Reference sheet
Key ideas so far
- 1There are twelve notes. The letters repeat every octave, and B–C and E–F have no note between them. — Lesson 1: Notes and the musical alphabet
- 2A semitone is one fret; a tone is two frets. — Lesson 2: Tones and semitones
Glossary
- Octave
- The same note name, twelve notes higher.
- Semitone
- The distance from one note to the very next one: one fret on a guitar.
- Sharp
- A sign (♯) that raises a note to the next note up.
- Tone
- Two semitones: two frets on a guitar. Also called a whole step.
The twelve notes
A · A♯/B♭ · B · C · C♯/D♭ · D · D♯/E♭ · E · F · F♯/G♭ · G · G♯/A♭ — then A again, an octave up. No note between B–C or E–F.
Distances on one string
1 fret = 1 semitone · 2 frets = 1 tone · 12 frets = 1 octave.