Guitar fretboard notes
Every note on the guitar neck, on all six strings up to the 15th fret. Learn the fretboard and you can find any note, chord or scale anywhere. Free to print or download below.
How to learn the fretboard
- Learn the open strings. From low to high, the six strings are E, A, D, G, B, E. A common phrase is “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie”.
- Use the natural notes first. Learn where the natural notes (A B C D E F G) fall on each string. The sharps and flats simply sit in the fret between them.
- Anchor on the marker frets. The inlay dots at frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and the double dot at 12 are landmarks. Fret 12 repeats the open-string notes an octave higher, so the pattern starts over.
- Learn the octave shapes. The same note repeats in predictable shapes — for example, two frets up and two strings across. Learning these shapes lets you find any note quickly.
Guitar fretboard notes — frequently asked questions
What are the notes on a guitar fretboard?
Each string ascends by one semitone per fret. Starting from the open strings E A D G B E, every fret adds the next note (F, F♯, G…), repeating every 12 frets at the octave.
What are the guitar string notes?
From the thickest (lowest) to the thinnest (highest) string: E, A, D, G, B, E.
Why do the notes repeat at the 12th fret?
The 12th fret is exactly one octave above the open string, so the note names repeat from there — fret 12 on the low E string is E again.
Is the fretboard notes chart free to print?
Yes — print it or download the PDF or PNG for free, with no sign-up.
Next steps
Once you know the notes, put them to use with guitar scales andguitar chords, or map your own shapes onblank fretboard diagrams.