Moving Beyond the First Position

Way back in lesson four, we reviewed the natural notes -- meaning the core notes of A through G -- as well as where they can be found within the first four frets of each string (click here to read the article). These are the "first position" notes, as they can all be played when the index finger is used to play the first fret, the middle finger the second fret, and so on. In this article, we'll learn a bit more about the notes beyond the first position -- meaning the notes that appear at the fifth fret and beyond.

The Notes Repeat Themselves

Learning the notes beyond the first position is very simple. On all strings except the third string, the fifth fret marks the point where that respective string will play notes that are equal to the string below it. On the third string, this principle is applied at the fourth fret.

The concept is best illustrated through examples:

• Play the fifth fret on the sixth string. This note is the same note as if you were to play the string below it -- the fifth string -- open. Go ahead and try it: try playing the fifth fret of the sixth string and the fifth string open at the same time. Provided your guitar is in tune, you'll notice that the two notes sound identical. Both notes are A notes. The audio clip below illustrates the example.
• From this, we can deduce that when going beyond the fifth fret, we can simply subtract five to find the fret that would play the equivalent note on the string below it. Using the example above, 5 - 5 = 0 -- so we know that playing the fifth fret on the sixth string is the same as playing the string below it (the fifth string) open. Likewise, if we play the seventh fret on the sixth string, we will come to find that it plays the same note as the second fret on the fifth string (7 - 5 = 2).
• Since the notes are the same, they will have the same name as well. In other words, we know that the second fret on the fifth string is the B note. From this, we can deduce that the seventh fret on the sixth string is also the B note, since the second fret/fifth string is the same as the seventh fret/sixth string.
• Taking this concept further, we can identify every note on the fretboard. For instance, take the tenth fret on the sixth string. We know that the tenth fret/sixth string is equal to fifth fret/fifth string (10 - 5 = 5), which in turn is equal to the open fret/fourth string (5 - 5 = 0). We know that the fourth string open yields the D note, so the tenth fret/sixth string is the D note.

Exception to the Rule

The exception to the rule is the third string. On the third string, it is the fourth fret -- not the fifth -- that plays the string before it. In other words, fourth fret/third string is equal to open fret/second string; both of them will play the same B note. Just as with all the other strings, this concept can be extended: the tenth fret/third string is the same as the sixth fret/second string (10 - 4 = 6) which in turn is the same as the first fret/first string (6 - 5 = 1). This is the F note. Note that in order to "convert" the third string into the second we need to subtract four frets instead of five, since it is the fourth fret that marks the point of repitition on the third string.

Octaves

When we play the A note on the fifth fret/sixth string, it is the same as playing the A note on the open fret/fifth string. The two notes are identical; we have simply increased the pitch of the sixth string by playing it at the fifth fret so that the sound it produces is of the same pitch as that of the open fifth string.

Fifth Fret, Sixth String & Open Fret, Fifth String Played at Same Time:



When we play the A note on the second fret/third string though, it is different than the A note on the open fret/fifth string or fifth fret sixth string. Try playing them at the same time; you will notice they have the same tonal quality, but are of a different pitch. The audio clips below illustrate the example.

Open Fret, Fifth String:



Second Fret, Third String:



The A note on the second fret/third string is an octave higher than the A note on the open fret/fifth string. An octave is simply a distance of eight notes; eight distinct notes are between the two A notes, and thus they are an octave apart. When there are two notes of the same name played in the same position but on different strings, they will be one or more octaves apart. For example, the E note on the second fret/fourth string is an octave higher than the E note on the open fret/sixth string. Likewise, the E note on the open fret/first string is two octaves higher than the E note on the open fret/sixth string.

The audio clips below illustrate the example.

Open Fret, Low E String:



Second Fret, Fourth String:



Open Fret, High E String:



When first reading this material it can be confusing, but with practice it will be like second nature.

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