The Fretboard Map

Department of Guitar Studies | Stage: Nigredo (Beginner) | Duration: 30 minutes

Objectives

After this lesson, you will be able to:

Name all six open strings and recall them with a mnemonic
Find any natural note on any string using fret-to-note mapping
Identify the octave pattern that repeats across the fretboard
Describe the five shapes of the CAGED system and why they matter
Navigate the fretboard with confidence instead of memorizing positions blindly

1. The Six Open Strings

The guitar has six strings, tuned from lowest pitch (thickest string) to highest pitch (thinnest string):

String Number	Note	Description
6	E	Low E — thickest string
5	A
4	D
3	G
2	B
1	E	High E — thinnest string

Mnemonic: Every Amateur Does Get Better Eventually

Notice that strings 6 and 1 are both E, two octaves apart. This symmetry is one of the guitar’s most useful features — patterns that work on the low E string also work on the high E string.

Practice Exercise

Without looking at a reference, say the string names aloud from 6 to 1, then from 1 to 6. Repeat until you can do it in under 3 seconds each direction. Then pluck each open string on your guitar, saying its name as it rings.

2. Frets and Semitones

Each fret on the guitar raises the pitch by exactly one semitone (half step). This means:

Fret 0 (open string) to fret 1 = one semitone
Fret 1 to fret 2 = one semitone
Fret 12 = exactly one octave above the open string (12 semitones = 1 octave)

The chromatic scale (all 12 notes) in order:

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

Two important exceptions where there is no sharp/flat between adjacent natural notes:

B to C — one semitone, no B#
E to F — one semitone, no E#

Everything else has a sharp/flat between the natural notes (e.g., A to B has A#/Bb in between — that is two semitones).

3. Natural Notes on Each String

Using the chromatic sequence and the open string tuning, here are all the natural notes on each string up to fret 12:

Low E string (6th):

Fret:  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12
Note:  E  F  .  G  .  A  .  B  C  .  D  .  E

A string (5th):

Fret:  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12
Note:  A  .  B  C  .  D  .  E  F  .  G  .  A

D string (4th):

Fret:  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12
Note:  D  .  E  F  .  G  .  A  .  B  C  .  D

G string (3rd):

Fret:  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12
Note:  G  .  A  .  B  C  .  D  .  E  F  .  G

B string (2nd):

Fret:  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12
Note:  B  C  .  D  .  E  F  .  G  .  A  .  B

High E string (1st):

Fret:  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10 11 12
Note:  E  F  .  G  .  A  .  B  C  .  D  .  E

The dots (.) represent sharps/flats. Notice that strings 6 and 1 are identical — same notes at the same frets.

Practice Exercise

Pick one string. Start at the open note and say each natural note aloud as you play up fret by fret to fret 12. Skip the sharps/flats for now — just find the natural notes. Do this for all six strings over the course of a week, one string per day (two strings share the same pattern).

4. The Octave Pattern

The same note repeats at predictable locations across the fretboard. Knowing the octave pattern means that once you find a note in one place, you can instantly find it everywhere.

Key octave relationships:

From String	Move	To String	Fret Shift
6th (E)	+2 strings, +2 frets	4th (D)	+2
5th (A)	+2 strings, +2 frets	3rd (G)	+2
4th (D)	+2 strings, +3 frets	2nd (B)	+3
3rd (G)	+2 strings, +3 frets	1st (E)	+3
6th (E)	same fret	1st (E)	0

The shift from +2 to +3 frets happens because of the B string. The guitar is tuned in perfect fourths (5 semitones apart) between all adjacent strings except G to B, which is a major third (4 semitones). That one-fret difference ripples through every pattern on the fretboard.

Example: Find all the C notes.

6th string, fret 8
4th string, fret 10 (8 + 2)
2nd string, fret 13 (10 + 3) — or fret 1
5th string, fret 3
3rd string, fret 5 (3 + 2)
1st string, fret 8 (5 + 3) — same fret as the 6th string

Practice Exercise

Pick any note — say, G. Find it on the 6th string (fret 3). Then use the octave pattern to find G on every other string without counting frets from the open string. Verify your answer by counting up from the open note. Repeat with three different notes.

