Fretboard trainer
Two drills that make note names on the neck automatic, the single most important foundation skill for a jazz guitarist.
Knowing the fretboard means seeing a fret and instantly knowing its name, with no counting from the open string. Two minutes of each drill, every day, for a month is enough for most players. Use the daily plan in Practice plans.
Drill 1: name the note
Drill 2: find every position of a note
Press "New note" and click every position of that note on the fretboard.
Landmarks that make it easy
- Open strings and fret 12 are the same names: E A D G B E.
- Fret 5 of each string is the next string's open note, except the G string, where it is fret 4.
- Octave shapes: from the 6th or 5th string, the octave is two strings up and two frets higher. From the 4th or 3rd string it is two strings up and three frets higher (the B string tuning shift).
- Learn the natural notes on strings 6 and 5 first (the roots of most jazz chord shapes), then use octave shapes for the rest.