Memorize the notes of the guitar neck with an interactive fretboard. Explore and hear every fret, drill yourself with name-the-note and find-the-note quizzes, and map any scale or arpeggio across the neck in standard or alternate tunings, for right- or left-handed players.
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Press Start quiz.
Click any fret to hear it.
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How to use the Guitar Fretboard Trainer
Pick your tuning and how many frets to show. Tick Left-handed if you play lefty.
Explore: click any fret to hear it and see its name. Use Highlight to see every position of one note, such as all the Cs.
Quiz: choose Name the note (a dot appears, pick its name) or Find the note (click the right fret on the given string). Limit the frets and strings to what you are learning.
Start a 60-second challenge to test your speed and beat your best score.
Scales & arpeggios: choose a root and a scale to see it mapped across the whole neck, switch labels to intervals, and press Play scale.
Notes on the guitar neck in standard tuning
Open strings from low to high: E A D G B E (6th to 1st string). Each fret raises the note by one semitone, and the pattern repeats one octave higher from the 12th fret.
String
Open
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1st (high E)
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
2nd (B)
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
3rd (G)
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
4th (D)
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
5th (A)
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
6th (low E)
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
Sharps and flats are the same frets: A♯ = B♭, C♯ = D♭, D♯ = E♭, F♯ = G♭, G♯ = A♭. There is no fret between E and F or between B and C.
A 4-week plan to learn the fretboard
Week 1: natural notes on the 6th string, frets 0–12, using the quiz with only that string and Natural notes only.
Week 2: the 5th string. Together with the 6th string these give you the root of every barre chord and power chord.
Week 3: the 4th and 3rd strings. Use octave shapes: a note on the 6th string repeats two strings up and two frets higher (on the 4th string).
Week 4: the 2nd and 1st strings (the 1st string has the same notes as the 6th), then add sharps and flats and try the 60-second challenge on all strings.
Useful patterns
Same note, next string: 5 frets lower on the next higher string (4 frets across the G to B pair in standard tuning). The 5th fret of the 6th string (A) equals the open 5th string.
Octaves: from the 6th or 5th string, go up two strings and two frets. From the 4th or 3rd string, go up two strings and three frets (because of the B string).
Minor pentatonic box: the classic "box 1" shape sits with the root under the index finger on the 6th string; in A minor that is the 5th fret, covering frets 5 to 8.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to learn the guitar fretboard?
Learn it in small pieces. Start with the natural notes on the 6th and 5th strings (the root notes for most barre chords), then add the other strings one at a time, and limit the quiz to frets 0 to 12, since the pattern repeats from the 12th fret. Short daily sessions with the quiz work better than long occasional ones.
Why do the notes repeat after the 12th fret?
Each fret raises the pitch by one semitone and there are 12 semitones in an octave, so the 12th fret plays the same note as the open string, one octave higher. Fret 13 matches fret 1, fret 15 matches fret 3, and so on.
Are there any shortcuts for finding notes?
Yes. The same note is found 5 frets up on the next lower string (7 frets up two strings lower for octaves), except across the G and B strings in standard tuning, where the distance is 4 frets because the B string is tuned a major 3rd above G instead of a perfect 4th. Octave shapes and the natural notes E–F and B–C, which have no fret between them, are other good landmarks.
What does the interval view show?
With Labels set to Intervals, each dot shows its degree relative to the root: 1 for the root, 3 or ♭3 for the major or minor third, 5 for the fifth and so on. Seeing intervals instead of letters helps you understand why scale and chord shapes work, and lets you move them to any key.
Which tunings are included?
Standard (E A D G B E), Half step down (E♭), D standard, Drop D, Drop C, DADGAD, Open G, Open D, Open E, and 4-string bass (E A D G). Notes and quizzes update automatically for the selected tuning.
How is the fret spacing calculated?
Frets are placed like on a real instrument: the distance from the nut to fret n is L × (1 − 2^(−n/12)) for a scale length L, so every fret is about 5.6 percent narrower than the previous one and the 12th fret is exactly halfway to the bridge.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.