For beginners learning guitar notes, it’s important to start with the six open strings, which are (from lowest/thickest to highest/thinnest): E, A, D, G, B, E[2]. Familiarity with these notes is essential, as they form the foundation for further learning on the fretboard.
On the guitar, each fret raises the note by a half step, and you can use this knowledge to work out the rest of the notes up each string. Notably, there are no sharps or flats between E and F, and B and C, which is a fundamental aspect of music theory on any fretted instrument[3].
If you want to quickly identify notes up to the 12th fret on each string, you can use a simple formula: start from the open string note and count up chromatically (one fret at a time) until you reach the 12th fret, which returns you to the same note one octave higher[1]. For example, on the low E string, the frets up to the 12th play E (open), F (1st fret), F# (2nd), G (3rd), G# (4th), A (5th), and so on until the 12th fret (E again).
Learning to read guitar tablature (tab) is also very helpful for beginners. Tabs are a visual way to learn which strings and frets to play. Each line of the tab staff represents a string, and each number on a line tells you which fret to press. The top line is the high E string, and the bottom line is the low E string. You simply find the string and fret number indicated and play that note[2][4][6].
For those who want to read standard sheet music, remember that the lines of the treble clef represent E, G, B, D, and F (from bottom to top), and the spaces spell F, A, C, E[6]. On guitar, these notes correspond to different places on the fretboard and strings.
At the beginner stage, focus on memorizing the open string notes and finding them on the staff, and get used to reading tablature for your favorite songs. Practice simple melodies and chord shapes to build muscle memory and familiarity with the notes across the neck.