Notes On The Fretboard Course
Who Is This For?
Whether you’ve always struggled to remember notes on the neck or you’ve relied on shapes and patterns without fully understanding what you’re playing, this course is designed to help the fretboard finally make sense.
Through a clear, practical, and step-by-step approach, you’ll learn how notes connect across the guitar, improve your confidence navigating the neck, and develop a deeper understanding.
By the end of the course, you’ll no longer feel “stuck in boxes” you’ll have the tools to move around the fretboard with far more freedom, understanding, and musical confidence.
What You Will Learn
✅ Notes on all 6 strings
✅ Sharps & Flats
✅ How to use octaves to your advantage
✅ How to figure out notes in chords
✅ How to use the "L" pattern
✅ Downloadable resources and tests
Whats Included?
This 10-lesson course takes you through the exact techniques and practical tools that I personally use to quickly figure out notes anywhere on the fretboard.
Rather than relying on endless memorisation, you’ll learn a logical, structured approach that helps the guitar neck finally start to make sense.
Lessons in this course come with free downloadable worksheets and printable resources that you can fill in at home to test and reinforce your knowledge as you progress through the course.
The lessons are designed to build step-by-step, giving you a clear pathway on the order to learn the strings and helping you develop the confidence to find any note on the fretboard quickly and naturally.
By the end of the course, you’ll have a far deeper understanding of the guitar neck and a practical system you can continue to use in your everyday playing, improvisation, songwriting, and practice.
What You Will Get:
🔴 10 Step by step video lessons
🔴 Clear jargon free teaching designed to be easy to follow
🔴 Printable resources to aid your learning and practice
🔴 A clear, simple plan on how to learn the notes on the fretboard
Meet Your Tutor
James has been teaching guitar for over 15 years and is the head of Kirklees Guitar School, which delivers over 200 lessons each week from its studio in Denby Dale.
Alongside his in-person teaching, he helps guitarists around the world through his YouTube channel and the Kirklees Guitar School Academy, focusing on practical, real-world playing.
As well as teaching, James is an in-demand session guitarist, performing with a variety of artists across the UK and Europe.
Martin Bown
If you are wondering about finding a place to learn guitar, wonder no more…..I cannot recommend James and his team highly enough!
Kate Pop
James is passionate about music and teaching guitar; his knowledge and expertise is second to none. I would highly recommend taking lessons
Dennis Micallef
James is a true master of his craft, and teaches in a way that few can.
KGS Academy
Members of the Kirklees Guitar School Academy receive free access to this course as part of their ongoing membership, along with full access to every other course in the academy library.
This means that as a member, you can work through a growing collection of lessons and resources at your own pace, continually developing your playing without any additional cost per course.
If you’d like to learn more about the academy and what’s included in membership, click the button below to find out more.
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Programs
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know music theory before taking this course?
Not at all. This course is designed to make the fretboard easier to understand in a practical, approachable way. We’ll cover everything step-by-step without assuming any advanced theory knowledge.
Is this course suitable for beginners?
Yes, although absolute beginners may want a little familiarity with basic chords and playing first. The course is ideal for beginner-to-intermediate guitarists who feel unsure about navigating the fretboard or understanding where notes are located.
What style of guitar is this aimed at?
The concepts in this course apply to every style of music. However, the teaching approach naturally leans towards blues, rock, classic rock, improvisation, and practical real-world guitar playing.
Will this help with improvisation and soloing?
Absolutely. One of the biggest barriers to improvisation is not knowing where notes are on the neck. Understanding the fretboard helps connect scales, chords, arpeggios, and phrasing together much more naturally.
Do I need to memorise every note on the fretboard?
The goal isn’t endless rote memorisation. Instead, you’ll learn practical systems and patterns that help you quickly work notes out for yourself, making the process feel far more manageable and musical.
How long is the course?
The course is made up of 10 structured lessons designed to be worked through progressively at your own pace. You can revisit the lessons and downloadable resources as often as you like.
Are there worksheets or downloadable materials included?
Yes. Most lessons include downloadable resources and printable worksheets designed to help reinforce what you’ve learned and test your understanding away from the screen.
I’ve tried learning the fretboard before and struggled. What makes this different?
Many players are taught the fretboard as a giant memorisation exercise, which can feel overwhelming. This course focuses on practical shortcuts, logical connections, and clear progression so that the neck starts to make sense naturally over time.
Will this help me learn scales and chords more easily?
Definitely. Once you understand where notes are located, scales, chords, barre chords, triads, and arpeggios become far easier to visualise and connect together across the neck.
Can I take this course on acoustic guitar?
Yes. Everything taught in the course works equally well on both acoustic and electric guitar.