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Learning the Guitar Fretboard

Learning the Notes on your Fretboard


An ideal way of learning the fret board is to learn the C Major scale up to the 12th fret.

C Major only contains natural notes (no sharps or flats), and the whole fret board can be learned in three simple steps. You may be asking yourself "what about the 12th fret onwards?". When you reach the 12th fret, the notes are the same as the open strings and therefore the order of all the other notes repeat. The numbers 1 to 4 indicate your fingers, with 1 being your index finger and 4 being your little finger

Step 1

Play this pattern until it is memorised.  Once it has been memorised play it while repeating the names of the notes and looking at the frets:

C Major at the Open position

Step 2

Play this pattern until it is memorised.  Once it has been memorised play it while repeating the names of the notes and looking at the frets:

Step 2

Play this pattern until it is memorised.  Once it has been memorised play it while repeating the names of the notes and looking at the frets:

Help your music reading abilities by watching the actual notes on the musical staff as you play them. Click here for standard music notation and TAB of the above 3 Positions