Knowing Notes On The Fretboard

Knowing the fretboard note is important in guitaring because of many things. Say for example, you wanna learn a song that requires you to play lots of power chords. It is a form of pattern that are used, especially in rock music, to create a rockish, heavy, chords. Hence, the Power Chord name. Since power chords uses a same kinda fingering pattern on every note, all you need to know is where the notes are, usually notes that are from the two thickest strings.

That is just one of the applications for the importance of knowing notes on the fretboard. Other applications include guitar soloing.

So how do we know which note is which in a fretboard? Simple. We look at the tuning configuration first. Please note that the following examples are done with standard tuning.

In a standard tuning, the 6th string (the thickest string) is tuned to E in open string (no strings pressed down). Then the second thickest is A, followed by D, G, B and finally, the thinnest string of a standard guitar, tuned at E.

For example, if you want to know where is F on the thickest string, we know that the open string is the note E. If we press a finger on the first fret, we know that we are actually pressing the F note because we are actually pressing 1 note higher by doing so. If we press our finger at the second fret, then we are actually pressing on the F# note. Hence and so forth. Thus from there, we are able to derive all the notes that are found on the thickest string (sixth string).

So how do we able to know the notes on other strings? We have to first know the tuning for the string in an open position. If you are looking for a note on the fifth fret on the 5th string, you have to know that the open note for the fifth string is an A note. Thus, if you do the same concept as taught on the 5th paragraph, you will realize that the note on the fifth fret, second string is actually a D note. Do the same if you are looking for a note on a certain frets of the fretboard on different strings.

Thus, that is how you are able to find the name of the notes on the fretboard. Hope you get the picture now.