Guitar string names
In standard tuning the six strings, from the thickest (lowest) to the thinnest (highest), are E, A, D, G, B, E. A popular way to remember them: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie. Strings are numbered from the thinnest: the high E is the 1st string and the low E is the 6th.
| String | Name | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 6th (thickest) | Low E | E2 |
| 5th | A | A2 |
| 4th | D | D3 |
| 3rd | G | G3 |
| 2nd | B | B3 |
| 1st (thinnest) | High E | E4 |
The musical alphabet on guitar
Western music uses 12 notes: A, A♯/B♭, B, C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G and G♯/A♭. Each fret raises a note by one semitone (a half step). There is no sharp between B and C or between E and F, so those pairs sit one fret apart.
Guitar fretboard notes chart (frets 0 to 12)
| String | Open | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High E (1st) | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
| B (2nd) | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B |
| G (3rd) | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G |
| D (4th) | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D |
| A (5th) | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
| Low E (6th) | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
At the 12th fret every string returns to its open note, one octave higher, so the same pattern repeats from fret 12 to fret 24.
How to memorize the guitar fretboard
- Start with the low E and A strings. They carry the root notes of most barre chords and power chords, so this pays off straight away.
- Learn the landmarks. The dotted frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12. On the low E string they are G, A, B, C♯ and E.
- Use octave shapes. From a note on the low E or A string, go two strings higher and two frets up for the same note an octave above. From the D or G string it is two strings higher and three frets up, because the B string is tuned differently.
- Drill one note at a time. Pick a note, say C, and find it on all six strings, low to high and back, saying its name out loud. One note a day covers the whole alphabet in under two weeks.
- Use it in music. Name the root of every chord you play. Knowledge sticks when it is used.
Why fretboard knowledge matters
Once you know where the notes are, chord shapes, scales and solos stop being patterns to memorize and become choices you can make. It is the "Map" stage of the Hear, Map, Play method used in lessons with Gaurav. Next: the pentatonic scale and music theory for guitar.
Free PDF
Guitar Fretboard Notes Chart
Every note from the open strings to the 12th fret on one landscape page, with the string names.