Fretboard note trainer
Sixty seconds a day to learn every note on the neck, in two modes: name the highlighted note or find the named one.
- round
- 60 seconds
- notes
- 12 buttons
- modes
- name / find
- storage
- this device only
Press start, then name (or find) each note.
How to memorise the fretboard faster
- Learn the two anchor strings first. The low E and A strings are where barre-chord roots live. E string: open E, F G A B C D E at frets 0 to 12; the A string follows the same pattern starting from A.
- Use octave shapes as shortcuts. From any note on the low E string, the same note sits two strings up and two frets over (E-string 3rd fret G becomes D-string 5th fret G). One known note unlocks three more.
- Learn the fifth and seventh fret landmarks. On the low E string the 5th fret is A and the 7th is B; on the A string the 5th fret is D and the 7th is E. Two landmarks per string split the neck into short distances you can count.
- Say the note out loud before you tap. Naming it in your head and tapping on instinct are different skills. Saying it adds a second channel to the memory, which is why the trainer asks you to press a button rather than just look.
- Play one round a day, not ten on Sunday. Spaced repetition is how memory works, and the streak counter above exists for exactly this reason.
The anchors you are memorising
These are the same three landmarks the steps above describe, drawn on the simulated neck the trainer uses. Open strings on the left, 15th fret on the right.
What is a fretboard note trainer?
A fretboard note trainer is a timed drill that turns note naming into a reflex. This one gives you 60 seconds and two ways to work. In name mode the neck highlights one position and you pick the note from twelve buttons. In find mode you are given a note name and you tap every matching position on a simulated neck. Both modes run on the same forty-eight cells, from the open strings to the 15th fret, so the drill matches the neck you actually play rather than a diagram of it. Nothing is installed and no account is created: the round, the score and the daily streak all live in this browser. Sixty seconds is deliberate. Short daily contact beats a long weekly session for this kind of recall, and the streak counter exists to keep that contact regular. When the notes stop needing thought, take the same knowledge to the scale finder and the fretboard chart.
Learn & referenceExamples, charts and deeper explanation
How the score and the streak work
There is no hidden bonus and no time penalty beyond the clock. Every rule below is one line of the script that runs this page, including the keys your score is stored under.
one round
- Round length
- 60 seconds
- Correct answer
- +1 point
- Wrong answer
- -1 point
- Lowest score
- 0
stored on this device
- Best score key
- fret-best
- Streak key
- fret-streak
- Streak counts
- days played
- Accounts
- none
two modes
- Name the note
- 12 answer buttons
- Find the note
- tap the fretboard
- Wrong tap feedback
- clears in 500 ms
- Next note delay
- 220 ms
Clearing your browser data starts both numbers from zero. Ready for the next step? Try the fretboard notes chart, the scale finder and the circle of fifths.
Anchor map: every note on the two bass strings
Count the frets instead of memorising twelve separate facts: the low E string is the open E, so each note sits a fixed distance above it. The A string runs five frets higher, which is why A on the low E string and the open A string are the same pitch.
| Note | Low E string | A string | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | fret 8 | fret 3 | Higher up the neck: count from the 5th or 7th fret landmark instead. |
| C# | fret 9 | fret 4 | Higher up the neck: count from the 5th or 7th fret landmark instead. |
| D | fret 10 | fret 5 | Higher up the neck: count from the 5th or 7th fret landmark instead. |
| D# | fret 11 | fret 6 | Higher up the neck: count from the 5th or 7th fret landmark instead. |
| E | fret 0 | fret 7 | One of the two open strings you never have to count. |
| F | fret 1 | fret 8 | Inside the first five frets, so barre roots and open shapes both start here. |
| F# | fret 2 | fret 9 | Inside the first five frets, so barre roots and open shapes both start here. |
| G | fret 3 | fret 10 | Inside the first five frets, so barre roots and open shapes both start here. |
| G# | fret 4 | fret 11 | Inside the first five frets, so barre roots and open shapes both start here. |
| A | fret 5 | fret 0 | One of the two open strings you never have to count. |
| A# | fret 6 | fret 1 | Higher up the neck: count from the 5th or 7th fret landmark instead. |
| B | fret 7 | fret 2 | Higher up the neck: count from the 5th or 7th fret landmark instead. |
The same pitch class repeats every 12 frets, so fret 12 is the octave of the open string and fret 15 is the octave of fret 3.