5. The CAGED System — Five Windows into the Fretboard

The CAGED system is a framework that divides the fretboard into five overlapping zones, each named after an open chord shape: C, A, G, E, D.

The core idea: every chord and scale can be played in five different positions on the neck, and each position corresponds to one of these five open chord shapes.

Here is how the five shapes connect, using C major as an example:

Shape	Position (root fret)	Based On
C shape	Open position (fret 0-3)	Open C chord
A shape	Fret 3 area	Open A chord shape, barred
G shape	Fret 5 area	Open G chord shape, shifted
E shape	Fret 8 area	Open E chord shape, barred
D shape	Fret 10 area	Open D chord shape, shifted

The shapes cycle endlessly up the neck: C-A-G-E-D-C-A-G-E-D…

Why this matters: Instead of seeing the fretboard as 6 strings times 20+ frets of chaos, you see five familiar shapes that tile the entire neck. Every chord you already know in open position is a template for playing that chord anywhere.

At this stage, just know the concept exists. You will learn each shape in detail in subsequent lessons. For now, the takeaway is: the fretboard is not random. It is five overlapping patterns.

Practice Exercise

Play an open E major chord (fingers on frets 1 and 2). Now play a barre chord at fret 5 using the same E shape — that is an A major chord. Move to fret 7 — B major. You are using the E shape of CAGED to play major chords anywhere on the neck. Try the same with the open A major chord shape, barring at different frets.

6. Putting It All Together — A Fretboard Strategy

Do not try to memorize all the notes at once. Instead, use this layered strategy:

Know your open strings cold (E-A-D-G-B-E)
Learn the natural notes on strings 6 and 5 first — these are your root-note highways for chords and scales
Use the octave pattern to find the same notes on other strings
Think in CAGED shapes — when you learn a chord or scale in one position, immediately ask “what shape am I in?” and find the adjacent shapes

Over weeks and months, the fretboard stops being a grid of mystery and becomes a map you can read fluently.

Key Terms

Term	Definition
Open string	A string played without pressing any fret
Semitone	The smallest interval in Western music — one fret on guitar
Chromatic scale	All 12 notes in sequence, each a semitone apart
Octave	The same note at a higher or lower pitch, 12 semitones away
Octave pattern	The predictable fretboard locations where the same note repeats
CAGED system	Framework dividing the fretboard into five overlapping zones based on open chord shapes
Barre chord	A chord where one finger presses across multiple strings, replacing the nut

Self-Check Assessment

1. What are the six open string notes from lowest to highest?

E - A - D - G - B - E

2. Why is the fret shift +3 instead of +2 when crossing from the G string to the B string?

The interval between G and B is a major third (4 semitones) instead of a perfect fourth (5 semitones) like all other adjacent string pairs. The missing semitone adds one extra fret to the octave offset.

3. Find the note at the 5th fret of the A string. Then find its octave using the pattern.

A string fret 5 = D. Octave: G string fret 7 (5 + 2). Another octave: B string fret 10 (7 + 3).

4. What does CAGED stand for and what is it used for?

C-A-G-E-D are five open chord shapes that tile the entire fretboard. They provide five overlapping positions for playing any chord or scale anywhere on the neck.

Pass criteria: Name all six open strings from memory, locate any given natural note on at least two different strings using the octave pattern, and explain the purpose of the CAGED system.

Research Basis

String names and standard tuning (EADGBE) are universal in modern guitar pedagogy
The CAGED system is the most widely taught fretboard navigation framework
Octave patterns exploit the guitar’s consistent fourth-based tuning with the B-string exception
Learning root notes on strings 5 and 6 first accelerates chord vocabulary acquisition
Sources: Guitar pedagogy consensus, Streeling Department of Guitar Studies curriculum
Belief state: T(0.92) F(0.01) U(0.05) C(0.02)