortcut for finding a note?
Octave shapes: the same note appears two strings up and two frets along (for example the E string 3rd fret G and the D string 5th fret G, with a one-fret change when crossing the B string). Another is to know the 5th-fret rule: the 5th fret of a string is the same note as the next open string, except between the G and B strings, where it is the 4th fret.