Guitar Fretboard Notes and Scale Finder
Every note on the neck, or pick a scale, an arpeggio or one note and see everywhere it is. Tap any dot to hear it.
Fretboard
Tap a dot to hear it. High e on top, frets 0 to 15. Brightest dot = the root; lighter = 3rds and 5ths (in the note map: natural notes). Swipe the board sideways for higher frets.
Open strings, thinnest to thickest: E B G D A E. Each fret raises a string one semitone; the pattern repeats from fret 12. A♯ = B♭, C♯ = D♭ and so on: sharps shown.
Notes on each string, frets 0 to 12
Standard tuning, sharps shown (C♯ = D♭, D♯ = E♭, F♯ = G♭, G♯ = A♭, A♯ = B♭). Fret 12 repeats the open string an octave up.
| String | open | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (E) | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
| 2 (B) | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B |
| 3 (G) | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G |
| 4 (D) | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D |
| 5 (A) | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A |
| 6 (E) | E | F | F♯ | G | G♯ | A | A♯ | B | C | C♯ | D | D♯ | E |
How to learn the notes on the fretboard
- Learn the natural notes on string 6 first. On the low E string they are at frets 0 (E), 1 (F), 3 (G), 5 (A), 7 (B), 8 (C), 10 (D), 12 (E). Only E–F and B–C sit on neighbouring frets.
- Copy them to string 5. Same rule, starting from A. With strings 6 and 5 you can name the root of every E-shape and A-shape barre chord.
- Use octave shapes for the rest. String 6 → string 4: 2 frets up; String 5 → string 3: 2 frets up; String 4 → string 2: 3 frets up; String 3 → string 1: 3 frets up. The shape shifts by one fret once it crosses the B string.
- Check by ear. Set the finder above to "One note everywhere", tap each dot and listen: they are all the same note in different octaves.
Why the B string is different: neighbouring strings are 5 semitones apart (a fourth), except G to B, which is 4 (a major third). Every pattern that crosses from the G string to the B string moves up one fret.
Scales and arpeggios in the finder
Notes shown from C for major-type scales and from A for minor-type scales; pick any key above. Positions and fingerings: scales.
| Scale | Degrees | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Major scale Seven notes, whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half. The notes of a major key. | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 | C: C D E F G A B |
| Natural minor scale The notes of a minor key: the major scale of its relative major, started on the 6th. | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 ♭7 | A: A B C D E F G |
| Major pentatonic The major scale without its 4th and 7th: five notes with no half steps, safe over a major chord. | 1 2 3 5 6 | C: C D E G A |
| Minor pentatonic The natural minor without its 2nd and ♭6th: a common scale for rock and blues soloing. | 1 ♭3 4 5 ♭7 | A: A C D E G |
| Blues scale Minor pentatonic plus the ♭5 (the "blue note") between the 4th and 5th. | 1 ♭3 4 ♭5 5 ♭7 | A: A C D E♭ E G |
| Harmonic minor Natural minor with a raised 7th, which makes the V chord major (E major in A minor). | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 ♭6 7 | A: A B C D E F G♯ |
| Dorian mode Natural minor with a major 6th. Same notes as the major scale one whole step below. | 1 2 ♭3 4 5 6 ♭7 | A: A B C D E F♯ G |
| Mixolydian mode Major scale with a ♭7: fits dominant 7th chords. Same notes as the major scale a 4th above. | 1 2 3 4 5 6 ♭7 | C: C D E F G A B♭ |
| Major triad arpeggio The three notes of the major chord: root, major 3rd, 5th. | 1 3 5 | C: C E G |
| Minor triad arpeggio The three notes of the minor chord: root, minor 3rd, 5th. | 1 ♭3 5 | A: A C E |
| Dominant 7th arpeggio Root, major 3rd, 5th and minor 7th: the notes of a 7 chord (G7 = G B D F). | 1 3 5 ♭7 | C: C E G B♭ |
| Major 7th arpeggio Root, major 3rd, 5th and major 7th (Cmaj7 = C E G B). | 1 3 5 7 | C: C E G B |
| Minor 7th arpeggio Root, minor 3rd, 5th and minor 7th (Am7 = A C E G). | 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 | A: A C E G |
FAQ
Which notes have no sharp or flat between them?
E and F, and B and C. Every other pair of natural notes has one fret between them (C to D is two frets, with C♯/D♭ in between). That is the whole rule for finding natural notes on any string.
Why is fret 12 the same as the open string?
Twelve frets are twelve semitones, one octave. The pattern of notes starts again from fret 12, one octave higher: the 12th fret of the low E string is also an E.
How do I find the same note on another string?
Use the octave shapes: from the 6th or 5th string go two strings up and 2 frets higher; from the 4th or 3rd string go two strings up and 3 frets higher, because the B string is tuned one fret lower than the pattern.
Scale pages
- Major scalethe scale every major key and its chords are built from
- Pentatonic scalerock, blues and country solos; the easiest scale to improvise with
- Natural minor scalemelodies and chords of minor keys
- Harmonic minor scalethe major V chord of a minor key, neoclassical and flamenco sounds
- Blues scalethe minor pentatonic plus the ♭5, for 12-bar blues and rock
- Melodic minor scaleminor melodies that climb to the root, and jazz
- ModesDorian, Mixolydian and the other five sounds of the major scale
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