6 String Freedom

Part 1: Start with the sounds and the names · Lesson 010 / 117

Practice stop: a small note map

Practice stop — no rush
Today’s one thing

Reconstruct a few notes instead of memorising the whole neck.

There is no new theory in this lesson. Take time to join the pieces: string addresses, the seven letters, half steps, whole steps, and repeated names.

Use only high E frets 0–5. Begin with E at fret 0 and work forward. E–F takes one fret, F–G takes two, and G–A takes two. Fill the remaining positions with sharp names, then say their flat equivalents. Reconstructing the answer is more valuable than instantly remembering it.

Now remove the map and try three locations in a different order. When you hesitate, return to a known note and count. That is a usable method, not a failure. Finish by playing a small rise and fall and describing its direction.

Keep this page as a return point. Before the next part, try the same task on another day. Familiarity that survives a break is more useful than a perfect run immediately after reading the answer.

Hear it

Small Map

Audio file

Four-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.

A concrete example

High E frets 0–5: E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A. High E fret 12 repeats E an octave higher.

Fretboard view

Tap a labelled note to hear it. High E/string 1 is at the top, matching tablature.

Root / tonic
An octave repeats the note name
These two E notes have the same name at different heights.
Guitar fretboard from open strings to fret 3; An octave repeats the note name. Notes and highlighted targets labeled.
Repeated note names help you navigate the guitar without treating every note as unrelated.

Use this as a note map, not a speed test. Once the relationships make sense, play them without looking.

Try it, slowly

  1. Write the six positions from memory or by reconstruction.
  2. Find fret 4, then fret 1, then fret 3 and say their names.
  3. Play G–F–E, listening to the falling pitches; use frets 3–1–0.

Check one idea

What are high E frets 1 and 4, and how far apart are they?

Show the explanation

F and G#/Ab. They are three semitones apart because the move is 1→2→3→4. Their letter spelling will matter when we name intervals later.

A good place to stop

You can reconstruct the map, explain a sharp/flat pair and recognise an octave after a short break.

Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.