Six anchor notes
From the 6th string to the 1st, the open strings are E, A, D, G, B, E. Each has a fixed spot on the staff, and those spots are easy to see:
The open strings on the staff, tap to hear and see them on the neck
| String | Note | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|
| 6th open | E low | Hanging under 3 ledger lines |
| 5th open | A | Skewered on the 2nd ledger line below |
| 4th open | D | Sitting just below the staff, resting on the floor |
| 3rd open | G | On the 2nd line, the one the clef wraps around |
| 2nd open | B | On the middle line, dead center |
| 1st open | E high | In the top space, the 4th |
The C on the 1st ledger line below is the 5th string, fret 3. It is the lowest note of the most common C chord shape. It splits the low string zone from the staff zone.
From a landmark to its neighbor
See a note you don’t know? Find the nearest landmark and count steps. A note in the space just above the G line is A (one step above G). A note on the line just below the B line is G (two steps below B: space A, line G).
Melody reader
Landmark study (open strings)
Goal: turn off "Names" and "String & fret" and still play it.
Your turn
Practice until you get 15 in a row. The buttons use the note colors to help you. The note only gets its color after you answer.
Quick check
Get every answer right to finish. Mistakes are part of it: read the explanation and try again.
1. A note on the middle line of the staff is which open string?
2. A note just below the staff, touching the 1st line:
3. A note on the 2nd ledger line below: