Finger And Fret Numbers
Learn How To Number Your Fingers And The Frets On The Guitar!
Before you can dive in to playing the guitar you should understand how your fingers and the frets on the guitar are numbered. These may seem like simple topics but it is important for you to know which finger to put on which fret. Let’s get started.
When I talk about finger numbers I am talking about the fingers on your left hand if you are right handed and the fingers on your right hand if you are left handed. Your index finger will be called your 1st finger, your middle finger will be called your 2nd finger, your ring finger will be called your 3rd finger and your pinky will be called your 4th finger.
Frets are the metal strips that are mounted on the fretboard of the guitar. The fret closest to the headstock of the guitar is the 1st fret. If you put your finger right behind this fret you would be playing on the 1st fret of the guitar. Move a finger up one fret to play the 2nd fret and so on.
Make sure you know how to number your fingers and frets before moving on to the next guitar lesson in the Beginner Guitar Quick-Start Series. Get ready to learn the parts of the guitar!
Hello my name is Bianca and I am 9 and turning 10 this year I have always wanted to learn to play guitar and just today I am looking online for guitar lessons and I stumbel across your website and think that this could be my chance to learn how to play the guitar,so I find a guitar and start.I am on BEGINNER GUITAR QUICK-START SERIES NAMES OF THE GUITAR STRINGS and I am dieing to see the next part so thanks so much for making this website.
hi, that’s a nice post. i hope you will continue to do this
I am 12 turning 13 in 3 months and i am actually a desent drummer but i saw the guitar lesson up in the right corner and thought.. I want to see if i can learn something and now i now much more than i knew when i didn’t watch those videos
Nice post!
I cant share this link : https://www.guitarlessons.com/guitar-lessons/beginner-guitar-quick-start-series/finger-and-fret-numbers/?replytocom=30
Am i doing it wrong ?
Andrew.
hey i agree cause that is me Bianca i love me
LOL cute
I am your age and relearning the guitar.I took lessons for 2 years then quit this year and decided to try again.
Hi, I’ve just bought my first electric guitar having played accoustic many years ago. Your lessons are great for refreshing the basics & I’m pleased to find I haven’t forgotten everything. A problem I am having though is that the steel strings are killing my fingers & am only able to play for 30-40 mins at the moment – is there any way to toughen the ends of my fingers up?
Hey Emma,
The only way to toughen up your fingers is to practice consistently. 30 minutes per day at least 4-5 times per week.
It will get better after a while if you stick with it!
Hope that helps!
u can try lighter strings. if ur strings r to heavy they r hard 2 hold down. U can also try thimbles, but i better take option 1
Consider using a product like QUIKCALLUS® to provide an artificial callus, LIQUID SKIN® is used by Cellists and works just as well for guitarists when fingers tips get tender….and constant practice will eventually toughen them. Plus don’t put lotion on fingertips or soak in water, it will make them soft.
my fingers hurtin alot…plx help
Bro i fail at guitar playing i dont even know where to put my fingers!!! anyways im 12 and i dont know if i will learn fast.
This reply is really more to Peter but applies to all. I am nearly 62 years young, had extensive spinal surgeries with a bunch of metal holding my back together, plus right shoulder surgery and one more coming in about 2 weeks. I want to play and I will play. It will not be easy but I will succeed. I have all the faith in the world that each of the people who loves music, whose heart is gladdened just to hear good music, will succeed as well. Always remember these things. It is not HOW FAST you learn but HOW WELL you learn that is important. Take all the time you need to learn well. The rest will fall into place and will give you joy forever. Consider learning a ‘journey’, not a ‘destination’. Learn something new each day because there is joy in learning plus there will always be something more to learn. Good luck to everyone.
Hey, I’m eleven, and I got my guitar at ten, kinda a late start, anyways, your site has been a TON of help, thanks a ton!
If you think you are too late to learn play guitar…. I’m 37 and about to start learning how to play guitar. This weekend I will go buy a guitar at music shop. I started drumming a year ago and next I want to learn play piano as well
Cheers!
Me just stepped on 33. I’ve always dreamt of playing guitar since Ive seen the instrument. I will lay my hand on a guitar this Saturday (Going to buy one). There is no age for learning. And there is nothing called late start. Believe me. Enjoy the music.
Yup! Never too late to pursue any long cherished dream! I’m almost 48 and my kids just gifted me a guitar!!
Hi, do you just put your finger on the place above the fret or do you push down on it?
yes you’re supposed to press down on the strings
You guys are doing a great job,what I’ve found today is a dream come true
hey..!!! i got my guitar at the age of 13… Is it too late for me play a guitar..????
its never late …. im gonna have a guitar after a week and i dont feel like i late (learn thunderstruck-it will rise your self-confidence )
its not too late im 14 and im starting now
hi, i am starting it at the age of 24 do u think i can learn it?
it’s never to late to learn an instrument
hi….
i have an spanish guitar bt im nt using it frm last 4-5 months and nw 1 and 6 strings are vaibrating little bit while playing… please tell me what should i do?
