Notes on the Fretboard

What You’ll Learn

Every fret on every string of your guitar produces a specific musical note. This handout teaches you the note names used in Western music, how they are laid out across the fretboard, and practical methods to find any note on your Saga SF-600C-BK. Understanding where the notes live on the fretboard is the foundation for scales, chords, and reading standard notation.

The Concept Explained

The Musical Alphabet

Western music uses only 12 notes. They repeat over and over across the fretboard at different pitches (higher or lower versions of the same note). The basic notes use seven letters:

A - B - C - D - E - F - G

After G, the sequence starts again at A. This cycle repeats endlessly, each time one octave (a complete set of 12 notes) higher.

Sharps and Flats — The Notes Between

Between most letter-name notes there is an additional note, called a sharp (#) or flat (b). A sharp raises a note by one fret. A flat lowers a note by one fret. The same physical fret can have two names — for example, the note between A and B can be called A# (A sharp) or Bb (B flat). They sound identical.

Here are all 12 notes in order, as they appear fret by fret on any string:

A → A#/Bb → B → C → C#/Db → D → D#/Eb → E → F → F#/Gb → G → G#/Ab → (back to A)

Notice two gaps that have no sharp/flat between them:

• B to C — no B# or Cb (they are right next to each other)
• E to F — no E# or Fb (they are right next to each other)

This is a fundamental pattern in music. Remember: B-C and E-F are neighbours with no note between them.

How Frets Work

Each fret on your guitar raises the pitch by one half step (also called a semitone) — the smallest distance between two notes. Moving one fret up (toward the body) goes up one half step. Moving one fret down (toward the headstock) goes down one half step.

Two frets = one whole step (also called a whole tone).

The Open String Notes

Your guitar’s six strings, from thickest to thinnest, are tuned to these notes when played open (no frets pressed):

String 6 (thickest): E   ← low E
String 5:            A
String 4:            D
String 3:            G
String 2:            B
String 1 (thinnest): e   ← high E (same note name, two octaves higher)

A common memory aid: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie

Fretboard Note Map — First Five Frets

Here are the note names for every fret from open to fret 5 on all six strings. This is the region of the fretboard you will use most in this course:

        Open    Fret 1    Fret 2    Fret 3    Fret 4    Fret 5
        ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Str 1:   E        F        F#/Gb      G       G#/Ab       A
Str 2:   B        C        C#/Db      D       D#/Eb       E
Str 3:   G       G#/Ab      A        A#/Bb      B         C
Str 4:   D       D#/Eb      E         F       F#/Gb       G
Str 5:   A       A#/Bb      B         C       C#/Db       D
Str 6:   E        F        F#/Gb      G       G#/Ab       A

Notice: string 1 and string 6 have the same note names (both are E strings), just two octaves apart. The notes at fret 5 are also the names of the next string (in most cases) — this is how relative tuning works.

The 12th Fret — Where It All Repeats

At fret 12, every string produces the same note name as its open string, one octave higher. Look at the double dots on your Saga SF-600C-BK’s fretboard at fret 12 — they mark this landmark. After fret 12, the pattern of notes repeats exactly.

Dots on the Fretboard

Your guitar has dot markers (inlays) on certain frets to help you navigate:

Fret	Dots	Notes on String 6
3	Single dot	G
5	Single dot	A
7	Single dot	B
9	Single dot	C#
12	Double dot	E (octave)

These dots are your landmarks. With practice, you will glance at a dot and know which fret you are on instantly.

On Your Guitar

Exercise 1: Name the Open Strings

Play each open string on your Saga SF-600C-BK one at a time, from string 6 to string 1, saying the note name aloud as you play:

e |———————————————————0—
B |—————————————0———————
G |———————0—————————————
D |—————0———————————————
A |———0—————————————————
E |—0———————————————————

Say: “E - A - D - G - B - E” as you pluck each string. Do this five times. By the end of today, you should know all six open string names without looking.

Exercise 2: Walking Up String 6

Play every fret on string 6 from open to fret 5, saying the note name:

e |—————————————————————
B |—————————————————————
G |—————————————————————
D |—————————————————————
A |—————————————————————
E |—0——1——2——3——4——5————

Say: “E - F - F sharp - G - G sharp - A”

Use your index finger (finger 1) for fret 1, middle finger (finger 2) for fret 2, ring finger (finger 3) for fret 3, and pinky (finger 4) for frets 4 and 5 (shift your hand position for fret 5).

Exercise 3: Finding Specific Notes

Find these notes on your fretboard using the note map above. Play each one:

1. C on string 2 — fret 1 (press fret 1, string 2, pluck)
2. F on string 1 — fret 1
3. A on string 3 — fret 2
4. D on string 2 — fret 3
5. G on string 6 — fret 3

e |———1—————————————
B |—1—————3—————————
G |—————2———————————
D |—————————————————
A |—————————————————
E |———————————3—————

Play them slowly, saying each note name. This is the beginning of fretboard knowledge — the more notes you can name on sight, the faster you will learn chords and scales.

Exercise 4: The B-C and E-F Rule

Verify the “no sharp between B-C and E-F” rule on your guitar:

• String 2 open is B. Fret 1 on string 2 is C. That is one fret apart (no note between them).
• String 1 open is E. Fret 1 on string 1 is F. One fret apart (no note between them).

Now compare: string 5 open is A. Fret 1 on string 5 is A#/Bb. Fret 2 is B. A and B are two frets apart because A# sits between them.

Play each of these and listen to the distance between the notes.

Quick Quiz

1. What are the names of the six open strings, from thickest to thinnest?

2. How many different note names exist in Western music before the pattern repeats?

3. What note is at fret 3 on string 6?

4. Between which two pairs of letter-name notes is there no sharp or flat?

5. What is the significance of the 12th fret on your guitar?

Answers

1. E - A - D - G - B - E (low to high).
2. 12 notes.
3. G.
4. B to C, and E to F. These pairs are only one fret (one half step) apart with no note between them.
5. At fret 12, every string produces the same note name as its open string, one octave higher. The note pattern repeats from this point.

Key Takeaway

Your fretboard is a grid of notes following a repeating 12-note pattern. Each fret moves one half step higher. Learn the open string names first (E-A-D-G-B-E), then the notes in the first five frets — this is the territory where open chords and beginner scales live. The fretboard is not random; it follows a logical, predictable pattern that you can learn step by step.