Learn Guitar - The 12 Note Scale.

If you want to learn guitar correctly it is extremely important that you learn the name of notes and their
positions on the fretboard. Yes, I know this may seem tedious and boring. However, don't
look on it as a chore or punishment for learning music. It is easier than you think.
Notes are the basis of chords, soloing, scales and so on. Once mastered, playing guitar becomes a
source of enjoyment rather than one of frustration.

Notes are the basic elements of music theory.

There are 7 major notes named after the first 7 letters of the alphabet:

A, B, C, D, E, F, G,

The 12 note scale of the guitar consists of:

A, Bb, B, C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#

A note gets progressively higher going up the fretboard from fret to fret. In the 12 note scale, the
distance between notes A-B, C-D, D-E and F-G are 2 frets.
The notes between these major notes are known as Sharps (# symbol) or Flats (b symbol).
A Sharp is 1 note higher than the major note and the Flat, one note lower.
Notes B-C and E-F have only 1 fret spanning them.

This 12 note scale remains consistant all over the fretboard.

Although a note with the same name can be played in many different positions, the individual pitch will
differ with one note sounding higher, or lower, than another.

The open strings on a guitar consist of the notes:

E [low], A, D, G, B, E [high]

An easy way to remember them is by:

Eddie Ate Dynamite GoodBye Eddie

The 12 note scale starts at the open note of each string and progresses up the fretboard. At the 12th
fret the scale starts over again. The note at the 12th fret is known as being an octave higher than the
same note on the open string.

Tip: Holding the fingers positioned correctly is very important. Always place the thumb behind the
neck centered between the span of the fingers. Do NOT support the guitar with the fingering hand.
Cup the fingers and keep them straight. Letting the fingers fall sideways may cause "buzzing" or
muting of the strings. Long fingernails can also cause problems, so keep them cut short.
The 12 Note Scale

Your progress in being able to learn guitar will accelerate greatly once you memorize the 12 scale
notes and their positions.

Print out this page, find a quiet spot and go to it!

Actually, you only have to memorize notes on 5 strings. You may have noticed already that the notes
on the high E are the same as the low E. Piece of cake!