Hi, I am very glad i got your site i am not quite shore how to play the guitar cause i only got this like a month ago and my lessons are finished
I had been practicing guitar about ten years back. Now I’m 40 can I start learning guitar?
hey this website is amazing i went to guitar lessons like 3 years ago but the guy didnt really teach us much so this is a great help
THANX
thats awesome >?>
Put some surgical spirit on your fingers to toughen them up
Hi I want to thank you for these instructions they are great
hi, i’m wondering how hard you have to press down on the strings. do you press it all the way down on the fret board or just a little bit of pressure and not all the way down? please reply.
Thanks
First of all congrats, pick stioehmng simple, pick stioehmng you like (you will be playing it for hours on end) go to sheet music direct type in song titles you like and pick the music marked Easy Guitar if you can’t read sheet music order it in tabs (it looks like numbers your instructor can explain this to you)The first song I could play was Wild Thing, you wont need sheet music for that song, they may start you on one string notes to start as opposed to full chords, look at the sheet music if it is farily simple like the chords are A C D E G you should be good for starters if the chords look like Bm7 add 9 it will be difficult for you to start with, look for simple chords.Other easy chords for beginners areAm, A7Bm, (this one is a little hard but you can do it)C7Dm, D7Em, E7F (this one is a little hard but you can do it)G7, Gm
i am a beginner i havent really learned how to use the guitar but i am learnin i am 13 years old n dont hav a clue a bout the guitar im so lost but i need help on understannding what is the fretboard but most importantly what is a fret
I am starting to see real improvement in my playing. Thank you Nate
I have been reading the comments and am thinking that I’ve just delayed my music education…..never too late to start. I’m 61, and don’t feel bad about the sore fingers….just wish they were the size they were when I was 15.
Dont feel bad, its ok.
Yep, never too late, Im 14 and I thought I was late thanks for encouraging me, youre awesome
yea i just turned 47 ive had guitars my whole life they look cool and i fit the rocker image and i could fake a little to maybe impress some girls but man I WANNA PLAY I WANNA ROCK
Hi! I’m 15 and I’ve always wanted to learn how to play a guitar. Thank you so much for making this website, it helps a lot! Hopefully I’d be able to play good music by Christmas!
Nate your lessons are better than other guitar lessons one thing I noticed before I started playing guitar this guitar player always uses his thumb on every song he plays but I remember you said your thumb is not involved while playing the Guitar
Now i am 27 i had a small exposure to guitar when i was a kid now i dont remember anything is it ok that i can start as a beginner now
hi i’ve ben playing first acts all of my 11 years alive and figured out that they aren’t real. so i made my dad buy me a real electric guitar. it’s realy big and white. this is my first year in mittle school and i dropped uot of band to foccus on the guitar. these videos have been a huge help to me and the people at my school
hi nate my name is chris and im 12 years old.can you teach me (with the website)how to play lost higway by bon jovi?
hey im 12 two!!!
Me 2
your lessons are really helpful i bought my guitar month ago and from the time i started hearing your lessons im getting better and better thanks ….
Though a beginner, I will master in three months time.
I am 48 and started learning for the first time – THANK YOU for these lessons!
a video has been removed that nate said were going to learn a song were is it ??
I’m 37, I just bought my first guitar and started the lesson today. Merry X’mas!
its jst amazing!!!!!!!
I’m 20 years old, all my life I dreamed of playing guitar because of my grandfather! And my new boyfriend is my inspiration to playing guitar now. So I want to go from being amateur to pro! I’m really excited about my lesson, looking forward to this and I hope I can make my grandfather proud.
I am 35 and bought a guitar for christmas for the kids 17,13,12,6. But I want to learn. This lesson is ver helpful.
Hi Nate,
I’m mew to your guitar lessons ever since I got my acoustic guitar for Christmas, so here’s my question do you mean by left or right handed guitar playing do you mean either strumming the strings or holding them down by the frets?
I am 65 and just starting to learn guitar, I guess it is never too late. I was very apprehensive about learning until I found your site. Thanks guys!
Roger
This is looking good. I’m in. Thanx.
