Guitar string 6, fret 20 — C4

String 6 at fret 20 gives C4 at 261.63 Hz. On a 648 mm scale it sits 443.9 mm from the nut.

Note: C4
Frequency: 261.63 Hz
MIDI number: 60
From the nut · 648 mm (Fender): 443.9 mm
From the nut · 628 mm (Gibson): 430.2 mm
From the nut · 650 mm (classical): 445.3 mm
Ringing length: 204.1 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 2 fret 1 string 3 fret 5 string 4 fret 10 string 5 fret 15

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 17 · A fret 18 · A#fret 19 · B fret 21 · C#fret 22 · D fret 23 · D#

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 6, fret 20?

C4, at 261.63 Hz — MIDI number 60.

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

Yes: string 2 fret 1, string 3 fret 5, string 4 fret 10, string 5 fret 15.

Q. How far is this fret from the nut?

443.9 mm on a 648 mm scale, 430.2 mm on a 628 mm one.

Q. Where is the octave above?

Off the end of this string — you would take it on another one.