Now we are on the 6th string, the bottom E string (the thickest string; and lowest pitchwise). As we've already learned, the note that sounds when we play the E string open (at the "zero fret") is called E. If we hold down the E string at the 1st fret, we make the amount of string allowed to ring a little bit shorter and thus a little bit higher in pitch. It is now called the note F. If we hold down the E string at the 3rd fret, we make the amount of string allowed to ring a bit shorter again and thus a bit higher in pitch. It is now called the note G.

We do this one more time by holding down the E string at the fifth fret. This makes the amount of string allowed to ring shorter again and thus higher in pitch again. It is now called the note A. With the 5th fret note A we again arrive at that important concept of the same note in more than one place on the guitar.

The note A that sounds at the 5th fret of the E string is the exact same note A that sounds at the open A string (the "zero fret"). This is why we tune the A string using the 5th fret of the E string.

So now we know how to play 4 notes on the E string.

zero fret - E

1st fret - F

3rd fret - G

5th fret - A

You can keep going up the string holding down higher frets, playing higher sounding notes. For now we'll stop at the 5th fret. We'll get to those higher notes later. You may have noticed that we skipped the 2nd and 4th frets again. We'll get to those later, too. For now, let's learn something to do with the notes on these two strings; the A and E strings.