• 78 notes
  • Checked October 2026

Drop C Fretboard Notes

Every note on a guitar neck in drop C tuning: print it named, blank or numbered, or quiz yourself.

Drop C Fretboard Notes

Name Date

Labelled fretboard

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78
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Write the name of each numbered note.Answer key

  1. C
  2. G
  3. C
  4. F
  5. A
  6. D
  7. C sharp / D flat
  8. G sharp / A flat
  9. C sharp / D flat
  10. F sharp / G flat
  11. A sharp / B flat
  12. D sharp / E flat
  13. D
  14. A
  15. D
  16. G
  17. B
  18. E
  19. D sharp / E flat
  20. A sharp / B flat
  21. D sharp / E flat
  22. G sharp / A flat
  23. C
  24. F
  25. E
  26. B
  27. E
  28. A
  29. C sharp / D flat
  30. F sharp / G flat
  31. F
  32. C
  33. F
  34. A sharp / B flat
  35. D
  36. G
  37. F sharp / G flat
  38. C sharp / D flat
  39. F sharp / G flat
  40. B
  41. D sharp / E flat
  42. G sharp / A flat
  43. G
  44. D
  45. G
  46. C
  47. E
  48. A
  49. G sharp / A flat
  50. D sharp / E flat
  51. G sharp / A flat
  52. C sharp / D flat
  53. F
  54. A sharp / B flat
  55. A
  56. E
  57. A
  58. D
  59. F sharp / G flat
  60. B
  61. A sharp / B flat
  62. F
  63. A sharp / B flat
  64. D sharp / E flat
  65. G
  66. C
  67. B
  68. F sharp / G flat
  69. B
  70. E
  71. G sharp / A flat
  72. C sharp / D flat
  73. C
  74. G
  75. C
  76. F
  77. A
  78. D

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain lines, rectangles and circles: own work. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a note is answered.

Next step Next: label the parts of an electric guitar

All 78 notes on the diagram

Show the list

Open strings 6

  1. C The open low C string, with no fret pressed. String 6, the thickest string.
  2. G The open G string, with no fret pressed. String 5, counted from the thinnest.
  3. C The open higher C string, with no fret pressed. String 4, counted from the thinnest.
  4. F The open F string, with no fret pressed. String 3, counted from the thinnest.
  5. A The open A string, with no fret pressed. String 2, counted from the thinnest.
  6. D The open D string, with no fret pressed. String 1, the thinnest string.

Natural notes, frets 1 to 5 17

  1. D This D is on fret 2 of the low C string. String 6: two half steps above the open C.
  2. A This A is on fret 2 of the G string. String 5: two half steps above the open G.
  3. D This D is on fret 2 of the higher C string. String 4: two half steps above the open C.
  4. G This G is on fret 2 of the F string. String 3: two half steps above the open F.
  5. B This B is on fret 2 of the A string. String 2: two half steps above the open A.
  6. E This E is on fret 2 of the D string. String 1: two half steps above the open D.
  7. C This C is on fret 3 of the A string. String 2: three half steps above the open A.
  8. F This F is on fret 3 of the D string. String 1: three half steps above the open D.
  9. E This E is on fret 4 of the low C string. String 6: four half steps above the open C.
  10. B This B is on fret 4 of the G string. String 5: four half steps above the open G.
  11. E This E is on fret 4 of the higher C string. String 4: four half steps above the open C.
  12. A This A is on fret 4 of the F string. String 3: four half steps above the open F.
  13. F This F is on fret 5 of the low C string. String 6: five half steps above the open C.
  14. C This C is on fret 5 of the G string. String 5: five half steps above the open G.
  15. F This F is on fret 5 of the higher C string. String 4: five half steps above the open C.
  16. D This D is on fret 5 of the A string. String 2: five half steps above the open A.
  17. G This G is on fret 5 of the D string. String 1: five half steps above the open D.