Hey Scott,Love the review. I just buhogt a New Old Stock 300ex (white- just like yours). It’s buzzing like crazy! How was the setup of yours when you got it? I’ve been reading that this is the bane of Chinese production. They can build them nice, but they lack on the setup.Any advice before I blow another $200 on a setup and fret dressing?I play a full step down with a pick, so I am riding the line, but my Peavey Millenium is still taking the beating better than the iceman. I buhogt the
I am 13 and i have had a little guitar since i was 6. I have always wanted to learn and my mom wouldnt ever pay for lessons and if i learn to play my dad will get me an electric guitar:) This site has sved me!
does it matter what fingers you put above what frets?
i have the same question as maria
hi, that’s a nice post. i hope you will continue to do this, good
i just want to learn basic songs and how to strum them correctly
Do u need to no music thery, 2 learn the guitar
Hey, I got my guitar at 53 – That’s a late start…
Anyway, I’m new to all this and the site looks really good.
Thanks for the amount of time and effort you have put in to helping everyone. You are why the internet is a world changing system, I may never be a great guitarist but at least I have a chance to enjoy my guitar.
Thank you.
ThANk U..
Honestly, I am way past retirement but I am still vibrant. I just bought an acoustic at the pawn shop. That’s right; I am in my 60s and retired from Administrative duties as a career, which was never my dream in the first place. I just always had to make money. I am also an Internet Writer, am working on a novel but my dream was always to learn guitar. I guess I just want to say that as long as there is life in one’s body, it’s never too late to try anything your heart desires. I am finding the instructions, comments and feedback very helpful. Thank you. : D
Just wanted to say that i am also in my 60′s and, like you, have always wanted to learn to play the guitar. I fully agree that it is never too late to fulfill one’s dreams. Glad to have this websight.
My name is zohaib hassan an i am a muslim boy i want to learn guitar please help me becouse i love guitar and music very much
A problem I’m having. I’m basically learning guitar all by myself with the help of videos like these (thank you!) but I;m not understanding something. If I push down on a string on a fret and then pluck that string, it doesn’t make a sound like it does for everyone else. I’m confused? I just bought it and it’s tuned and everything.
Behind the fret not on it, putting your finger on a fret mutes the cord
Hi i am a complete beginner and the middle finger of my right hand does not work (u can say diabled) so would it be fine if i catch the frets with my right hand and play with the left
Sorry i mean the middle finger on the left hand is diabled
Hi my name is elisa hogan and im turning 11 next month and im really happy that im finally going to learn something like a intrumint and im not going sit to down on the couch eating crisp or sweet anymore.:)
What I have always told pelope is that while searching for a good online electronics retail store, there are a few aspects that you have to remember to consider. First and foremost, you need to make sure to get a reputable as well as reliable store that has gotten great opinions and scores from other consumers and business sector leaders. This will make certain you are getting along with a well-known store to provide good support and support to their patrons. Many thanks for sharing your notions on this web site.
thank you Nate, you’ve just made my day!
This is my first time to play guitar
Dear Nate,
i have 19 frets on my guitar. is that normal? Also the first fret on your guitar looked maybe a half inch to a full inch away from the head bored, yet mine is, at most, 3 centimeters away. why?
thank you
hi this is me santosh lakandri.
i read in akashganga intl academy. i always wanted to play a guitar.when i used to see the boys playing guitar i also wanted to play but now i am able to play in concerts.if you have any comments contact me my band name http://www.facebook.com/black rose
where do we go to find the free sheets for this lesson
Thnx that’s so helpful
this is awesome
i hope this will be a worthwhile experience.
I AM VERY ANXIOUS TO GET STARTED.
ANXIOUS TO GET STARTED.
i like it its cool because u can see the artists pictures
I just got my new guitar yesterday and i already feal like im better than yesterday!+
М̣̣̥̇̊
ɪ̣̝̇
guitar doesn’t have frets and I don’t know what to do now…
Can I make it myself or what can I do?
the video wont play for me?
Hey Cool!
I am 53 years old, disabled due to an incurable eye disease. My little brother, who has been playing for 30 years, bought me a very nice Yamaha acoustic guitar for my birthday, which was 5 days ago. I am determined to learn to play while I still have some usable vision left. I have learned 6 coords so far, and my fingers are killing me. I know that I have to keep practicing, and the pain will go away soon enough. I use several sites for beginners, and yours is my favorite. Keep up the excellent work. My biggest regret is that I didn’t start learning early on in life. My brothers first guitar was a hand me down from me, and he is totally awesome. I just wanted to let you know what a great job you’re doing, and to encourage anyone, any age, it’s never to late to learn!!!
thank you for your advice
Good teaching but I’m just going stick with youtube
Hey thank you so much for all the hard work to make it ezy for people like me I LOVE YOU GUYS
I don’t know what’s the problem but this is not working out for me. I just can’t play any of these notes because every time I touch the string with my left hand (it doesn’t metter how gently) the notes wont play. And I know the guitar isn’t the problem so how do I improve myself
Thank you so much