Guitar Fretboard Notes: Map, Octaves and Practice
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Every note on the guitar comes from the six open strings plus one rule: each fret raises the pitch by one semitone. Learn the open strings, the two places where natural notes sit side by side, and the 12th fret octave. With those, you can work out any note on the neck.
The open strings in standard tuning
From the thickest string to the thinnest:
| String | 6 (low) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 (high) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | E2 | A2 | D3 | G3 | B3 | E4 |
The number after each letter is the octave. Both outer strings are E, but the high E sounds two octaves above the low E.
Frets and semitones
One fret is one semitone in twelve-note equal temperament. The 12 notes run:
C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, then back to C.
Most natural notes (the plain letter names) have a sharp note between them. Two pairs do not: B to C and E to F are only one fret apart, with no extra fret between them. Forgetting this is a common naming mistake.
Sharp notes also have flat names. F# and Gb are the same fret.
Each metal fret marks one of these fixed semitone steps. Reading about why guitars have frets gives useful background on the layout itself. With that background, the counting rule above feels less like something to memorize and more like a direct result of how the neck is built.
Fretboard map, frets 0 to 5
| String | Open | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High E | E | F | F# | G | G# | A |
| B | B | C | C# | D | D# | E |
| G | G | G# | A | A# | B | C |
| D | D | D# | E | F | F# | G |
| A | A | A# | B | C | C# | D |
| Low E | E | F | F# | G | G# | A |
Look at the B row: fret 1 is C, because B and C are only one semitone apart. The same thing happens on both E strings, where fret 1 is F.
The 12th fret octave
At fret 12 the pattern starts again. Each string plays its open note one octave higher. Fret 13 matches fret 1, fret 15 matches fret 3, and so on. Once you know the first 12 frets, you know the whole neck. Many guitars mark fret 12 with a double dot.
Why fret 5 matches the next string
On most strings, fret 5 gives the same note as the next higher open string. That is because those strings are a perfect fourth apart, which is five semitones. Low E fret 5 is A, A fret 5 is D, and D fret 5 is G.
The exception is G to B. Those two strings are a major third apart, which is four semitones, so the open B note is at fret 4 of the G string. This is why shapes that cross from the G string to the B string shift up one fret.
Octave shapes for finding notes faster
Once you know a note on one string, you can find the same name on another:
- On the low strings, go up two strings and two frets. Low E fret 3 is G, and D string fret 5 is also G.
- When the jump crosses the B string, add one more fret. G string fret 2 is A, and high E fret 5 is also A.
A simple practice routine
- Pick one natural note, such as C.
- Find it on every string between frets 0 and 12, saying the name out loud.
- Move to a new note in your next session.
You can also drill note names with the fretboard trainer. To see what this knowledge gives you as a player, read why learn the notes on guitar.
Alternate tunings change the map
If you retune a string, the notes on that string change too. In Drop D tuning, the low string is lowered two semitones to D. A given pitch on that string is now found two frets higher than in standard tuning. For example, E moves from the open string to fret 2. The other five strings stay the same.
