Finding Every C

Did you know that finding every C on the fretboard is one of the first steps towards instantly finding any note, anywhere on the guitar?

And no, it doesn’t require memorising every individual note on the fretboard, as many players assume.

First, have a look. 

These are all the places where C occurs up to the 15th fret.

But here is the important part:

You do not need to memorise this picture.

There are a few simple relationships behind it that are ALWAYS TRUE.

Once you understand those relationships, you can begin to work out where notes are, rather than trying to remember dozens of isolated fret positions.

A question to think about

Do you really need to memorise all 12 notes across the fretboard, or could knowing just one note, everywhere it occurs, give you the key to finding the rest?

That is what we are going to explore.

For now, simply notice the Cs.

In the next Light Lesson, we’ll establish the most important starting points on the guitar: the names of the open strings.