Why First Position Matters
First position — the area of the neck from the open strings through the 4th fret — is where most beginner and intermediate guitar music is played. Knowing every note here gives you the foundation to read any music, understand chord shapes, and move confidently around the neck.
You already know the natural notes on the 1st and 2nd strings. This lesson extends that knowledge across all six strings and adds the sharp and flat notes between them.
How to Use This Chart
Each string is listed from thickest (6th) to thinnest (1st). For each string, the open note is followed by notes at frets 1 through 4. Where two names appear (e.g. F#/Gb), either name is correct depending on the musical key context.
Refer to this chart whenever you encounter a note you do not recognise in music. Over weeks of regular reading practice, you will need to consult it less and less as positions become automatic.
String 1 (High E)
Open: E Fret 1: F Fret 2: F#/Gb Fret 3: G Fret 4: G#/Ab
Open: B Fret 1: C Fret 2: C#/Db Fret 3: D Fret 4: D#/Eb
Open: G Fret 1: G#/Ab Fret 2: A Fret 3: A#/Bb Fret 4: B
Open: D Fret 1: D#/Eb Fret 2: E Fret 3: F Fret 4: F#/Gb
Open: A Fret 1: A#/Bb Fret 2: B Fret 3: C Fret 4: C#/Db
Open: E Fret 1: F Fret 2: F#/Gb Fret 3: G Fret 4: G#/Ab
Both the thinnest and thickest strings are tuned to E — so they have exactly the same note names at every fret, just two octaves apart in pitch. A scale pattern you learn on string 1 works note-for-name identically on string 6.
Key Patterns to Memorise
- No sharp/flat between B–C and E–F — these pairs are always one fret apart
- Every other pair of natural notes has one sharp/flat fret between them
- Each fret = one semitone — count up from any open string to find any note
- Strings 1 and 6 are identical — both open E, same note names all the way up
At this stage, always use the finger that matches the fret number: finger 1 for fret 1, finger 2 for fret 2, finger 3 for fret 3, finger 4 for fret 4. This consistent fingering makes reading and playing in first position much more automatic over time.
Practising the Note Map
The fastest way to memorise these notes is to read music that uses them daily. Even 5 minutes of sight-reading practice every session — playing through a simple melody and naming each note before you play it — builds the map in your memory rapidly.
A useful exercise: pick one string and play from the open note up to the 4th fret, saying the note name aloud as you play each one. Then do it in reverse. Work through all six strings this way once per practice session.
What's Next?
Lesson 26 explains music keys — what key signatures mean, which sharps and flats belong to which keys, and why the key of a song determines which chords you are most likely to use.