Playing the guitar is a hobby that is enjoyed by young and old alike. Whether you are interested in playing the electric guitar or an acoustic, the skills and knowledge needed are the same. The biggest struggle that many beginning guitarists have is the ability to find the notes on the guitar.
You will find that locating the notes on the guitar is not difficult if you know the notes’ names, the proper string names and order, and how to navigate the fret. Each string represents a different note on the guitar, which can be flat or sharp. You can find the notes by using the frets on the neck of the guitar and strumming.
In this article, you will learn about the notes on the guitar, how you can easily learn them as well as different ways to tune your guitar or adjust the sound of the notes.
What are The Notes on the Guitar?
One of the single most important information you need to know to play the guitar is the notes. The notes on a guitar follow the musical alphabet, which may be a bit confusing at first. When you look at your guitar, you will find seven natural notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
When playing the guitar, you will use a series of flat and sharp notes, which are quite easy to find once you understand the natural notes’ placement.
- Sharp notes are one-half step up from the natural note.
- Flat notes are one-half step down from the natural note.
It can be challenging to remember which direction you should go for flat and sharp notes. If you frequently forget, you can use the trick of thinking about stepping on a bug. If you step on a bug, your foot goes down to flatten the bug, therefore moving your fingers down from the natural note will give you a flat note.
String Names
You will notice that a guitar has six strings. Each of these strings has a different name. The names of the strings are E, A, D, G, B, and E. You will need to know the strings’ names when you prepare to position your fingers on the guitar to begin playing.
No matter what strategy you use to remember the strings’ names, it would be best to remember they start from the bottom up. Knowing the strings well will save you a lot of time when learning to play.
Know the Fretboard.
Another part of the guitar you will need to familiarize yourself with before learning to play is the fretboard. The fretboard is on the guitar’s neck and is characterized by several raised ridges that the strings run over. The fretboard helps you to position your fingers when playing. It is important to know different types of guitars have varying numbers of frets.
- Electric guitars can have either 21, 22, or 24 frets.
- Acoustic guitars typically have 20 frets.
How do You Use the Fretboard?
You may be inclined to push on each fret to get the right notes. However, your fingers must find the space between the frets for the right note. Therefore, it is important to have a firm understanding of the notes you wish to play and the position you need to find.
Learning the Fretboard
Playing the guitar becomes much easier when you understand and know the fretboard. The best way to learn the fretboard is by memorization. While this may seem overwhelming, there are ways to break the learning process apart to allow for easier navigation.
- Do not practice the fretboard all at once. The task of learning all the frets at one time will be extremely overwhelming.
- Play up the fretboard.
Do not Practice all at Once.
When you begin learning to play the guitar, you may wish to jump in with both feet and try to tackle the entire instrument at once. Learning everything at once may sound appealing, but it will likely lead to frustration and burn out. If you reach the frustration level, your instrument will probably end up sitting in the corner collecting dust.
Break the Task Apart
It may seem efficient to learn it all at once, but it is recommended that you practice one fret at a time. An old guitar player friend of mine once told me “You don’t try to shove a whole pizza into your mouth at once, You break that thing up into pieces and eat it one piece at a time”. At the time I was attempting to learn some really difficult lick but it applies to this as well (He was a pretty smart guy I really miss him now that he’s gone). If you think about the number of frets (between 20-24), this process will take a while to accomplish. The best way to break the task apart would be to focus on 1-2 frets a day and practice each note on it up to ten times before moving on. Repetition helps commit the notes to memory.
Play up the Fretboard.
When learning the fretboard, it is typically best to play up the fretboard. Playing up will ensure that you can identify each chord for every note. When playing songs, you will be able to read the chords and play them as well.
Beginning to Practice
When beginning the guitar or any instrument, it is always tempting to jump right in and start strumming and playing. While this is a great way to familiarize yourself with your instrument’s feel, it is not the best way to truly learn the notes you will be playing. There are some steps you should follow to become adept at playing the guitar.
- Know the names of the guitar strings and where they are located.
- Familiarize yourself with the fretboard.
Know the Names of the Guitar Strings
You already know that a guitar has six strings you will be working with, and they have the names of; E, A, D, G, B, e, but you must also know where they are located on the guitar. It is important to remember that the thinnest string is the first, while the thickest is the last or sixth. Typically, they go from bottom to top and can help with finger positions.
Where Are They Located?
When you begin playing the guitar, you will need to know exactly where the strings are located. The best way to remember where the strings are located is to keep a mnemonic device in your mind. One of the most popular is Elephants, And Donkeys Grow Big Ears. Remember, there are many different mnemonics created to help with string position; you need to choose what works for you.
Tools That Can Help with Remembering Strings
The most effective tool to remember the names of strings is a mnemonic; however, it may be beneficial to assign each string a different color if you are a more visual person. You could apply a drop of paint to the string or use a sharpie to color the string near the tuners. Pictures and colors may be an effective method for teaching children the strings as well.
Where are The Notes on Different Types of Guitars?
