In order to master the guitar, it is first necessary to learn the notes on the guitar. In this first lesson, we will concentrate on the notes located within the first five frets of the guitar. The musical alphabet is as follows:
A, A#(or Bb), B, C, C#(or Db), D, D#(or Eb), E, F, F#(or Gb), G, G#(or Ab)
I will explain the other notes in the parenthesis later in this lesson.
The notes then begin over again at A forming a circle. As an example, if you play the 3rd string (from the smallest string) open, it is a G note. If you hold it down on the 1st fret, it is a G#; the 2nd fret would be an A, and so forth. This works anywhere on the guitar. If you know the first note, moving higher up the neck will go through the musical alphabet above.
The strings are numbered from 1 to 6 beginning at the smallest string and going to the heaviest. Here are the notes of the open strings. Open means you don't press the strings down on any fret.
1st string |
E |
2nd string |
B |
3rd string |
G |
4th string |
D |
5th string |
A |
6th string |
E |
Notice that there are two E notes. The E on the first string is higher in pitch than the E on the 6th string. These six notes should be memorized. If you know these by heart and also know the musical alphabet above, you can then easily compute any note anywhere on the fretboard. Now, let's see all the notes in the first five frets.
Open |
1st fret |
2nd fret |
3rd fret |
4th fret |
5th fret |
|
1st string |
E |
F |
F#(Gb) |
G |
G#(Ab) |
A |
2nd string |
B |
C |
C#(Db) |
D |
D#(Eb) |
E |
3rd string |
G |
G#(Ab) |
A |
A#(Bb) |
B |
C |
4th string |
D |
D#(Eb) |
E |
F |
F#(Gb) |
G |
5th string |
A |
A#(Bb) |
B |
C |
C#(Db) |
D |
6th string |
E |
F |
F#(Gb) |
G |
G#(Ab) |
A |
Now, look at the notes for the 6th string, the low E. Open is E and then by going up the fretboard, we go up the musical alphabet to F, F#, G and then G#. Now notice that the next highest note (A) can be played by either moving on up to the 5th fret OR by moving down to the 5th string and playing it open. The A note on the sixth string, 5th fret, is the exact same note as the 5th string open. Fretted notes have a slightly different sound quality than open notes, but they are the same note nonetheless. This also happens on the other strings as well.
A nice beginning exercise is to begin at the low E (6th string open) and play through the musical alphabet one note at a time, saying it's name as you go and then dropping down to the next string as soon as you can. In other words, you would play on the first string; open, 1st fret, 2nd fret, 3rd fret, 4th fret, then drop down to the open A. Do this clear up through the high A on the 1st string, 5th fret. All strings will move to the next string after the 4th fret with the exception of the 3rd string. On the 3rd string, you would go down to the 2nd string after the 3rd fret to get the next note in the musical alphabet.
One more point about sharps(#) and flats(b). The principle of sharps and flats is easier understood when looking at a piano keyboard. The black keys are the sharps and flats. If you go up to the very next higher black key on the piano, it becomes the sharp. In other words, if you're playing an A note and then play the black key right above it, it's an A#. The black note below a key is a flat. Technically speaking, a sharp is the next higher note UP the musical alphabet and a flat is the next LOWER note down the musical alphabet. There are two things that tend to confuse students at this point.
Problem 1: why are there no sharps or flats between B and C or between E and F. This is clearly visible on a piano. There are simply no black keys in between any B and C notes or and E and F notes. However, on a guitar, there are no black or white keys, so you must remember that there is no sharps or flats between these notes. In some long-haired classical pieces, you will sometimes see B# or Cb. A B#, by it's technical definition, would actually just be a C note since it is one step higher in the musical alphabet. I find these notations tedious though and avoid them whevenver I can..
Problem 2: How can a note be a sharp and a flat at the same time? If you look closely at the technical definitions of sharps and flats you'll see that there is a duality here. For instance, take the note immediately above an A. Because it is one note higher than A it is an A#. However, it is simultaneously one note lower than a B so it is also a Bb. They are both the same note, just notated differently.
This should get you started. Learn all the notes on the first five frets and you'll be on your way to mastering the guitar.
-Mark Teeters
