Positions are an often used term in guitar theory. As you will note there are many frets on the classical guitar. Of course these frets were placed on the fretboard for a reason.
When the guitar is played in what is known as the first or open position, the notes range from open strings up to and including the 4th fret. These notes can easily be played by the index, middle, ring and pinkie fingers, and thus each finger usually plays the corresponding fret number to the finger number. For example, in the first postion, the index or 1st finger plays the 1st fret, the middle or 2nd finger plays notes on the 2nd fret and so on.
Of course this is not an absolute, and it is intended only as a general guide which will be broken very often. This will especially be true when you finger chords or chord forms.
So in summary, the first position fingers play the following notes:
1st finger plays first fret
2nd finger plays second fret
3rd finger plays third fret
4th finger plays fourth fret.
Notes of the First Position:
Now lets look at all the notes that are available in the first position. Also refer to the diagram above which shows the same notes below on the notation staff and also on the TAB staff. The note names in the diagram are shown between the staffs and the LF fingering is indicated directly adjacent to the note head.
We will start with the lowest string or the 6th bass string and go progressively from one string to the next:
6th String:
- Open E
- 1st Fret F
- 2nd Fret F#(Bb)
- 3rd Fret G
- 4th Fret G#(Ab)
5th String:
- Open A
- 1st Fret A#(Bb)
- 2nd Fret B
- 3rd Fret C
- 4th Fret C#(Db)
4th String:
- Open D
- 1st Fret D#(Eb)
- 2nd Fret E
- 3rd Fret F
- 4th Fret F#(Gb)
3th String:
- Open G
- 1st Fret G#(Ab)
- 2nd Fret A
- 3rd Fret A#(Bb)
2nd String:
- Open B
- 1st Fret C
- 2nd Fret C#(Db)
- 3rd Fret D
- 4th Fret D#(Eb)
1st String:
- Open E
- 1st Fret F
- 2nd Fret F#(Bb)
- 3rd Fret G
- 4th Fret G#(Ab)
- 5th Fret A