Natural notes, frets 6 to 12 25

  1. B This B is on fret 6 of the F string. String 3: six half steps above the open F.
  2. G This G is on fret 7 of the low C string. String 6: seven half steps above the open C.
  3. D This D is on fret 7 of the G string. String 5: seven half steps above the open G.
  4. G This G is on fret 7 of the higher C string. String 4: seven half steps above the open C.
  5. C This C is on fret 7 of the F string. String 3: seven half steps above the open F.
  6. E This E is on fret 7 of the A string. String 2: seven half steps above the open A.
  7. A This A is on fret 7 of the D string. String 1: seven half steps above the open D.
  8. F This F is on fret 8 of the A string. String 2: eight half steps above the open A.
  9. A This A is on fret 9 of the low C string. String 6: nine half steps above the open C.
  10. E This E is on fret 9 of the G string. String 5: nine half steps above the open G.
  11. A This A is on fret 9 of the higher C string. String 4: nine half steps above the open C.
  12. D This D is on fret 9 of the F string. String 3: nine half steps above the open F.
  13. B This B is on fret 9 of the D string. String 1: nine half steps above the open D.
  14. F This F is on fret 10 of the G string. String 5: ten half steps above the open G.
  15. G This G is on fret 10 of the A string. String 2: ten half steps above the open A.
  16. C This C is on fret 10 of the D string. String 1: ten half steps above the open D.
  17. B This B is on fret 11 of the low C string. String 6: eleven half steps above the open C.
  18. B This B is on fret 11 of the higher C string. String 4: eleven half steps above the open C.
  19. E This E is on fret 11 of the F string. String 3: eleven half steps above the open F.
  20. C This C is on fret 12 of the low C string. String 6: twelve half steps above the open C, one octave higher.
  21. G This G is on fret 12 of the G string. String 5: twelve half steps above the open G, one octave higher.
  22. C This C is on fret 12 of the higher C string. String 4: twelve half steps above the open C, one octave higher.
  23. F This F is on fret 12 of the F string. String 3: twelve half steps above the open F, one octave higher.
  24. A This A is on fret 12 of the A string. String 2: twelve half steps above the open A, one octave higher.
  25. D This D is on fret 12 of the D string. String 1: twelve half steps above the open D, one octave higher.

Sharps and flats, frets 1 to 6 18

  1. C sharp / D flat Fret 1 of the low C string: C sharp or D flat. String 6: a half step above C and a half step below D.
  2. G sharp / A flat Fret 1 of the G string: G sharp or A flat. String 5: a half step above G and a half step below A.
  3. C sharp / D flat Fret 1 of the higher C string: C sharp or D flat. String 4: a half step above C and a half step below D.
  4. F sharp / G flat Fret 1 of the F string: F sharp or G flat. String 3: a half step above F and a half step below G.
  5. A sharp / B flat Fret 1 of the A string: A sharp or B flat. String 2: a half step above A and a half step below B.
  6. D sharp / E flat Fret 1 of the D string: D sharp or E flat. String 1: a half step above D and a half step below E.
  7. D sharp / E flat Fret 3 of the low C string: D sharp or E flat. String 6: a half step above D and a half step below E.
  8. A sharp / B flat Fret 3 of the G string: A sharp or B flat. String 5: a half step above A and a half step below B.
  9. D sharp / E flat Fret 3 of the higher C string: D sharp or E flat. String 4: a half step above D and a half step below E.
  10. G sharp / A flat Fret 3 of the F string: G sharp or A flat. String 3: a half step above G and a half step below A.
  11. C sharp / D flat Fret 4 of the A string: C sharp or D flat. String 2: a half step above C and a half step below D.
  12. F sharp / G flat Fret 4 of the D string: F sharp or G flat. String 1: a half step above F and a half step below G.
  13. A sharp / B flat Fret 5 of the F string: A sharp or B flat. String 3: a half step above A and a half step below B.
  14. F sharp / G flat Fret 6 of the low C string: F sharp or G flat. String 6: a half step above F and a half step below G.
  15. C sharp / D flat Fret 6 of the G string: C sharp or D flat. String 5: a half step above C and a half step below D.
  16. F sharp / G flat Fret 6 of the higher C string: F sharp or G flat. String 4: a half step above F and a half step below G.
  17. D sharp / E flat Fret 6 of the A string: D sharp or E flat. String 2: a half step above D and a half step below E.
  18. G sharp / A flat Fret 6 of the D string: G sharp or A flat. String 1: a half step above G and a half step below A.

