Figuring Out Notes Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (3:19) Introduction to Notes In this lesson, Matt shows you the basics of figuring out any note on the neck of your guitar. In what is most commonly referred to as Western music, music is composed using a system of 12 tones. The musical alphabet consists of letters A-G and the accidentals that exist between them. An accidental is a note that is sharpened (#) or flatted (b). In order to figure out the corresponding note name to a given fret/string location on the guitar, a few simple music theory concepts need to be memorized. First, the note names of each open string on the guitar must be learned. They are, in order from largest to smallest: E, A, D, G, B, and E again.

To figure out a given note, it is easiest to think of each string as its own piano keyboard. The keyboard consists of white keys and black keys. The white keys represent the natural notes, or A-G, and the black keys represent the accidentals. Between two white keys, an accidental exists. In other words, between A and B there is a black key. This note can be named A# or Bb. If the melody line is ascending (from low to high), the note is called A#. If the line is descending, Bb is used. Notes that refer to the same pitch that can be called by different names are said to be "enharmonic." There are two exceptions to this rule. Between B and C, and between E and F, there is no black key. These pairings of notes are said to be a half step apart rather than a whole step (A to B).

So how exactly does this translate to a guitar? It's quite simple. To move a whole step, you simply move up the neck two frets. To move a half step, you move up the neck only one fret. A whole step movement on a guitar is the equivalent of moving from a white key to another white key on the piano. A half step on a piano would be moving from a white key to a black key.

In the major scale, there are whole step transitions between every note except from B to C & from E to F. So to move from a B to C or E to F, you simply move a half step. For the rest, you move a whole step.

Let's look at the C note (1st fret) on your B. To go from a C to a D, how many frets would you move up? Two! Your D note on the B string is on the 3rd fret. To move from D to E, you move another whole step (two frets) up. Your E note is on the 5th fret. Now remember, moving from E to F is only a half step. Instead of moving two frets up, you'll move only one. Your F is found on the 6th fret.

From F to G is a whole step; G is on your 8th fret. G to A is another whole step (now your 10th fret). A to B is another whole step (now your 12th fret). Chapter 2: (1:28) 12th Fret Trick As you might have noticed, the 12th fret is always the exact same note as your open string (in this case the E string). If you're looking to find the note on your 15th fret of your E string, it is much easier to start at your 12th fret & go up (since you know this note is an E) instead of starting with the open string and counting all the way up. Moving from E to F is a half step (now on the 13th fret). Moving from F to G is a whole step. This will put you on the 15th fret, a G. Using this short cut will save you quite a bit of time. Chapter 3: (2:19) Flats and Sharps For whole steps, we've been moving up the next two frets. I'm sure you're wondering what the note would be if you moved up only one fret. This is where you encounter sharps & flats.

Let's say you're on the open B string on the 1st fret, a C note. You know that moving to a D would be up two frets (the 3rd fret). If you move up only one fret, you are playing a C sharp or D flat. These notes are identical. They are named based on the direction you approach them. If you're moving from a C up the neck (ascending), it will be called a C sharp. If you start on the 3rd fret (D) and move down (descending) to the 2nd, it would be called a D flat. They are named differently simply because it is much easier to read in music with this convention. It is much easier to read a D flat coming from a D than it would be to read a C sharp coming from a D.

Here are the notes on the "E" string:

open: E
1st fret: F
2nd fret: F#/Gb
3rd fret: G
4th fret: G#/Ab
5th fret: A
6th fret: A#/Bb
7th fret: B
8th fret: C
9th fret: C#/Db
10th fret: D
11th fret: D#/Eb
12th fret: E

That's basically all there is to figuring out any note on your guitar. If you have any questions at all, just let us know.

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