# Every note on the guitar fretboard

> In standard tuning the open strings are E, A, D, G, B and E, from the thickest to the thinnest. Each fret raises a note by a half step, and fret 12 brings back the open note an octave higher, so frets 0 to 12 hold every note on the neck. Natural notes sit two frets apart, except E–F and B–C, which are one fret apart.

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## The natural notes, frets 0 to 12

The chart shows the natural notes, A to G. The empty frets between them are the sharps and flats: the fret between F and G is F♯, also called G♭.

| String | Notes (fret) |
| --- | --- |
| high e | E (0), F (1), G (3), A (5), B (7), C (8), D (10), E (12) |
| B | B (0), C (1), D (3), E (5), F (6), G (8), A (10), B (12) |
| G | G (0), A (2), B (4), C (5), D (7), E (9), F (10), G (12) |
| D | D (0), E (2), F (3), G (5), A (7), B (9), C (10), D (12) |
| A | A (0), B (2), C (3), D (5), E (7), F (8), G (10), A (12) |
| low E | E (0), F (1), G (3), A (5), B (7), C (8), D (10), E (12) |

## Three shortcuts

1. **Fret 12 starts again.** Fret 12 plays the open string’s note an octave higher, and the pattern repeats above it. Fret 15 is fret 3 again.
2. **Two frets, except E–F and B–C.** Going up a string, each natural note is two frets above the last. E to F and B to C are the exceptions: one fret.
3. **The octave shape.** The same note sits two strings higher and two frets up: A at fret 5 on the low E string is also A at fret 7 on the D string. Crossing from the G string to the B string, go three frets up instead.

## How to practise it

1. Learn the low E and A strings first. They hold the roots of most barre and power chords.
2. Say each natural note aloud as you climb one string to fret 12, then check that fret 12 matches the open string.
3. Pick a note and find it on every string with the octave shape. Two minutes a day beats an hour once a week.

Practise with random notes: https://pickfret.com/play/tools/random-note (Opens in your browser. No account needed.)

## Questions

### How many notes are on the guitar fretboard?

Twelve different notes, A to G♯, repeat up every string. Frets 0 to 11 play each of the twelve once, and fret 12 starts the cycle again an octave higher.

### Why is there no sharp between E and F or B and C?

In Western music those pairs are already a half step apart, the smallest step there is, so nothing fits between them. On a piano they are the white keys with no black key between.

### Do the low E and high E strings have the same notes?

Yes. They are two octaves apart, so every fret plays the same note name on both: F at fret 1, G at fret 3, A at fret 5.

### What is the fastest way to learn the fretboard?

Learn the natural notes on the low E and A strings, then use the octave shape to find the same notes on the higher strings. A few minutes of naming random notes each day works better than memorising the chart in one go.