Notes on the neck names before shapes

Four strings, twelve frets, seven letters. Name the open strings, walk the naturals up each one, see the same notes stacked into four first-position scales, then find every place one letter lives. A movable chord is named after the note under one finger — this is the map that makes barre and movable shapes make sense.

Note names sit under each TAB (A string on top · four lines); a bar follows the sounding note. How to read it: Foundations · TAB.

Play becomes Stop on the same button. Tempo follows the metronome in the practice bar.

Sources: standard open-position reading for four-string ukulele (GCEA, re-entrant G) · method-book practice of naming each fret before playing it.

Every string, nut to fret 12

Name what you play. Note names sit under each TAB. Soprano/concert frets usually stop near 12–15 — learn 0–12 first.

Open strings — G C E A

G (reentrant) · C (lowest) · E · A, then back down. Say the name before the attack lands.

A|---------------0------------
E|-----------0-------0--------
C|-------0---------------0----
G|---0-----------------------0
LH   0   0   0   0   0   0   0
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D
     G   C   E   A   E   C   G

Natural notes on every string

Whole steps sit two frets apart; B–C and E–F are the half steps (one fret). Walk each string 0–12, then try the first-position scale walks below.

G string · 0–12 · G A B C D E F G

A|--------------------------------
E|--------------------------------
C|--------------------------------
G|---0---2---4---5---7---9--10--12
LH   0   2   4   1   3   1   2   4
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
     G   A   B   C   D   E   F   G

C string · 0–12 · C D E F G A B C

A|--------------------------------
E|--------------------------------
C|---0---2---4---5---7---9--11--12
G|--------------------------------
LH   0   2   4   1   3   1   3   4
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
     C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C

E string · 0–12 · E F G A B C D E

A|--------------------------------
E|---0---1---3---5---7---8--10--12
C|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
LH   0   1   3   1   3   4   2   4
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
     E   F   G   A   B   C   D   E

A string · 0–12 · A B C D E F G A

A|---0---2---3---5---7---8--10--12
E|--------------------------------
C|--------------------------------
G|--------------------------------
LH   0   2   3   1   3   4   2   4
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
     A   B   C   D   E   F   G   A

First-position scale walks

On ukulele these are open-position scale walks across GCEA — not guitar CAGED boxes. Move the same idea up the neck on Movable shapes.

Figure 1 · C major · first position

A|-----------------------------------0---2---3
E|-----------------------0---1---3------------
C|---------------0---2------------------------
G|---0---2---4--------------------------------
LH   0   2   4   0   2   0   1   3   0   2   3
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D
     G   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C

Figure 2 · G major · first position

A|---------------------------------------0---2
E|---------------------------0---2---3--------
C|---------------0---2---4--------------------
G|---0---2---4--------------------------------
LH   0   2   4   0   2   4   0   2   3   0   2
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D
     G   A   B   C   D   E   E  F#   G   A   B

Figure 3 · F major · first position

A|-------------------------------0---1---3
E|-----------------------1---3------------
C|---------------0---2--------------------
G|---0---2---3----------------------------
LH   0   2   3   0   2   1   3   0   1   3
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
     G   A  A#   C   D   F   G   A  A#   C

Figure 4 · A minor · first position

A|-----------------------------------0---2
E|-----------------------0---1---3--------
C|---------------0---2--------------------
G|---0---2---4----------------------------
LH   0   2   4   0   2   0   1   3   0   2
RH   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U
     G   A   B   C   D   E   F   G   A   B

Find every natural

Pick one letter. Say it before you play. Landmarks: open strings, fret 5, fret 7, fret 12 (octave of the open string on that course).

Every C

All Cs in frets 0–12 on GCEA.

A|-------------------3
E|---------------8----
C|-------0--12--------
G|---5----------------
LH   1   0   4   4   3
RH   D   U   D   U   D
     C   C   C   C   C

Every D

All Ds in frets 0–12 on GCEA.

A|---------------5
E|----------10----
C|-------2--------
G|---7------------
LH   3   2   2   1
RH   D   U   D   U
     D   D   D   D

Every E

All Es in frets 0–12 on GCEA.

A|-------------------7
E|-----------0--12----
C|-------4------------
G|---9----------------
LH   1   4   0   4   3
RH   D   U   D   U   D
     E   E   E   E   E

Every F

All Fs in frets 0–12 on GCEA.

A|---------------8
E|-----------1----
C|-------5--------
G|--10------------
LH   2   1   1   4
RH   D   U   D   U
     F   F   F   F

Every G

All Gs in frets 0–12 on GCEA.

A|------------------10
E|---------------3----
C|-----------7--------
G|---0--12------------
LH   0   4   3   3   2
RH   D   U   D   U   D
     G   G   G   G   G

Every A

All As in frets 0–12 on GCEA.

A|---------------0--12
E|-----------5--------
C|-------9------------
G|---2----------------
LH   2   1   1   0   4
RH   D   U   D   U   D
     A   A   A   A   A

Every B

All Bs in frets 0–12 on GCEA.

A|---------------2
E|-----------7----
C|------11--------
G|---4------------
LH   4   3   3   2
RH   D   U   D   U
     B   B   B   B

Quick quiz

Hear a note in frets 0–5. Name it.

Ready when

Move on when all of these are true on a normal day, not your best one:

You can name the four open strings and any fret 0–5 without counting from the nut.
You can find every C (or any letter you are asked for) in frets 0–12.
You can play one first-position scale while saying the names.