Notes on the Neck
When to read this: after Session 17, “The Natural Notes on Strings 6 and 5”, “The Frets in Between”, “Finding a Power Chord by Its Root”, “Note-Name Cards” (15 minutes); after Session 21, “Positions”, “The Fifth Position, String by String”, “The Same Letters in a New Place”, “Naming a Moveable Shape by Its Root” (20 minutes). None of this reading is part of a session’s 50 minutes.
What You’ll Learn
Section titled “What You’ll Learn”You read this handout in two parts, each after the session that sends you to it.
- After Session 17: the natural notes on strings 6 and 5 up to fret 10, the frets in between, finding a power chord by its root, and the note-name cards.
- After Session 21: positions, the fifth position string by string, and the same letters in a new place; and naming a moveable shape by its root, which Session 19 taught and which this reading returns to.
Where this handout shows notes on the neck, it gives them in a table with the columns Note, String and Fret: no fretboard is drawn.
Every section below except “Note-Name Cards” ends with the questions for your theory cards.
The Natural Notes on Strings 6 and 5
Section titled “The Natural Notes on Strings 6 and 5”On string 6 the natural notes are E (open), F (fret 1), G (fret 3), A (fret 5), B (fret 7), C (fret 8) and D (fret 10). On string 5 they are A (open), B (fret 2), C (fret 3), D (fret 5), E (fret 7), F (fret 8) and G (fret 10). A sharp note is one fret above its letter; one fret above B is C and one fret above E is F, so no fret lies between those two pairs.
The table gives the fourteen places, string 6 first.
| Note | String | Fret |
|---|---|---|
| E | 6 (low E) | 0 (open) |
| F | 6 (low E) | 1 |
| G | 6 (low E) | 3 |
| A | 6 (low E) | 5 |
| B | 6 (low E) | 7 |
| C | 6 (low E) | 8 |
| D | 6 (low E) | 10 |
| A | 5 (A) | 0 (open) |
| B | 5 (A) | 2 |
| C | 5 (A) | 3 |
| D | 5 (A) | 5 |
| E | 5 (A) | 7 |
| F | 5 (A) | 8 |
| G | 5 (A) | 10 |
E and F are one fret apart, and so are B and C; every other pair of neighbouring letters is two frets apart, with one fret between them.
On your guitar: with no metronome, say each name in the table and touch its place with finger 1, without pressing: up string 6 from the open string to fret 10 and back down, then up string 5 the same way and back down. At an open string, say the name with no finger on the string.
Theory cards: three questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- At which frets of string 6 are G, A and C? Answer: G at fret 3, A at fret 5 and C at fret 8.
- At which frets of string 5 are C, D and E? Answer: C at fret 3, D at fret 5 and E at fret 7.
- Which two pairs of neighbouring letters have no fret between them? Answer: E and F, and B and C.
The Frets in Between
Section titled “The Frets in Between”The table gives the eight frets in between on strings 6 and 5, up to fret 10. Each is named as a sharp, with its flat name under “Also called”; “Where it is” names the natural note one fret below it.
| Note | String | Fret | Also called | Where it is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F# | 6 (low E) | 2 | Gb | one fret above F (fret 1) |
| G# | 6 (low E) | 4 | Ab | one fret above G (fret 3) |
| A# | 6 (low E) | 6 | Bb | one fret above A (fret 5) |
| C# | 6 (low E) | 9 | Db | one fret above C (fret 8) |
| A# | 5 (A) | 1 | Bb | one fret above A (the open string) |
| C# | 5 (A) | 4 | Db | one fret above C (fret 3) |
| D# | 5 (A) | 6 | Eb | one fret above D (fret 5) |
| F# | 5 (A) | 9 | Gb | one fret above F (fret 8) |
Each in-between note has two names for one fret, a sharp name and a flat name; a sharp is one fret above its letter.
Theory cards: two questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- Where is F sharp on string 6, and C sharp on string 5? Answer: F sharp is at fret 2 of string 6, and C sharp at fret 4 of string 5.
- What is the other name of A sharp? Answer: B flat.
Finding a Power Chord by Its Root
Section titled “Finding a Power Chord by Its Root”- Root on string 6, root on string 5 — The two places for the moveable three-string power chord: finger 1 holds the root on string 6 or on string 5, and the chord is named after the note under finger 1. The name of a power chord placed this way says which, as in “G5 (string 6)”; the four of Beginner Session 20 (F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5) keep their names. (Session 17)
The shape never changes: finger 1 on the root, finger 3 two frets higher on the next string, finger 4 on the same fret as finger 3, one string further. The chord takes its name from the note under finger 1.
A power chord found by its root is written with the string of its root in brackets, as in G5 (string 6). F5, Bb5, Ab5 and Db5 keep the names the beginner course gave them, with no brackets. E5, A5 and D5 with no brackets are the open two-string shapes of the beginner course.
