The guitar is an amazing instrument, and may be the most versatile instrument in common use today. Its versatility derives in large part from its tuning and and the layout of the fretboard.

On the piano, there is only one key for each specific pitch, and the notes are arranged in a pattern of white and black keys that makes intuitive sense to many people.

On the guitar, you can play many notes in more than one way, using different strings and fret. This means that the same note can be played with a variety of timbres, and with different techniques. It also facilitates playing different combinations of notes with relative ease.

The lack of any indicators of note patterns (like the white and black keys on the piano) along with the fact of being able to play the same note in more than one place, make it challenging for many students to learn the layout of the fretboard.

I’m making a series of progressive fretboard diagrams to help students understand the arrangement of notes on the guitar. Starting with the note A on all six strings, and then introducing the musical alphabet, these diagrams are designed to help build a thorough understanding of the fretboard one step at a time.