Guitars come in three different types: acoustic, electric, and bass. The most played are acoustic and electric. Bass guitars are often found in bands and are used as an accompaniment to the other instruments.
Notes on The Acoustic Guitar
The acoustic guitar does not need an amplifier and is referred to as an unplugged guitar. There are six strings with the natural notes E, A, D, G, B, and E. The notes on the acoustic guitar are sharp and flat and can be found by moving up and down the fretboard on the guitar’s neck.
Notes on the Electric Guitar
You can find the electric guitar notes on six strings, just like the acoustic guitar notes. Different tones can be found on the guitar by moving up and down the fretboard located on the neck of the guitar. An electric guitar relies on the use of an amplifier to help produce sound.
Notes on the Bass Guitar
The bass guitar is typically found as an accompaniment with other instruments and has different notes than other guitars. The bass guitar notes are E, A, D, G and are typically lower than the acoustic or electric guitar. When finding notes on the bass guitar, you also depend on the fretboard for guidance.
Can you Find Notes Without Strumming?
You may think that the only way to find notes on the guitar is to strum the strings. However, you can also tap the strings to find the notes. Often when strumming, it can be challenging to focus on one note, so some guitarists prefer the tapping method.
When first learning which strings produce which notes, it may be challenging to strum only one string at a time, even with a pick. Because of this, the tapping method can be beneficial.
Notes Vs. Chords
When learning the guitar, you will likely hear the terms notes and chords. While it may be tempting to use the words interchangeably, they refer to different things.
What are Notes?
Notes are individual and distinct sounds that are produced from a single string. When beginning to play the guitar, you will likely focus on learning and mastering individual notes first. You could think the notes of like the letters of the alphabet.
What are Chords?
Chords are a combination of notes put together to play rhythms and songs. Once you are adept at playing individual notes, you will be able to play chords. All pieces are comprised of a series of notes placed together in the form of chords. A good way to remember what a chord is is to think of chords like letters to form words.
The sound made when playing notes on the guitar is disjointed and doesn’t flow like the sound produced when playing chords. Because you are putting multiple notes together, a much richer sound is produced.
Does Tuning Give Off Different Notes?
If you notice that your guitar sounds off or different, it may be a good idea to tune it. When tuning a guitar, you will loosen and tighten the strings until the proper pitch is reached. The tension is easily adjusted by using the tuning pegs at the top of the guitar neck.
Tight strings will make the note high pitch, while loose strings will produce a lower pitch level. When tightening the strings, you need to be very careful not to overtighten them because doing so will cause too much tension, and the strings can break.
Does a Capo Impact the Notes?
Some guitarists choose to use a Capo on the neck of their guitar. A capo This is a type of clamp that goes over the strings to give the effect of shortened strings. The shortened strings will, in turn, produce a higher pitch without the risk of overtightening the strings.
What Notes Does the Capo Help Produce?
You may be wondering why exactly you would use a capo on your guitar. As stated previously, it provides a smaller note base to play from, but it also produces only five notes that are surprisingly different than the six normal notes. The notes made by a capo are: F#, B, E, A, C# and F#.
The tones produced when using a capo make it easier for beginners to play along with more complex songs. It also makes it a bit easier to sing along when playing a song. Because of this, it is preferred by many musicians to use a capo.
Why Use a Capo?
Some advanced guitarists may view using a capo as unnecessary; however, the capo can provide you with greater opportunity for song playing if you are beginning. The cap allows you to play between five strings as opposed to six. Not only does this make it easier to learn notes, but it will enable you to play a variety of songs more quickly than you would without the help of the capo.
Are all Capos the Same?
Not all capos are the same, so you need to be sure to have the appropriate one for your type of guitar. The size will vary between acoustic and electric guitars. If you choose to use a capo that is not the correct size, you will risk damaging your guitar’s neck. Knowing that guitars are expensive, this is likely not something you want to do.
When placing a capo on your guitar, you not only want to make sure it is the correct size, but you also want to make sure it is not too tightly clamped on the guitar neck. Again, too tightly clamping the capo on will likely cause damage to the guitar.
Different Types of Capos
When looking for a capo, you will not only find different sizes, but you will find different styles as well. The most common types of capos are a partial, trigger, roller, screw, and strap.
| Type of Capo | Characteristics |
| Partial capo |
|
| Trigger capo |
|
| Roller capo |
|
| Screw capo |
|
| Strap capo |
|
As you can see, there are many options when it comes to choosing the correct capo to use on your guitar. If you feel like you are stuck in a rut playing and do not seem to be making any progress, you may want to check out a capo to help move your progress along. If you are uncertain about the type, it would be wise to seek the advice of someone with guitar knowledge.
Final Thoughts
Approximately 50 million people worldwide are known to play the guitar. Many of those people are likely self-taught, which means it is not impossible to do so. Once you learn the strings and the basics, you can begin learning to play the guitar. Just make sure you enter the task with patience and perseverance.
Recent Comments