The notes on the A string, and the same notes on the low E
The natural notes on the A string, A B C D E F G and A at the 12th fret, then each note on the low E and the A string in turn: the same note five frets apart, the move the guitar's tuning is built on. The A string names every A-shape barre chord and power chord rooted on it, and once you know both low strings you can find any chord's root in a second.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 80 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 80 bpm
- Starts at
- 48 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Beginner
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Say the names as you play; the same note on the low E string sits five frets higher than on the A.
On the A string the natural notes sit at the open string (A), the 2nd fret (B), the 3rd (C), the 5th (D), the 7th (E), the 8th (F), the 10th (G) and the 12th (A). Play them up and down, one an eighth, and say the names.
The second half pairs the two low strings. The same note on the low E string is five frets higher than on the A: the A at the 5th fret of the E string is the open A string, the B at the 7th is the A string's 2nd fret, and so on. Play each pair and listen to them sound the same.
The tuning of the guitar is built on this: each string is five frets above the one below it, except the B string, which is four.
Mistakes to watch for
- Learning the A string as a shape and not as names; say them every time.
- Getting lost after the 7th fret. The 12th fret is the open note again, an octave up, so count down from there.
- Letting the paired notes ring over each other; stop the first as the second sounds.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 48
- 52
- 56
- 60
- 64
- 68
- 72
- 76
- 80
That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 80 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play Notes on the A string?
The goal is 80 bpm in eighth notes, which is 2.7 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 48 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Which chords does this help with?
Every chord with its root on the A string: A-shape barre chords, power chords played from the A string, and open C, A and Am. Knowing the string names them all.
How does this help with tuning?
The pairs are the old way of tuning by ear: the 5th fret of each string matches the next open string, except on the G string, where the 4th fret matches the open B.
More fundamentals exercises
All 22 fundamentals exercises · Fretboard notes trainer · Scales on the neck · All 107 exercises