Notes on the neck · Exercise 01

The open strings

Goal
Name the six open strings and learn why the neck repeats at fret 12.
Time
10 min

You'll

  • Learn E A D G B E, thick to thin
  • Tune, then name each string out loud
  • Hear fret 12 as the open note, higher

The open strings

The names, thick to thin

  • Thick to thin: E A D G B E
  • Mnemonic: Every Alien Dreams Great Big Encores (or make your own)
  • String 1 is the thinnest, string 6 the thickest. Every chart and tab uses this.
  • Two E strings: “low E” (thick) and “high e” (thin, often lowercase), two octaves apart

The 12-fret repeat

  • Fret 12 = the open string’s note, one octave up (usually a double dot)
  • Frets 13 to 24 repeat frets 1 to 11
  • So you only learn frets 0 to 11

Hear it

Do this

  1. Tune up.
  1. Play each open string thick to thin, saying its name out loud. Three slow passes.
  2. Play open low E, then low E at fret 12. Listen for “same note, higher.” Repeat on one or two other strings.

Check

  • You can say the six names without the mnemonic
  • You know string 1 is the thinnest