The table gives the nine power chords of Session 17. The Note column names each chord’s root, the note under finger 1.
| Chord | Note | String | Fret |
|---|---|---|---|
| F#5 (string 6) | F# | 6 | 2 |
| G5 (string 6) | G | 6 | 3 |
| A5 (string 6) | A | 6 | 5 |
| B5 (string 6) | B | 6 | 7 |
| B5 (string 5) | B | 5 | 2 |
| C5 (string 5) | C | 5 | 3 |
| C#5 (string 5) | C# | 5 | 4 |
| D5 (string 5) | D | 5 | 5 |
| E5 (string 5) | E | 5 | 7 |
On your guitar: for each of the nine chords of the table, in its order, say the chord’s name and point with finger 1 to the fret of its root on the string the table gives. Do not press.
Three-string power chords have a daily limit: you press them in the session and in the rows of the week’s practice plan, which count their minutes, and not from this handout.
Theory cards: two questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- Which finger holds the root of a three-string power chord, and what is the chord named after? Answer: Finger 1; the chord is named after the note under finger 1, its root.
- Where is the root of A5 (string 6), and of D5 (string 5)? Answer: The root of A5 (string 6) is at fret 5 of string 6, and the root of D5 (string 5) at fret 5 of string 5.
Note-Name Cards
Section titled “Note-Name Cards”There are fourteen note-name cards, one for each row of the table of natural notes under “The Natural Notes on Strings 6 and 5”. You write them in Session 17, under “Note-Name Cards”.
A note-name card has the string and the fret on the front and nothing on the back: the answer is the note, and you check it against the table of the fourteen places.
The table of the fourteen places stands in this handout and in Fretboard Note Map. The week’s row “Note-name cards” draws ten cards a day.
The pass mark the cards work towards is 8 of 10 cards right.
Positions
Section titled “Positions”A position is named by the fret that finger 1 plays: in fifth position finger 1 plays fret 5 and finger 4 (little finger) plays fret 8. A scale moved to a new position keeps its note names and changes its strings and frets: A minor pentatonic is A, C, D, E, G in open position and in fifth position.
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Position — A place on the neck for the fretting hand in which each finger has its own fret, four frets in a row. It is named by the fret that finger 1 plays. (Session 21)
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First position — Where the fretting hand is in open position: finger 1 plays fret 1, finger 2 fret 2, finger 3 fret 3 and finger 4 (little finger) fret 4. (Session 7)
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Fifth position — The position in which finger 1 plays fret 5, finger 2 fret 6, finger 3 fret 7 and finger 4 (little finger) fret 8. (Session 21)
In fifth position, fret 5 = finger 1, fret 6 = finger 2, fret 7 = finger 3 and fret 8 = finger 4 (little finger).
Move your whole hand along the neck, thumb travelling with it. This is a shift, not a stretch.
The table gives the fret of each finger in the two positions this course uses.
| Position | Finger 1 (index) | Finger 2 (middle) | Finger 3 (ring) | Finger 4 (little finger) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| first position (open position from Session 7) | fret 1 | fret 2 | fret 3 | fret 4 |
| fifth position | fret 5 | fret 6 | fret 7 | fret 8 |
Theory cards: three questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- What is a position named by? Answer: The fret that finger 1 plays.
- Which fret does each finger play in fifth position? Answer: Finger 1 fret 5, finger 2 fret 6, finger 3 fret 7 and finger 4 (little finger) fret 8.
- When a scale is moved to a new position, what changes and what stays? Answer: Its strings and frets change; its note names stay.
The Fifth Position, String by String
Section titled “The Fifth Position, String by String”The table gives every place under the four fingers in fifth position, string by string from string 6: twenty-four places.
| Note | String | Fret | Also called | Finger | In the fifth-position scale of Session 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6 (low E) | 5 | 1 (index) | A minor pentatonic | |
| A# | 6 (low E) | 6 | Bb | 2 (middle) | |
| B | 6 (low E) | 7 | 3 (ring) | ||
| C | 6 (low E) | 8 | 4 (little finger) | A minor pentatonic | |
| D | 5 (A) | 5 | 1 (index) | A minor pentatonic | |
| D# | 5 (A) | 6 | Eb | 2 (middle) | |
| E | 5 (A) | 7 | 3 (ring) | A minor pentatonic | |
| F | 5 (A) | 8 | 4 (little finger) | ||
| G | 4 (D) | 5 | 1 (index) | A minor pentatonic | |
| G# | 4 (D) | 6 | Ab | 2 (middle) | |
| A | 4 (D) | 7 | 3 (ring) | A minor pentatonic | |
| A# | 4 (D) | 8 | Bb | 4 (little finger) | |
| C | 3 (G) | 5 | 1 (index) | A minor pentatonic | |
| C# | 3 (G) | 6 | Db | 2 (middle) | |
| D | 3 (G) | 7 | 3 (ring) | A minor pentatonic | |
| D# | 3 (G) | 8 | Eb | 4 (little finger) | |
| E | 2 (B) | 5 | 1 (index) | A minor pentatonic | |
| F | 2 (B) | 6 | 2 (middle) | ||
| F# | 2 (B) | 7 | Gb | 3 (ring) | |
| G | 2 (B) | 8 | 4 (little finger) | A minor pentatonic | |
| A | 1 (high e) | 5 | 1 (index) | A minor pentatonic | |
| A# | 1 (high e) | 6 | Bb | 2 (middle) | |
| B | 1 (high e) | 7 | 3 (ring) | ||
| C | 1 (high e) | 8 | 4 (little finger) | A minor pentatonic |
The blocks of A minor pentatonic in fifth position go up to A on string 1 at fret 5: C on string 1 at fret 8 is a note of the scale that no block plays.
String 2 at fret 7 is an in-between note, F sharp (also called G flat).
B, on strings 6 and 1 at fret 7, is not in A minor pentatonic.
Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.
On your guitar: with no metronome and your hand in fifth position, name the twelve places at frets 5 and 7, string by string from string 6 to string 1, and press each once as you name it: fret 5 with finger 1, fret 7 with finger 3. In the weeks of Sessions 21 and 22, name the places at frets 6 and 8 without pressing them. In those two weeks little-finger work at fret 8 has a daily limit: you press it in the session and in the rows of the week’s practice plan, which count its minutes, and not from this handout.
Theory cards: two questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- What are the six notes under finger 1 at fret 5, from string 6 to string 1? Answer: A, D, G, C, E, A.
- What is the note under finger 3 on string 5 at fret 7? Answer: E.
The Same Letters in a New Place
Section titled “The Same Letters in a New Place”The table gives every place of A minor pentatonic in open position and in fifth position, lowest note first.
| Note | Position | String | Fret | Same pitch in the other position? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | open position | 6 (low E) | 0 (open) | only in this position |
| G | open position | 6 (low E) | 3 | only in this position |
| A | open position | 5 (A) | 0 (open) | the same note is in both positions |
| A | fifth position | 6 (low E) | 5 | the same note is in both positions |
| C | open position | 5 (A) | 3 | the same note is in both positions |
| C | fifth position | 6 (low E) | 8 | the same note is in both positions |
| D | open position | 4 (D) | 0 (open) | the same note is in both positions |
| D | fifth position | 5 (A) | 5 | the same note is in both positions |
| E | open position | 4 (D) | 2 | the same note is in both positions |
| E | fifth position | 5 (A) | 7 | the same note is in both positions |
| G | open position | 3 (G) | 0 (open) | the same note is in both positions |
| G | fifth position | 4 (D) | 5 | the same note is in both positions |
| A | open position | 3 (G) | 2 | the same note is in both positions |
| A | fifth position | 4 (D) | 7 | the same note is in both positions |
| C | open position | 2 (B) | 1 | the same note is in both positions |
| C | fifth position | 3 (G) | 5 | the same note is in both positions |
| D | open position | 2 (B) | 3 | the same note is in both positions |
| D | fifth position | 3 (G) | 7 | the same note is in both positions |
| E | open position | 1 (high e) | 0 (open) | the same note is in both positions |
| E | fifth position | 2 (B) | 5 | the same note is in both positions |
| G | open position | 1 (high e) | 3 | the same note is in both positions |
| G | fifth position | 2 (B) | 8 | the same note is in both positions |
| A | fifth position | 1 (high e) | 5 | only in this position |
| C | fifth position | 1 (high e) | 8 | only in this position |
Ten of the notes are in both positions at the same pitch; E and G on string 6 are only in open position, and A and C on string 1 only in fifth position.
The beginner course’s blocks of the scale in open position are not printed here, and you are not asked to play the scale from memory in open position.
Theory cards: one question. The answer printed after it is the back of its card.
- Where does the open string 5 note, A, lie in fifth position at the same pitch? Answer: On string 6, at fret 5.
Naming a Moveable Shape by Its Root
Section titled “Naming a Moveable Shape by Its Root”Session 19 taught this, under “Finding the Root” and “Two Shapes That Move”; you read it again here, after Session 21, and write its two theory cards now.
A moveable shape is named after its root. In the four-string F shape the root is the note under finger 3 on string 4: with the barre at fret 1, finger 3 is at fret 3 and the chord is F; with the barre at fret 5, finger 3 is at fret 7 and the chord is A.
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Moveable chord shape (moveable shape) — A chord shape that uses no open strings, so the same finger pattern makes a different chord at each fret. The chord is named after its root, wherever the shape is placed. (Session 19)
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Partial barre chord — A barre chord in which finger 1 lies across some of the strings, not all six. The simplified F is one: its barre holds strings 2 and 1. (Session 19)
The table names three shapes by their roots.
| Shape | Where its root is | Root’s fret | Chord |
|---|---|---|---|
| the four-string F shape, barre at fret 1 | under finger 3 on string 4 | 3 | F (simplified) |
| the same shape, barre at fret 5 | under finger 3 on string 4 | 7 | A (four strings) |
| the three-string power chord | under finger 1 on string 6 or string 5 | the root’s own fret | named by that note |
This section is for reading only: nothing in it is pressed. Barre presses are made in the session and in the rows that the line under the week’s plan beginning “Barre rows this week:” names.
Theory cards: two questions. The answer printed after each is the back of its card.
- What is a moveable shape named after? Answer: Its root.
- Where does the root of the four-string F shape lie, and what is the shape called with its barre at fret 5? Answer: Under finger 3 on string 4; with its barre at fret 5 the shape is A (four strings).