Fretboard training drills the name of the note under every fret into your hands until you know it without thinking. Memorizing scales and chords only as shapes leaves you stuck, but once note names on the neck come to you instantly, improvising, transposing, and learning songs by ear all get far easier.

This page is a manual for choosing the settings. Each setting is designed around established methods from music education. For each setting that calls for a decision, we give the recommended choice, what it is for, and what it trains — with the evidence behind it. If you arrived from a "?" in the settings screen, scroll to the option you need.

Training Mode

Start with Note → Position. Once stable, firm up the reverse with Position → Note, then move to String Movement when you want to internalize how one note spreads across the neck.

This setting decides the direction of each question — what you are shown and what you answer. There are three modes; even though all deal with note names on the neck, the direction you look determines the skill you build.

Note → Position (noteToFret)
You tap where a given note name lives on the neck — the most fundamental direction, building the "note name → where to press" circuit you need to play scales and chords. Start here.
Position → Note (fretToNote)
The reverse lookup: a single spot is shown and you pick its note name. It trains naming the note you are fretting and strengthens memory from both sides.
String Movement (stringMovement)
An advanced mode hunting the same note name across one string after another (e.g. "C" on the 6th, 5th, 4th…), mapping how one note spreads across the whole neck. The fret range is fixed to 0–12.
The evidence behind it

The three directions train, from different angles, the two-way link between note names and positions on the neck that instrumentalists need. Recalling the same material in different directions turns rote shapes into knowledge you can use while playing. The design follows established instrumental and aural-skills pedagogy for mastering the fretboard.

Ref.: Karpinski (2000) [1]

Notes (Target Notes)

Start with Naturals Only. Widen to Include Sharps (or All Notes) once you can name the seven naturals anywhere on the neck at 80%+. Choose Include Flats only if you need flat spellings.

This setting sets which note names appear. You choose whether to use only the naturals (the seven notes with no sharp or flat — C D E F G A B) or to include sharps and flats. The narrower the range, the fewer notes to learn; the wider it goes, the more it covers all 12 chromatic notes.

Naturals Only
Asks only the seven notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The first step in fretboard memory. Being able to name these seven anywhere on the neck is the fastest route forward.
Include Sharps
Covers all 12 notes, written with sharps (C#, D#, …). Once the naturals are solid, add the in-between semitones to cover the neck completely.
Include Flats
Covers all 12 notes, written with flats (Db, Eb, …). For getting used to enharmonics — the same pitch spelled two ways, like C# and Db. Useful if you play in flat keys.
All Notes
Asks all 12 notes, recognizing both sharp and flat spellings — the widest setting. The stage where you polish the entire neck to performance level.
The evidence behind it

The fewer note names you learn at once, the less you must process, and the more reliably you fix each note's locations. Securing a narrow range before widening it sticks faster than taking on all 12 at once. The tiers follow cognitive-load theory: keeping processing demands low early in a new skill aids learning.

Ref.: Sweller (1988) [2]

Fret Range

Build the foundation at 0-5, then widen to 0-12 (Standard). The layout above the 12th fret just repeats, so aiming for 0-12 first is the efficient target.

This setting sets which section of the neck questions are drawn from — effectively the difficulty dial. Narrow it and there are fewer places to memorize; widen it and you handle the whole neck. Note that in String Movement mode it is fixed to 0-12.

0-5 (Beginner)
Low position only (frets 0–5). Close to the open strings, this is the area beginners touch first when learning chords. Its narrow span makes it ideal for your first memorization.
5-12 (Intermediate)
Middle to high position (frets 5–12). For players who have nailed the low position and now want to fill in the middle of the neck, which tends to be a weak spot.
0-12 (Standard)
Frets 0–12. The octave repeats at the 12th fret, so once you know this far, the rest is a repeat. The standard target range for fretboard memory.
0-24 (Full Fretboard)
The entire neck (frets 0–24). For players who use the high frets in solos and lead lines. The top-tier finishing stage.
The evidence behind it

Narrowing the range cuts the number of positions you learn at once, so you fix that section reliably. Securing a small region before widening sticks faster than tackling the whole neck from the start. The tiers follow cognitive-load theory: keeping processing demands low early in a new skill aids learning.

Ref.: Sweller (1988) [2]

Strings

Leave it on All Strings. When you notice one string lagging in accuracy, temporarily narrow to that string, focus, then return to all six.

