Fretboard note finder

Every note on the neck up to the 24th fret, in any tuning. Tap a spot to hear it; highlight one note to see all its places.

Knowing the notes on the neck is what lets you find a chord root, move a scale to a new key or read a chord chart without counting frets one by one. This finder lays out every note, string by string and fret by fret, up to the 24th fret. On a laptop the neck runs across the screen like the guitar in your lap; on a phone it runs down the screen so the frets stay big enough to tap.

Tap any spot to hear it on a real guitar sound and see its name, its octave, its pitch in hertz, and every other place on the neck where the very same pitch lives. That last part is the secret of the fretboard: the note at the 5th fret of the 6th string is the open 5th string, and most notes appear two or three times within the first twelve frets.

Choose “One note” and pick C to see every C on the neck at once, or keep all notes showing and highlight one. “Naturals” hides the sharps and flats so the seven natural notes stand out, which is the best way to start. Names can be sharps (C♯), flats (D♭) or both. Switch to “Hidden” to test yourself: every spot is blank until you tap it.

Any tuning works: standard, drop D and the other drop tunings, open G, D, E and C, DADGAD, lowered tunings, 7- and 8-string guitar, 4-, 5- and 6-string bass, ukulele, mandolin, tenor banjo, or your own (type the notes lowest string first). Left-handed players can flip the neck in Display settings. Save the chart as a picture or print it.

How to use it

  1. Pick your tuning (standard is already chosen).
  2. Tap any spot on the neck to hear the note and see its name.
  3. Choose “One note” and a note to see all its places at once.
  4. Turn on “Naturals” to learn the seven natural notes first.
  5. Switch to “Hidden” and tap spots to test yourself, then try the fretboard quiz.

Common questions

How many notes are on a guitar fretboard?

Only twelve different note names, repeated in different octaves: C, C♯/D♭, D, D♯/E♭, E, F, F♯/G♭, G, G♯/A♭, A, A♯/B♭ and B. A 24-fret guitar in standard tuning covers four octaves, from E2 to E6.

Why do the notes repeat after the 12th fret?

Twelve frets is one octave: the note at the 12th fret has the same name as the open string, one octave higher. Everything from fret 12 to 24 is the first twelve frets again, an octave up.

Is it C sharp or D flat?

Both: they are the same pitch with two names. Which one is used depends on the key. Pick sharps, flats or both under Names.

What is the fastest way to learn the fretboard notes?

Learn the natural notes on the 6th and 5th strings first (they give you the roots of most chords), then use octave shapes to find the same notes on the other strings. A few minutes a day with the fretboard quiz makes it stick.

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