Read and Play Notes on Guitar in 6 Minutes

Sheet music is not required to do it.

But if you're interested in learning to read it, here's what to do.

Why it's called a G clef

It's sometimes called a G clef because it looks like the letter G. But that's also because this note is G — the one the curl wraps around.

Remember that one. It's also your open G string.

The faster way to read the notes

In elementary music classes you may have learned the line notes as Every Good Boy Deserves F All, and the space notes as Space FACE.

That's pretty good. The faster way is Face-GBD, which is an acronym for 3rds. 3rds are a unit of measurement in music.

F to the same F is a 1st. F to G is a 2nd. F to A is a 3rd. A to C is a 3rd. C to E is a 3rd.

The lines on the staff are all a 3rd apart, and the spaces are all a 3rd apart. So you can run FACE-GBD all the way up and all the way down to figure out any note on the page, as long as you know one of them already.

One acronym instead of two, and it doesn't quit at the top of the staff.

Then it goes to the guitar

Each guitar string operates like its own miniature piano. Each fret matches the note to one key. Box a piano from E to E, add numbers, and that's your E string.

Which is where it stops working in text. The next part is the map — which notes live in the first 5 frets, which ones match your open strings, and how they land on the treble clef in order. Three things you have to see next to each other.

One last thing

Pick a song 2–3 levels easier than what you can currently play, and one you don't recognize the sound of. If you know how it goes, your ear takes over instead of you processing the notes. Which is the entire point.

The first 5 songs from my system are linked in the video description.

FAQ

Do you need to read sheet music to play guitar? No. I teach classical guitar and fingerpicking without it. Reading treble clef is a separate skill worth having that comes with a load of benefits, but it is not required.

Why is the treble clef called a G clef? If you stretch your imagination a little bit, it looks like a letter G. Also, the note on the line it curls around is G. On guitar, that's the same G as your open third string.

What's the fastest way to learn treble clef notes? Using FaceGBD. The lines are all a 3rd apart and the spaces are all a 3rd apart, so one acronym covers both, and it keeps working above and below the staff.