Every note on the guitar fretboard, in any tuning
This guitar fretboard notes chart labels every fret on every string, from the open strings up to the 12th, 15th, 22nd or 24th fret. Pick standard tuning, drop D, DADGAD, open G, open D, open E or half-step-down tuning — or a ukulele — and the diagram, the table of notes and the printable sheet all follow.
Use it as a map while you learn, then hide the parts you know: show only the natural notes, one note everywhere (all the Gs on the neck), or a whole scale with interval numbers. When you are ready, switch to the note quiz and name the marked fret against the clock of your own streak. A printable fretboard chart and blank fretboard PDF are one click away.
How to use the Guitar Fretboard Notes
- Choose Instrument and tuning and how many Frets shown (12 to 24).
- Under Show, keep All notes or pick natural notes only, one note everywhere, or a scale; set Note or root and Scale as needed.
- Switch Dots show to note names, intervals from the root, or nothing, and choose sharps or flats. Tap any dot to hear it.
- For practice, choose Note quiz, press Next note and click the note name for the purple dot. Your best streak is remembered on this device.
- Pick a Sheet, paper and orientation, then press Download PDF, PNG or Print.
Guitar Fretboard Notes features
Guitar fretboard diagram for any tuning
Ten tunings from the shared music engine, including ukulele (high and low G) and baritone ukulele, drawn highest string on top as in tab, and mirrored for left-handers.
Notes, intervals or nothing
Label dots with note names in sharps or flats, with intervals from a chosen root (1, ♭3, 5…), or leave blank dots to test yourself.
Scales and single notes
Highlight any of 32 scales and modes, from major and the pentatonics to the Hindustani thaats, or every place one note lives on the neck.
Fretboard note quiz
Random frets on any string within the range you choose, with instant feedback, the note played back, a running score and a best streak saved only in your browser.
Guitar fretboard notes PDF
Vector PDF on A4 or US Letter, landscape or portrait: the current chart with blank copies to fill in, or a page of blank fretboards. Also PNG and direct printing.
How the notes on the neck are worked out
Guitars are fretted in twelve-tone equal temperament: each fret raises the pitch by one semitone, and twelve frets make an octave. So the note at any fret is simply open-string note + fret number semitones, counted through the twelve notes C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭, B. There is no sharp or flat between E and F or between B and C, which is why those pairs sit only one fret apart.
Standard tuning is E A D G B E from the thickest string. Every pair of neighbouring strings is a perfect fourth apart (five frets) except G to B, a major third (four frets). That one exception is why patterns shift by a fret when they cross onto the B string.
| String | Open | 3rd fret | 5th fret | 7th fret | 12th fret |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (high E) | E | G | A | B | E |
| 2nd (B) | B | D | E | F♯ | B |
| 3rd (G) | G | B♭ | C | D | G |
| 4th (D) | D | F | G | A | D |
| 5th (A) | A | C | D | E | A |
| 6th (low E) | E | G | A | B | E |
A practical way to learn the fretboard
- Start with the natural notes on the low E and A strings: they name the roots of barre chords and power chords.
- Learn octave shapes: a note on the low E string appears again two strings higher and two frets up, and on the D string two frets higher still.
- Use “one note everywhere” for a week per note, then quiz yourself from the open strings to the 5th fret before widening to the 12th.
- Connect it to sound: say the note aloud as you play it and check it with the online tuner; train your ear with the ear training drills.
- See where chords and scales sit with the scale finder and the guitar chord chart.
Limits
Note names are spelled with simple sharps or flats; in a scale the scale’s own spelling is used (F♯ major shows E♯). Fret positions assume an accurately set-up instrument — real intonation can drift slightly sharp high up the neck. The quiz is practice, not a graded test.
Guitar Fretboard Notes FAQ
How do I learn the guitar fretboard notes?
Learn the natural notes on the low E and A strings first, then use octave shapes to find the same notes on higher strings. Highlight one note everywhere on this chart and finish with the quiz, starting with frets 0–5.
Where can I get a guitar fretboard notes PDF?
Press Download PDF. Choose A4 or Letter and landscape or portrait; “This chart + blank copies” prints the labelled diagram plus empty fretboards, and “Blank fretboards only” gives a practice sheet.
Why is there no note between E and F or B and C?
In the Western scale those pairs are a semitone apart already, so they sit on neighbouring frets with no sharp or flat between them.
Does the chart work for drop D or ukulele?
Yes. Pick the tuning and every note, the table and the printable sheet are recalculated. Ukulele high-G tuning is shown with its re-entrant fourth string.
Why do the notes repeat after the 12th fret?
Twelve frets make one octave, so the 12th fret has the same note names as the open strings, one octave higher. Frets 13–24 repeat frets 1–12.
Is my quiz score uploaded?
No. The best streak is stored only in your browser’s local storage, and the page works without it.