Stop 4 of 7
Notes on the neck
Strings 6 and 5, inlays, octave shapes and the 12th fret.
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Stop 4 of 7
Strings 6 and 5, inlays, octave shapes and the 12th fret.
You know that every fret is a half step and you know the names of all twelve notes. Now comes the step that separates the guitarist who "follows numbers" from the one who knows where they are: learning the notes on the neck. You don't need to memorise all 78 spots at once. You start with the two strings most used to find chords and riffs, the 6th and the 5th, and learn tricks to carry any note to the rest of the neck in seconds.
Almost every shape you'll learn on the journey (power chords, barre chords, scales) has its main note on string 6 or string 5. If you know those two strings, you can put any shape in any key. And there's a bonus: string 1 is also E, so its notes sit on the same frets as string 6, two octaves higher.
Listen to this power-chord riff. By the end of this stop you'll be able to read the chord names straight off the neck:
The open 6th string is E. Climb the alphabet applying the step rule: E→F is a half step (1 fret), F→G a whole step (2 frets), and so on.
String 6, Open: E2 · 1 · Scale tone
| Fret | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | E | F | G | A | B | C | D | E |
| Step from the previous | — | H | W | W | W | H | W | W |
Play string 6 through its naturals, up and back, saying the names:
The open 5th string is A. Same method: A→B a whole step, B→C a half step…
String 5, Open: A2 · 1 · Scale tone
| Fret | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | A |
| Step from the previous | — | W | H | W | W | H | W | W |
Notice a very useful link between the two strings: fret 5 on string 6 is A, the same note as the open 5th string. That's why you tune that way: every fret on string 5 is five frets "ahead" of string 6.
The dots on the fingerboard are the . On almost every guitar they're at frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12 (double), repeating from 15. They're not decoration: they're milestones that let you find your way without counting frets.
String 6, Fret 3: G2 · 1 · Scale tone
Memorise this little table and you'll have a pocket map:
| Marker | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| String 6 | G | A | B | C♯ | E |
| String 5 | C | D | E | F♯ | A |
The 12th fret is the great border: there every string repeats its open note an octave higher (half the string, remember?). From the 12th on, the map repeats: fret 15 is like 3, 17 like 5… Learning twelve frets means learning the whole neck.
String 6, Open: E2 · · Scale tone
Once you know a note on string 6 or 5, you can find its with a fixed finger pattern, an :
Here are three octaves of G from string 6, fret 3:
String 6, Fret 3: G2 · 1 · Scale tone
And those of C from string 5, fret 3:
String 5, Fret 3: C3 · 1 · Scale tone
On the piano each sound has exactly one key. Not on the guitar: the same note, at the same pitch, turns up on several strings. Between frets 0 and 12 there are 78 spots, but only 37 different sounds (from low E up to the high E at fret 12 on string 1). Almost all of them repeat. Two positions that give exactly the same note are in .
Look at where the open 1st-string E lives:
String 1, Open: E4 · 1 · Scale tone
The rule comes from the tuning, the same one you use when you tune by ear:
Example: open A on string 5 = string 6, fret 5. C on string 5, fret 3 = string 6, fret 8. It's already in your tables: check it.
Having options lets you play a melody without jumping all over the neck: you pick the position where your hand reaches every note. This original phrase sounds the same in both versions; only the place changes:
The pitch is identical, the colour isn't. Remember : thicker strings and higher frets give a rounder, darker sound; open strings ring brighter and longer, but you can't add vibrato to them. That's why many guitarists play a melody away from the nut even when it's "easier" down low.
You now have everything you need. To find a note on string 6 or 5:
Examples: F♯ on string 6 → F is at 1, so F♯ is at 2. B♭ on string 5 → B is at 2, so B♭ is at 1. E♭ on string 6 → E is at 12, so E♭ is at 11.
String 6, Fret 2: F♯2 · 1 · Scale tone
Now go back to the opening riff: the low string of each power chord is at 6:3, 6:5, 5:3 and 5:5. The names? G5, A5, C5 and D5. They're no longer "shapes at fret 3": they're chords with names.
Goal: Find 12 random notes on strings 6 and 5 in under 60 seconds, with no mistakes.
Play the opening riff saying "G, A, C, D" as you change chords. Then transpose it: start with the power chord on A (string 6, fret 5) and work out where B, D and E fall with the same distances.
Goal: Play the power-chord riff at 90 BPM saying each chord name out loud as you change.
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