This setting narrows which of the six strings questions are drawn from (under the Focus settings in Note → Position mode). Besides "All Strings," you can limit to the three treble or three bass strings, or a single string. The Weak Notes Only focus in the same panel auto-serves just the notes below 70% accuracy (active once data accumulates).

All Strings
Draws from all six strings — comprehensive, realistic practice. Leave it here unless you have a reason to narrow down.
High Strings (1-3) / Low Strings (4-6)
Narrows to a group of three. The bass strings (E A D) tie directly to finding chord roots; the treble strings (G B E) to placing melodies and solos. Solidifying one half at a time per your needs is handy.
1st–6th String (individual)
Limits to a single string. The narrowest setting, for crushing a clear weak spot one string at a time — say, "I'm always shaky on the 6th string's note names."
The evidence behind it

Narrowing the strings lets you cut how much you handle at once and reliably fill a weak spot. A single shaky string gets lost in the crowd when you practice all six; isolating it lowers the load so you can focus and make it stick. This follows cognitive-load theory: keeping demands low — early on or when shoring up a weakness — aids learning.

Ref.: Sweller (1988) [2]

Answer Mode

Start with Single Position. Once each note's locations are roughly in your head, switch to All Positions to complete the full picture of how they spread across the neck.

This setting decides, when you answer a note on the neck (Note → Position mode), how much you must tap to be correct. One note name exists in several spots, so whether you must find them all or just one changes the difficulty.

Single Position
Find just one correct spot and you are right. Speed-oriented. Since one is enough to advance, it suits drilling many questions at a brisk tempo to build reaction speed.
All Positions
Find and tap every correct spot within the range. A completeness-oriented setting that maps exactly where one note name is scattered across the neck. Harder.
The evidence behind it

The two settings stage the instrumentalist's knowledge of where one note name lives across the whole neck. First you build an instant single-spot response; then, once comfortable, finding every spot maps the full set of positions. The design follows established instrumental and aural-skills pedagogy for mastering the fretboard.

Ref.: Karpinski (2000) [1]

Hints

Absolute beginners use Show Octaves to grasp the layout, then switch to No Hints. The final goal is to answer reliably with No Hints.

This setting decides how much assistance is shown while you answer. More help makes answering easier, but it also reduces the effort of recalling on your own — so the basic rule is to dial it down as you get comfortable.

No Hints
No assistance at all — you answer entirely on your own. This maximizes the effort of pulling the answer from memory, which drives the strongest retention. This is the ultimate target.
Show Octaves
Highlights the octave positions of the same note name. Finding one makes the others easier to infer — good support early on when the spatial relationships are not yet clear.
Show Remaining
Shows how many correct spots remain. Paired with All Positions, it tells you "there are still some left," preventing missed spots.
The evidence behind it

Hints are a scaffold that lowers the processing load while a beginner has not yet memorized the neck. Aids like Show Octaves supply a cue, hold the load down, and make the layout easier to grasp. Once you have room to spare, removing the aids restores the full load of recalling unaided. This follows cognitive-load theory: scaffolds that reduce load support early learning.

Ref.: Sweller (1988) [2]

Tuning

Leave it on Standard (EADGBE). Take on alternate tunings only when you actually need to play in one.

This setting sets the open-string pitch of each string. Change it and the same fret position produces a different note name, so the whole map of note names on the neck shifts. Besides Standard (EADGBE), it supports Drop D (DADGBE, the 6th string down a whole step), and Open G, Open D, and DADGAD, where open strings alone sound a chord. If you play songs in an unusual tuning, use this to relearn the neck for it.

Handedness

Pick whichever matches the guitar you play. Right-handed for a right-handed guitar, Left-handed for a left-handed one — choose it once and leave it.

This setting sets the orientation of the fretboard shown on screen. It does not change difficulty or content — it simply matches the display to your instrument. If your guitar and the on-screen layout disagree, you waste effort mentally flipping left and right when answering positions.

Right-handed
The standard display, matching how a right-handed guitar (fretted with the left hand) looks. This is fine for most players.
Left-handed
Mirrors the fretboard left to right. Lets players of a left-handed guitar (fretted with the right hand) practice with the same view as their instrument.
References
  1. Karpinski, G. S. (2000). Aural Skills Acquisition: The Development of Listening, Reading, and Performing Skills in College-Level Musicians. Oxford University Press.
  2. Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285.