Guitar string 2, fret 5 — E4

String 2 at fret 5 gives E4 at 329.63 Hz. On a 648 mm scale it sits 162.5 mm from the nut.

Note: E4
Frequency: 329.63 Hz
MIDI number: 64
From the nut · 648 mm (Fender): 162.5 mm
From the nut · 628 mm (Gibson): 157.5 mm
From the nut · 650 mm (classical): 163.1 mm
Ringing length: 485.5 mm

The same note sits in several places

Unlike a piano, a guitar repeats the same pitch on different strings. Which one you take changes the tone and the shape your hand has to make.

string 1 open string 3 fret 9 string 4 fret 14 string 5 fret 19

The frets crowd as you climb

Frets are spaced by ratio, not by equal steps: each one divides the remaining length by the twelfth root of two. That is why the 12th fret lands at exactly half the string — the octave.

Nearby positions

fret 2 · C#fret 3 · D fret 4 · D#fret 6 · F fret 7 · F#fret 8 · G

Browse by string

String 1 is the thinnest. The string printed at the top is the one that sounds highest.

1	E	F	F#	G	G#	A	A#	B	C	C#	D	D#	E
2	B	C	C#	D	D#	E	F	F#	G	G#	A	A#	B
3	G	G#	A	A#	B	C	C#	D	D#	E	F	F#	G
4	D	D#	E	F	F#	G	G#	A	A#	B	C	C#	D
5	A	A#	B	C	C#	D	D#	E	F	F#	G	G#	A
6	E	F	F#	G	G#	A	A#	B	C	C#	D	D#	E
		1	2	•	4	•	6	•	8	•	10	11	••

How to read this

One fret is one semitone; twelve of them make an octave.
Frequency multiplies by the twelfth root of two per semitone — A4 is 440 Hz.
Fret position = scale length × (1 − 1 ÷ 2^(fret/12)).
String 1 is the thinnest; standard tuning reads E-B-G-D-A-E from there.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What note is string 2, fret 5?

E4, at 329.63 Hz — MIDI number 64.

Q. Can I play the same note on another string?

Yes: string 1 fret 0, string 3 fret 9, string 4 fret 14, string 5 fret 19.

Q. How far is this fret from the nut?

162.5 mm on a 648 mm scale, 157.5 mm on a 628 mm one.

Q. Where is the octave above?

Fret 17 on the same string.