Fretboard Notes
Every note on the guitar fretboard, in any tuning, for guitar, bass, ukulele, banjo and mandolin, plus a fretboard trainer that times you.
Tap any spot on the neck to hear it. Trainer keys: A to G answer a natural note, hold Shift for the sharp (or the flat when flats are shown).
How to use the fretboard notes chart
This fretboard notes chart shows every note on the neck of a guitar, bass, ukulele, 5-string banjo or mandolin in any tuning, and its two trainers quiz you on naming a marked note or finding every place a note appears, against the clock. In Explore the page is a full guitar fretboard notes chart, with every note on the neck marked. Pick the Instrument (guitar, bass, ukulele, 5-string banjo or mandolin), its Tuning and how many frets to show. Black dots are natural notes (A to G); grey dots are sharps and flats. Use the Show chips to keep one note only, for example every G on the guitar fretboard, and Natural notes only to hide the sharps and flats. The Sharps chip switches the names to flats. Tap any spot to hear it.
The fretboard trainer
The two trainers make it a guitar note trainer, or one for any instrument you pick. Trainer: name the note marks one spot between the nut and the 12th fret. Tap the note name under the neck, or on a computer press the letter A to G (hold Shift for a sharp, or a flat when flats are shown). Trainer: find the note shows a note name; tap every place it appears up to the 12th fret. A question counts as right only if you find them all without a wrong tap. Each round has 10 questions and a clock. Your best score and time for each instrument and trainer are kept in this browser, and New round starts again. Turn on Natural notes only to start with the seven natural notes.
How to learn the notes on the guitar fretboard
- Learn the open strings. Standard guitar tuning, from the thickest string, is E A D G B E.
- Learn the natural notes on one string. The musical alphabet is A B C D E F G. Between most neighbours there is one fret (a sharp or flat), but B to C and E to F are only one fret apart. On the low E string that puts F at fret 1, G at 3, A at 5, B at 7, C at 8, D at 10 and E again at 12.
- Use the 12th fret. Fret 12 is the open string an octave higher, and the pattern repeats from there.
- Use octave shapes. A note on the low E string appears again two strings up and two frets higher. Show one note with the Show chips and you will see these shapes across the neck.
- Drill with the trainer a few minutes a day, one instrument and one mode at a time, and write what you learn as tab in the guitar tab maker.
Why the B string is different
In standard tuning each string is five frets (a fourth) above the one below it, except the B string, which is four frets (a major third) above the G string. So the note at the 5th fret of a string matches the next open string, but on the G string it is the 4th fret that matches the open B. This is why chord and scale shapes shift by one fret when they cross from the G string to the B string, as you can see on the guitar scales page. You can hear it on the virtual guitar too: the 4th fret of the G string and the open B string sound the same note.
Other instruments and tunings
| Instrument | Standard tuning (low to high as listed) |
|---|---|
| Guitar | E A D G B E |
| Bass (4-string) | E A D G |
| Ukulele | G C E A (high G) |
| Mandolin | G D A E |
| 5-string banjo, open G | G D G B D (the short 5th string first) |
The banjo's 5th string is short: it starts at the 5th fret, so the chart draws it from there and its open note sits at fret 5. The mandolin is tuned in fifths, so its patterns look different from the guitar's fourths. For chord shapes on each instrument see guitar chords, ukulele chords, banjo chords and mandolin chords, and tune up first with the banjo tuner or mandolin tuner.
More for guitar: Guitar Tuner · Guitar Chords · Guitar Chord Finder · Guitar Scales · Capo Chart · Virtual Guitar · Guitar Tab Maker · Chord Chart Maker · Online Guitar Amp · Guitar Effects · Online Looper
More for bass: Bass Tuner · Bass Chords · Bass Scales · Guitar Tab Maker · Bass Amp Simulator · Online Looper
More for ukulele: Ukulele Tuner · Ukulele Chords · Guitar Chord Finder · Chord Chart Maker
More for banjo: Banjo Tuner · Banjo Chords
More for mandolin: Mandolin Tuner · Mandolin Chords
Questions
What are the notes on the guitar fretboard?
The twelve notes A, A#/Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E, F, F#/Gb, G and G#/Ab, in order, one per fret, starting from each open string. After 12 frets they repeat an octave higher.
How long does it take to learn the fretboard?
It depends on how often you practise. Start with the natural notes on the low E and A strings, since most root notes of chords sit there, and use the trainer for a few minutes a day.
Why are there no notes between B and C or E and F?
In the musical alphabet B and C, and E and F, are a half step apart, so they sit on neighbouring frets with no sharp or flat between them.
Can I use this for ukulele, bass, banjo and mandolin?
Yes. Pick the instrument and tuning at the top; the chart and both trainers use its strings.