Every note has a name. In English, and for chord symbols around the world, there are seven letters: C – D – E – F – G – A – B. After B you start again at C, just higher. The distance from one C to the next is called an octave.
- C = Do
- D = Re
- E = Mi
- F = Fa
- G = Sol
- A = La
- B = Ti or Si (in German: H)
B or H?
In German-speaking countries the seventh note is traditionally called H, and “B” means the note one half step lower – Bb in English. That causes a lot of confusion. This app always uses the international names: B is the note just below C, and Bb is one half step lower. If a German songbook says H7, play B7.
The notes in between
Between most notes there’s another note. It gets a # (sharp, one step higher) or a b (flat, one step lower). So between C and D sits C# or Db – two names for the same note. Only E–F and B–C have no note in between. Altogether there are twelve different notes, each a half step from the next.
Finding notes on your instrument
Every open string has a name. From there you count up the frets. For example, if a string is tuned to G, the 2nd fret is A, the 4th fret is B and the 5th fret is C. The Chord Detective in the app tells you the name of any note you play and shows every place you can find it on the neck. The tuner shows the names of the open strings.
Open the chord detective To the tuner