Note reading · First step
Learn the notes
First position holds 17 notes. See where each one sits on the staff, then use the methods below to make them stick: position, name, solfège and finger, all four together.
Learn the notes
G string4 notes
G3
Sol
G string · open string
A3
La
G string · 1 finger
B3
Si
G string · 2 finger
C4
Do
G string · 3 finger
D string4 notes
D4
Re
D string · open string
E4
Mi
D string · 1 finger
F♯4
Fa♯
D string · 2 finger
G4
Sol
D string · 3 finger
A string4 notes
A4
La
A string · open string
B4
Si
A string · 1 finger
C♯5
Do♯
A string · 2 finger
D5
Re
A string · 3 finger
E string5 notes
E5
Mi
E string · open string
F♯5
Fa♯
E string · 1 finger
G♯5
Sol♯
E string · 2 finger
A5
La
E string · 3 finger
B5
Si
E string · 4 finger
How to remember them
- 01Anchor lines: fix the second line as G and the fourth as D. Everything else is counted up or down from those two, never from the bottom line.
- 02Intervals: neighbouring lines are a third apart, lines with one between are a fifth. Read the distance and the name follows faster than counting.
- 03Lines and spaces separately: the lines are E G B D F, the spaces F A C E. Two short lists beat one long one.
- 04Group by string: G string is G A B C, D string D E F♯ G, A string A B C♯ D, E string E F♯ G♯ A B. The order matches your fingers, so staff and hand learn together.
- 05Ledger anchors: C4 sits on the first ledger line below, A5 on the first above. Everything further out is counted from those two.
- 06Hide and test: press “Hide labels”, tap a note, say the name first, then tap again to check. Only what you can say out loud counts as learned.
Common questions
Lines first or spaces first?
Lines. Fix the two anchors (G and D), then read the spaces between them. Once the skeleton holds, the spaces have somewhere to sit.
What if I cannot remember all 17 at once?
Take one string at a time. Learn the four notes on the G string, then move to D. Four short sessions beat one pass over everything.
Should I learn names and solfège together?
Yes. The name decides where the finger goes, solfège decides what you sing. See the note, think the position, then say the syllable; after a few rounds they bind together.
How far do ledger notes go?
Down to G3 and up to B5 in first position: two ledger lines below, one above. Anything further needs a position change and is outside these 17.
Do I need to memorise the whole table?
No. Two anchor lines and the interval distances are enough to work out the rest. A note you can derive is harder to get wrong than one memorised by position.