How To Play Guitar
The Pattern for Learning Guitar Notes On the Neck
Learning to play different notes up the neck and on each string is an important part of a beginners foundation. After all chords and scales are all made up of a mixture of notes, if you don’t know where different notes are located on the neck you’ll sort of plateau with your learning sooner then later.
In this article I’ll show you the simple pattern you can use for learning the guitar notes on each string. We’ll first look at half and whole steps between notes and how they transfer to the guitar neck, next we’ll review the space in steps and frets between each note and finally an example to tie it all together.
After reading this post please watch the video at the end. It covers everything the post talks about plus a more detailed example. You should be able to find each variation of major notes A through G on the neck once you’re done this post and video.
Steps
The first concept to understand is what a step is. Steps, both whole and half steps, come from the concept of the piano keys and the space between each note. Between most notes there is one full step except for between the B and C notes and E and F notes. There is only one half step between these two sets of notes.
Frets as Steps
So that’s great, a half or whole step between notes, how do we play this on the guitar? Well good news, each fret on your guitar neck denotes on half step. So now you can use the space between each note on the guitar neck in terms of frets.
Here’s an overview of the spacing in terms of frets between each major note:
A to B = 2 Frets
B to C = 1 Fret
C to D = 2 Frets
D to E = 2 Frets
E to F = 1 Fret
F to G = 2 Frets
G to A = 2 Frets
Using the above information we now look at a simple example on your guitar neck.
Let’s start with the low E string. Playing that string open is an E note and what comes after an E? An F right? The spacing is only 1 fret between an E and an F so if we play the 1st fret on that E string we’ll be playing an F.
NEXT
After F comes G, from our list above there is 2 frets between an F and a G note so sliding up two frets to the 3rd fret is a G. Finally if we go from our G to the A note, another full step, we’re at the 5th fret.
This pattern will continue all the way up that low E string until you run out of frets, but I’m sure you get the picture with that simple example.
Next take some time to watch the video below. It covers the same concepts but also shows you what we’re talking about and gives a more in depth example. After you watch this video I suggest grabbing your guitar to give it a shot on your own.
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December 17, 2009 at 3:15 am | Learn Guitar Scales | 4 comments
Patterns are the basis to learn to play the guitar.
w w h w w w h is for the major scale and it is very important that you learn this scale pattern.
Good post
I have recently created these temporary tattoos of the fret board. Started out as a way for my students to tattoo the notes in their minds, now being distributed in guitar stores and online. Makes it super fun and a portable way to memorize and understand! Much love!
Great post! Patterns are the basis for mastering your way around the fretboard. Many people think that improvisation comes from chaos, when actually to sound good, it must originate in some kind of logical pattern, found in scales.
This is a strong start on something that has endless possibilities. It’s important not to cut corners as so many do when it comes to learning the notes.
Of course once you do, it’s all a matter of how you put them together.
Every time I write a new song I’m a little amazing that the melody was there- in the neck the whole time until it was drawn out. That’s the almost magical part when it works well.