What is the fastest way to memorize the fretboard?

Learn the natural notes one string at a time, starting with the low E and A strings, and test yourself by playing each note rather than reading it. Short daily practice beats long occasional sessions, and speed is the real test: a note you have to work out is not memorized yet.

Should I learn sharps and flats too?

Learn the natural notes first. Once you know them, every sharp is one fret above a natural and every flat is one fret below, so they come quickly.

How do I know when I have learned a note?

When you can find it straight away, without counting from an open string or a dot. If you have to work it out, keep practicing it.

Does this work for bass?

Yes. A bass in standard tuning has the same notes as a guitar’s four thickest strings, so the same steps apply. See the bass page for bass-specific diagrams.

How to memorize the guitar fretboard (step by step)

Learn the seven natural notes first. Sharps and flats sit between them.
Go one string at a time, starting with the low E string.
Use octave shapes to carry what you know onto the other strings.
Practice by playing the note, not by reading a chart, and aim for speed.

1. Know the pattern of natural notes

The natural notes are A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Between each pair there is one fret, holding a sharp or flat, except between B and C and between E and F, which sit on neighbouring frets. That single rule is the whole fretboard's spacing. At the 12th fret every string starts over, an octave up.

2. Learn one string at a time, starting with low E

The low E string carries most chord roots, so it pays off first. Learn its natural notes from the open string to the 12th fret, then do the same on the A string. With those two strings you can place most barre chords.

The low E string: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E. The fret markers at 3, 5, 7 and 12 fall on G, A, B and E.

3. Use octave shapes to reach the other strings

A note on the low E or A string repeats two strings thinner and two frets higher. When the shape crosses from the G string to the B string, it shifts one fret further, because the B string is tuned a half step closer. These shapes let a note you already know tell you where to find it higher up.

G at the 3rd fret of the low E string, an octave up at the 5th fret of the D string, and again at the 8th fret of the B string, one fret further because of the B string.

4. Find one note everywhere

Pick a note and find every place it appears in the first twelve frets, string by string. It is the fastest way to join up what you have learned into one picture of the neck.

Every A in the first twelve frets.

5. Test by playing, and test for speed

Reading a chart and naming a dot on a screen train a different skill from the one you need. Say a note, find it on your guitar, and check yourself. A note counts as learned when you find it straight away. If you are counting up from an open string or a fret marker, you are still working it out, and that note needs more practice.

Little and often works best: ten minutes a day beats an hour on Sunday. Spend most of the time on the notes you are slowest on, not the ones you already know.

Let an app run the drill

Fretrune does steps 2, 4 and 5 for you. It names a note, you play it on your guitar or bass, and it listens through the microphone. It keeps count of how quickly you find each note, brings back the slow ones, and moves on to the next string once you know the last.

Coming soon for iPhone and Mac

Want the whole neck on one page? See the fretboard notes chart.