Fret Monster - Interactive fretboard tool to help you learn the guitar!

Select a key: A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G# Tip: you can use your keyboard's ← and → arrows to quickly change the key from the main view.

How to Use FretMonster

Curious about this tool and how to use it? Check out the video above! It gives a walkthrough of how FretMonster works, and the various ways you might use it.

In short, it provides a map of the notes on the guitar fretboard based on whatever key and scale you specify. For me, this tool was invaluable in helping me "see" chord shapes, scales, triads, intervals, and other patterns as they repeat on the fretboard. Here's timestamps of what I cover in my video:

0:00 Introduction
0:42 Quick overview of FretMonster
2:37 Basics of "reading" the fretboard
7:22 Seeing scale notes & positions
10:51 Modifying common chords
15:07 Recognizing triads
20:20 Recognizing repeating patterns (CAGED)
25:09 Adding flourish to chords
27:00 Seeing "other" chords in the same key
29:45 Farewell & final advice

Lessons I've Made That Showcase FretMonster

Here's a handful of lessons I've made where I made use of FretMonster while explaining the concepts at hand. Whether you're looking to brush up on your theory, or simply want to know where on the fretboard you can play a specific lick — there's tons of utility you can get from this tool!

How FretMonster Came To Be

Quite simply, I was eager to brush up on my web development skills (jQuery, in particular) and wanted a pet-project I could use as a guinea pig. I've always been a doodler, and drawing maps of the fretboard was a frequent hobby of mine back in college. So, I took those tendencies and turned them into a web-based project. This was back in 2014 or so, as chronicled by a few Dribbble shots I posted to my profile back at that time.

A few months later, I got things to a place where I was pleased with how things looked, worked, and felt to use while playing guitar. I've made some changes over the years (e.g. adding instruments), but the current version of the tool is largely the same under the hood. There are so, so many new features I'd like to add... hopefully one day I'll get around to them! In the meantime I hope it is of service in your guitar journey.

More About Me & Song Notes

If you've read this far and am curious about me and my Song Notes project, here's a few links. You can hear my guitar story if you're curious about my 20 years of being a self-taught player. Aside from the free videos I post on Youtube, I also make premium content — mainly print-friendly song sheets (available for purchase) and instructional PDFs, which are available to Song Notes members. If you want to stay in the loop with my ongoing weekly lessons, sign up for my free email newsletter.

If you've found my lessons helpful and want to toss some bread in the tip jar, here's the PayPal link. Any amount is appreciated. Thanks so much!