How many frets does a guitar have?

Most acoustic guitars have 19 to 20 frets, most electric guitars 21 to 24. Beginner songs rarely go past fret 5.

Why are there dots on the fretboard?

To help you find your place. They sit on frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12, and fret 12 has two dots because it is the octave.

How long does it take to learn the fretboard?

The open strings take a day. The thick E and A strings take a couple of weeks of a few minutes a day. The rest fills in as you play.

Guide

Guitar fretboard

The guitar fretboard is the flat front of the neck where you press the strings. The metal strips across it are frets. Each fret raises a string by one half step. Once you know what the strings, frets and dots mean, the whole neck becomes a map.

The parts of the fretboard

Part	What it is
Nut	The white strip at the top of the neck. Strings are open behind it.
Fret	A thin metal bar across the neck. Fret 1 is nearest the nut.
Fret space	The wood between two frets. This is where your finger goes.
Inlay dots	Markers on frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12 so you can find your place.
Strings	Six of them. 6 is the thick low E, 1 is the thin high e.

The first twelve frets. Thin e is on top, the same order as tab.

Where exactly to press

1
Just behind the fret
Press close to the metal bar on the side nearer the body, not in the middle of the space.
2
With your fingertip
Arch the finger so it does not touch the string below it.
3
Only as hard as you need
Press until the note rings clearly, then no harder. Pressing too hard bends the note sharp.

Watch out

Buzzing?

A buzz nearly always means the finger is too far from the fret, or another finger is brushing the string. Move closer to the fret before pressing harder.

The notes on the fretboard

Every natural note (no sharps or flats) on the first twelve frets.

Each fret is one half step up.
Between B and C, and between E and F, there is no sharp, so those notes sit on neighbouring frets.
At fret 12 every string is back to its open note, one octave higher. That is why fret 12 has two dots.

How to learn the fretboard

1
Open strings first
E A D G B E. See the standard tuning guide for a way to remember them.
2
Then the thick E string
Chords with a note on this string take their name from it. Learn E F G A B C D E up to fret 12.
3
Then the A string
The same idea for the A string. Together these two name almost every chord shape.
4
Use the octave shortcut
Two strings up and two frets up is the same note, higher. From the thick E at fret 3 (G), the D string at fret 5 is also G.

Watch the fretboard move

Try it now

Greensleeves, melody mode

Greensleeves in Melody mode walks up and down the first frets. Watch the fretboard light each note as it plays.

Open the song

Questions people ask

How many frets does a guitar have?: Most acoustic guitars have 19 to 20 frets, most electric guitars 21 to 24. Beginner songs rarely go past fret 5.
Why are there dots on the fretboard?: To help you find your place. They sit on frets 3, 5, 7, 9 and 12, and fret 12 has two dots because it is the octave.
How long does it take to learn the fretboard?: The open strings take a day. The thick E and A strings take a couple of weeks of a few minutes a day. The rest fills in as you play.