Guitar Notes Chart (Every Fret)
A guitar’s six open strings in standard tuning are E, A, D, G, B and E, from the thickest to the thinnest. Each fret raises the note by one half step, so the low E string runs E, F, F♯, G, G♯, A, A♯, B, C, C♯, D, D♯ and back to E at the 12th fret. Frets 12 to 24 repeat frets 0 to 12 an octave up.
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US music words (measure, quarter note, eighth note, staff); the UK version uses bar, crotchet, quaver and stave. · UK version of this page
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
Key facts
- Open strings, 6th to 1st: E2 (82.41 Hz), A2 (110 Hz), D3 (146.83 Hz), G3 (196 Hz), B3 (246.94 Hz), E4 (329.63 Hz).
- Natural notes on the low E string: E (open), F (1), G (3), A (5), B (7), C (8), D (10), E (12).
- There is no sharp between B and C or between E and F: they are one fret apart.
- The 5th fret of each string is the next string’s open note, except the G string, where it is the 4th fret.
- Fret marker dots are usually at frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12 (double), then 15, 17, 19 and 21.
- Middle C (C4) is at the 1st fret of the B string. Guitar music is written an octave higher than it sounds, so written middle C is played at the A string’s 3rd fret (C3).
- Classical guitars usually have 19 frets, most acoustic guitars about 20, and electric guitars 21, 22 or 24.
Guitar fretboard notes, open to the 12th fret
Every note is a button: press it to hear it. Choose Every… to mark all the places a note appears (marked with a star and a ring). The top row is the high E string, like tab. Numbers after the letters are octaves (E2 is the open low E string).
| String | Open | 1 | 2 | 3 • | 4 | 5 • | 6 | 7 • | 8 | 9 • | 10 | 11 | 12 •• |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e | |||||||||||||
| B | |||||||||||||
| G | |||||||||||||
| D | |||||||||||||
| A | |||||||||||||
| E |
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What are the notes on a guitar fretboard?
The open strings are E, A, D, G, B and E, and every fret adds one half step. The 12 notes are C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭ and B, and they repeat every 12 frets.
The chart above is the whole pattern you need: past the 12th fret the notes start again, one octave higher, as this table shows.
| String | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| e | F5 | F♯5 | G5 | G♯5 | A5 | A♯5 | B5 | C6 | C♯6 | D6 | D♯6 | E6 |
| B | C5 | C♯5 | D5 | D♯5 | E5 | F5 | F♯5 | G5 | G♯5 | A5 | A♯5 | B5 |
| G | G♯4 | A4 | A♯4 | B4 | C5 | C♯5 | D5 | D♯5 | E5 | F5 | F♯5 | G5 |
| D | D♯4 | E4 | F4 | F♯4 | G4 | G♯4 | A4 | A♯4 | B4 | C5 | C♯5 | D5 |
| A | A♯3 | B3 | C4 | C♯4 | D4 | D♯4 | E4 | F4 | F♯4 | G4 | G♯4 | A4 |
| E | F3 | F♯3 | G3 | G♯3 | A3 | A♯3 | B3 | C4 | C♯4 | D4 | D♯4 | E4 |
How do you memorise the guitar fretboard?
Learn the natural notes on the low E and A strings first, because most chord roots live there. Then use octave shapes to find the same note on the other strings, and the 5th-fret rule to move from string to string.
- Low E string: E (0), F (1), G (3), A (5), B (7), C (8), D (10), E (12).
- A string: A (0), B (2), C (3), D (5), E (7), F (8), G (10), A (12).
- Octaves: from a note on the E or A string, go two strings up and two frets up. From the D or G string, two strings up and three frets up (the B string is tuned differently).
- The 5th-fret rule: fret 5 on the E, A, D or B string is the next string up played open; on the G string it is fret 4.
- Test yourself with the quiz below, a few minutes a day.
| From a note on… | The same note an octave higher | The same pitch on the next string up |
|---|---|---|
| 6th string (low E), fret n | 4th string (D), fret n + 2 | 5th string (A), fret n − 5 |
| 5th string (A), fret n | 3rd string (G), fret n + 2 | 4th string (D), fret n − 5 |
| 4th string (D), fret n | 2nd string (B), fret n + 3 | 3rd string (G), fret n − 5 |
| 3rd string (G), fret n | 1st string (high E), fret n + 3 | 2nd string (B), fret n − 4 |
| Any string, fret n | Same string, fret n + 12 | – |
Where is middle C on the guitar?
Middle C (C4, about 261.63 Hz) is at the 1st fret of the B string. The same pitch is at the 5th fret of the G string, the 10th of the D string and the 15th of the A string. Because guitar music is written an octave higher than it sounds, the C written as middle C is played at the 3rd fret of the A string.
| String | Fret | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd string (B) | Fret 1 | C4 (middle C) |
| 3rd string (G) | Fret 5 | C4 (middle C) |
| 4th string (D) | Fret 10 | C4 (middle C) |
| 5th string (A) | Fret 15 | C4 (middle C) |
| 6th string (low E) | Fret 20 | C4 (middle C) |
| 5th string (A) | Fret 3 | C3 – written as middle C in guitar music |
| 1st string (high E) | Fret 8 | C5 |
To read guitar notes on the staff, see treble clef notes.
How many frets does a guitar have?
Most classical guitars have 19 frets, most acoustic guitars about 20, and electric guitars 21, 22 or 24. Only about the first 12 to 14 are easy to reach on an acoustic, because the body meets the neck there.
| Guitar | Usual number of frets | Body joins the neck at |
|---|---|---|
| Classical (nylon strings) | 19 | 12th fret |
| Acoustic (steel strings) | About 20 | 12th or 14th fret |
| Electric | 21, 22 or 24 | About the 16th to 21st fret |
On a 22-fret electric the highest note is D6 (high E string, fret 22); on a 24-fret guitar it is E6, two octaves above the open string.
Guitar tuning notes
Guitar tuning notes (E A D G B E)
Press a string to hear its note, then tune your string until it matches. Tick “Keep repeating” to hear the note again every two seconds while you turn the peg. Self-assessed Do your string and the note sound the same, with no wobble?
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Why are there dots on the neck?
The dots (fret markers or inlays) help you find your place: single dots at frets 3, 5, 7 and 9, a double dot at 12, and the same again from 15. On the low E string the dots are G (3), A (5), B (7), C♯ (9) and E (12). The dot frets are shaded in the chart above.
Classfern’s free guitar tools on lessonplanner.info run in your browser. To see where notes fall in a scale, try the guitar scales finder; for the bass, the bass guitar notes chart.
Quick quiz: name the note
Ten questions: find each note on the fretboard. Marked by Classfern Your score stays in this browser.
More music tools
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