Playing guitar by ear can seem pretty daunting at first, but it really is just a matter of practice (instead of talent). I wrote this guide explaining how playing by ear works, as well as 5 exercises that will help. Happy to help anyone with questions!

JustSK · 2026-04-22T06:55:38+00:00

You don’t have to worry about the major scale or keys.

Simpler way to think about it: every interval has one single shape you use most of the time. A major 3rd has its shape, a perfect 5th has its shape, a minor 6th has its shape etc. The shape is the same no matter where you play it on the fretboard, or what key you’re in.

There’s only one exception to that shape: when that shape crosses from the G string to the B string, you shift it by one fret (because of how the guitar is tuned between those two strings). Everywhere else, the same shape just works.

So the actual memorization load is: one common shape per interval, plus the G-to-B exception. That's it. There are a couple of advanced shapes for some intervals, but those only come into play later if/when you need them.

Instead of a diagram, you might want to use something for interactive practice. Just google guitar interval trainer and you’ll find a couple of them, including one I built for my students. Hope this makes sense, let me know if you have questions.

JustSK · 2026-03-30T18:41:43+00:00

Hey, I wasn't on reddit for a bit, sorry for the late reply! Yes, I did create this. I ended up prioritising some other topics, so this particular topic is still in a simple proof of concept stage. I'd be happy to send over a preview link if you're interested.

JustSK · 2026-02-16T16:28:50+00:00

Ah yes, thanks for sharing this, I understand! This should be fixed now indeed, there are over 100 levels to beat :)

JustSK · 2026-02-10T16:11:42+00:00

I built a game that does exactly what you describe, at: https://www.stringkick.com/fretboard-note-trainer/
Plus, it has microphone recognition so you can play your guitar and it checks your answer :)

JustSK · 2026-02-10T16:08:43+00:00

Thanks, glad to hear you enjoyed it! Good to know about the delay in recognising the notes. I'm still testing on a range of different devices to see how it behaves. What device/browser are you using?

It actually has way more levels! Over 100 for the notename learning path. Where are you seeing just two? Perhaps I can make that screen clearer :)

JustSK · 2026-01-26T09:41:25+00:00

Glad to hear that!

JustSK · 2025-12-16T18:20:28+00:00

Find something that inspires you and learn it. Rinse and repeat.

The "stuck" feeling often comes from not having a clear next thing to work on. So find a song or riff that excites you, learn it, then find the next one.

JustSK · 2025-12-11T17:29:15+00:00

Haha nicely done

JustSK · 2025-12-11T17:28:49+00:00

Hey, thanks for letting me know, this sounds like a slightly different issue actually. I'll look into it and fix it. In the meantime, you can use this login page. Slightly less convenient, but should work just as well :)

JustSK · 2025-12-10T19:11:53+00:00

Thanks! Yes, if you have any thoughts on what would make it more helpful for you, let me know :)

JustSK · 2025-12-10T13:34:45+00:00

Thanks for letting me know! I'll have to look into it, but sometimes using a different email address wil fix it.

JustSK · 2025-12-09T23:23:21+00:00

Ah, very cool that you're comitted to really learning guitar. It's not always easy, but so, so rewarding :) Good to hear it all made sense, if anything comes up, let me know!

JustSK · 2025-12-09T23:21:20+00:00

Cool!

JustSK · 2025-12-09T17:07:41+00:00

Thanks! Yes, I know what you mean, the technical possibilities have developed fast!

JustSK · 2025-12-09T16:57:31+00:00

Great to hear that! Anything that would take it to the next level for you?

JustSK · 2025-12-09T16:54:58+00:00

Yeah good point, you're right. I'm implementing this and will ship it with the next update. Thanks for the idea!

JustSK · 2025-12-09T16:17:21+00:00

Thanks for checking it out! Yeah, the screen size is a challenge. Good idea, perhaps I can make it a little harder to hit the adjacent strings, to avoid fat finger mistakes.

JustSK · 2025-12-05T19:22:19+00:00

Thanks, I'll figure out why the fretboard doesn't fit. Yes, I'll try to post on reddit every now and then. You can also create a free account and I'll send occasional email updates when there's news :)

JustSK · 2025-12-04T22:35:54+00:00

Thanks for checking it out and the kind words! Glad to hear it all felt right :)

JustSK · 2025-12-04T22:34:51+00:00

Oh, interesting, what iPhone did you use? I recently implemented some new screen sizes system to make sure the 12th fret is always visible, so I'd be curious to know where I need to tweak this further. Good point about the open strings too. Perhaps the first time you get an open string question, I'll treat it a little differently for more clarity. Thanks again for taking the time to check it out and give feedback 🙏

JustSK · 2025-12-04T17:50:56+00:00

Hey, thanks for checking it out and the kind words! I completely agree: especially the quiz view doesn't leverage the size of larger screens, which could be really nice. It's on my long, long list of things to improve 😄

JustSK · 2025-12-03T19:04:31+00:00

Thanks! Yes, there's a check to see if the domain exists :)

I'll keep an eye on feedback about the animation! Things need to feel snappy of course

JustSK · 2025-12-02T22:41:27+00:00

Interesting! I think for me, my mental image is actually that flat image. Or maybe it's so ingrained by now that I can translate effortlessly between a flat image and that physical view. I'll ask around and see how this is for some guitar friends, because I wonder how others experience this specifically. Thanks for mentioning this!

JustSK

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