Beginner Guitar Lessons Part 7 – Notes on the Strings

Now that you have learned the essentials of sheet music, you are ready to move on to learning the notes on each string. After reading this article, if you have any questions about notes past the 3rd fret, please refer to the previous article (it contains a great picture that shows all of the notes up to the 12th fret). The main focus of this lesson, however, is to learn the notes on each string.

First and Second String (E and B)

The first three notes on the picture below (E, F, G) represent the notes on the 1st string (E string) of the guitar. The first note on all of the strings is played open, and that note is always the actual name of the string. For example, the E note is played by plucking the string open (open means no fretting). The second note, F, is on the 1st fret and G is on the 3rd fret. It’s that simple.

The second string notes are the last three notes in the picture below (B, C, D). The B note is open, the C note is on the 1st fret, and the D note is on the 3rd fret. As you can see, the first and second strings follow a similar pattern.

Third and Fourth String (G and D)

The third string only has two notes, the G and A notes. To play the G note, play the third string open. To play the A note, fret the 2nd fret. Remember that the 1st fret is not like the first two strings because it is not a natural note. Instead, the 3rd string 1st fret is either G# or Ab.

The fourth string notes are the last three notes in the picture below (D, E, F). To play the D note, play the 4th string open. E is on the 2nd fret and F is on the 3rd fret.

Fifth and Sixth String (A and E)

The fifth string’s notes are the first three notes on the sheet music below (A, B, C). To play the A note, play the 5th string open. B is on the 2nd fret and C is on the 3rd fret.

The sixth string’s notes are the last three notes (E, F, G). E is open, F is on the 1st fret and G is on 3rd fret.