Learn the Notes on Guitar in 10 Easy Steps

Being able to identify all of the notes on your instrument is vital to becoming a skilled musician, and learning this skill on guitar is quicker and easier than you might think. Let's get started!

Introduction

There are 6 strings and (usually) up to 24 frets on a guitar:

This means that there are 150 notes to learn! Luckily, you can learn them all in only 10 easy steps by leveraging a few rules to drastically reduce number of notes you need to memorize.

Step 1

The first rule is that the notes repeat every 12 frets. This means that we can ignore all fretted notes after the 11th fret and wrap around instead (so the 12th fret is the same as the open string, the 13th fret is the same as the 1st fret, and so on). Now we are left with this section of the guitar:

Step 2

The second rule is that the highest string's notes and the lowest string's notes have the exact same names. So, we can ignore the highest string (the one at the top of the fretboard diagrams) when memorizing notes and wrap around to the lowest string instead. Now we are left with the notes highlighted in green:

Step 3

Memorize these 7 notes and the shape they make. Note that from reading from the bottom-up and left to right follows the musical alphabet (which cycles back to A after G).

Step 4

Memorize this rule: If you move up 2 strings and right 2 frets (or move in the exact opposite direction) from any note, that note has the same name as the starting note.

Step 5

We stopped on the 3rd highest string because there is a special rule you must follow to continue: Any time you move from the 3rd highest string to the 2nd highest string, you must shift one fret to the right (and therefore any time you cross back from the 2nd highest string to the 3rd highest string, you must shift one fret to the left).

We could continue on with this pattern but it can be difficult to follow while wrapping around the fretboard, so we will learn the rest of the notes another way.

Step 6

Memorize this rule: If you move up 3 strings and left 3 frets from any note (while remembering to shift one fret to the right if you cross from the 3rd highest string to the 2nd highest string), that note has the same name as the starting note.

Step 7

Memorize the remaining open string notes. From the lowest string to the 2nd highest string, they are E, A, D, G, B. The highest string's note names are exactly the same as the lowest string's notes, so we are ignoring the highest string for now.

Step 8

Memorize this rule: C is always directly to the right of B, and F is always directly to the right of E.

Step 9

Memorize the D on the 10th fret of the lowest string, and the G on the 10th fret of the 2nd lowest string:

You have now learned all of the natural (non sharp/flat) notes on the guitar fretboard, and there is only one more step to learn the rest of the notes!

Step 10

To identify the rest of the notes (accidental notes, whose names have added symbols as well), simply add a '#' (read "sharp") to the natural note to the left, or add a 'b' (read "flat") to the natural note to the right. Yes, each of these notes has two possible names, and which name you use depends on the context (more info. on this in the Essential Music Theory lesson)! But for now we will just label each accidental note with both possible names.

Because the lowest and highest strings have the same note names, and because the note names repeat every 12 frets, you have now identified every note on the fretboard!

Test Your Knowledge

Now, you can practice your knowledge on your guitar, or using the exercise below.