Guitar “notes” (pun intended)

Interval method

Each of the 12 keys in music contains exactly 3 major and 3 minor triads. You could equivalently say “each of the 12 keys in music contains 3 major and 3 minor chords”.

– Easily Learn all of the Notes of the Fretboard with the “Interval Method”

Musical alphabet

Sharps:
A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A

Flats:
A, Bb, B, C, Db, D, Eb, E, F, Gb, G, Ab, A

Sharps and flats are the same things depending on how you look at a note. For example, the corresponding flat for A# is Bb (these two notes are the same).

Caveats:

• C# is the same note as Db
• D# = Eb
• F# = Gb
• G# = Ab
• No note between B and C
• No note between E and F
• B#, Cb, E# and Fb do not exist
• B# is essentially C (never refer to C as Cb or B#)

Playing each note up low E string (from 0/open to the 12th fret – a full octave) would translate to:

fret	up	fret	down
0	E	12	E
1	F	11	Eb
2	F#	10	D
3	G	9	Db
4	G#	8	C
5	A	7	B
6	A#	6	Bb
7	B	5	A
8	C	4	Ab
9	C#	3	G
10	D	2	Gb
11	D#	1	F
12	E	0	E

Naturals

Notes without sharps ♯ or flats ♭ are called “naturals“ ♮: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.

Rules:

1. 2 frets (i.e. whole-step) between A and B, C and D, F and G, and G and A (this is also true for sharps/flats: C# to D#).
2. There is one fret between B and C, and E and F (i.e. there are no sharps or flats, just two naturals separated by a half-step).
3. This 1 fret space is called a half-step (Ex. the distance between C# and D is a half-step.)

Links

• Guitar Notes: Everything a Beginner NEEDS to Know