Sharps and flats, frets 7 to 12 12

  1. G sharp / A flat Fret 8 of the low C string: G sharp or A flat. String 6: a half step above G and a half step below A.
  2. D sharp / E flat Fret 8 of the G string: D sharp or E flat. String 5: a half step above D and a half step below E.
  3. G sharp / A flat Fret 8 of the higher C string: G sharp or A flat. String 4: a half step above G and a half step below A.
  4. C sharp / D flat Fret 8 of the F string: C sharp or D flat. String 3: a half step above C and a half step below D.
  5. A sharp / B flat Fret 8 of the D string: A sharp or B flat. String 1: a half step above A and a half step below B.
  6. F sharp / G flat Fret 9 of the A string: F sharp or G flat. String 2: a half step above F and a half step below G.
  7. A sharp / B flat Fret 10 of the low C string: A sharp or B flat. String 6: a half step above A and a half step below B.
  8. A sharp / B flat Fret 10 of the higher C string: A sharp or B flat. String 4: a half step above A and a half step below B.
  9. D sharp / E flat Fret 10 of the F string: D sharp or E flat. String 3: a half step above D and a half step below E.
  10. F sharp / G flat Fret 11 of the G string: F sharp or G flat. String 5: a half step above F and a half step below G.
  11. G sharp / A flat Fret 11 of the A string: G sharp or A flat. String 2: a half step above G and a half step below A.
  12. C sharp / D flat Fret 11 of the D string: C sharp or D flat. String 1: a half step above C and a half step below D.

How this list was compiled: Drop C tuning, from the lowest string to the highest C2, G2, C3, F3, A3, D4: Wikipedia, Drop C tuning ("most commonly refers to CGCFAD, which can be described as D tuning with a 6th string dropped to C, or drop D tuning transposed down a whole step") and Guitar tunings, read 2026-10-01; checked against the string tunings file of the LilyPond music typesetter (GNU project), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lilypond/lilypond/master/ly/string-tunings-init.ly (guitar-drop-c-tuning: c, g, c f a d'), read 2026-10-01, and Wikibooks, Guitar, Alternate Tunings ("Drop C tuning CGCFAD"), read 2026-10-01. One half step for every fret: Wikipedia, Fret ("each fret represents one semitone"), and Justin Holland, Holland's Comprehensive Method for the Guitar (Boston: Oliver Ditson, 1874, public domain), https://archive.org/details/hollandscomprehe00holl, plate 1 ("The distance from one fret to the next is a semitone"), read 2026-10-01. The two names of each sharp or flat note: Robert Hutchinson, Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom, https://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/EnharmonicNotes.html (section 1.5), read 2026-10-01. The note at each of the 78 places was counted by script from the open string and the fret number. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain lines, rectangles and circles: own work. The neck stands upright, as in a chord diagram, and its fret spaces narrow less than on a real neck so that every marker has room. No font and nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

This drop C fretboard chart shows a guitar tuned C G C F A D, low to high, from the nut to fret 12. Every string is lower than in standard tuning, so every note moves. The neck stands upright, low C on the left.

Read the full guide

How drop C differs

Standard tuning is E A D G B E. In drop C the five higher strings come down two half steps and the lowest comes down four, to C. The low C, G and higher C strings then line up: the same fret on all three gives a power chord.

Print it named, blank or numbered

Press Print this fretboard for the named neck. Blank leaves every marker empty; Numbered adds a number in each marker and a line for each answer.

Quiz yourself

Quiz yourself on this fretboard lights one marker and asks its note: open strings first, then natural notes, then sharps and flats.

  • The dots beside the neck mark frets 3, 5, 7 and 9; the double dot marks fret 12, where every string repeats its open note.
  • The two C strings are an octave apart: the low C is the thickest string and the higher C is the fourth string.

Questions and answers

What are the open strings in drop C tuning?

From the thickest string to the thinnest: C, G, C, F, A, D.

Can I use a standard tuning chart in drop C?

No. Every string is tuned lower in drop C, so the note at every fret is different from standard tuning. This chart is counted from the drop C open strings.

Where is the same note on the next string?

From the low C string to the G string it is seven frets lower: fret 7 of the low C string is the open G. Between the other strings it is five frets, except four from the F string to the A string.

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