A Guitar Fret Fixes the Note Exactly
To fret is to worry. A fret is also a ridge on a guitar neck, and the two are probably the same word.
To fret is to worry persistently; a fret is a ridge across a guitar neck. Old English *fretan* meant to devour or gnaw, and anxiety was described as something eating at you long before the word narrowed to worry. The instrument sense is probably the same idea of a notch cut or bitten into the neck. Frets make an instrument easier to play in tune: they fix each note exactly, which is why a fretless bass is far harder to pitch.
- To worry. *Do not fret.*
- To wear away. *Fretted by the current.*
- A guitar ridge. *The twelfth fret.*
- A geometric pattern. *A Greek fret.*
- Old English — *fretan*, to devour. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | fret | Fretting. |
| Noun | fret | A fret. |
| Past | fretted | Fretted. |
| Adjective | fretful | Fretful. |
| Compound | fretwork | Fretwork. |
- She frets about small things.Worry.
- Press just behind the fret.Guitar.
- Fretan meant to devour.Etymology.
Why frets are placed where they are
- Each fret shortens the vibrating string by a fixed ratio
- Halving the string length raises the pitch by an octave
- The twelfth fret therefore sits at the string's midpoint
- Spacing narrows steadily towards the bridge
- A fretless instrument leaves the player to find each note exactly
Old English *fretan*, to devour or gnaw, of Germanic origin, related to German *fressen*.
Why does fret mean to worry?
From an older sense of gnawing or devouring. Anxiety was described as something eating at a person.
Why is the twelfth fret at the middle of the string?
Halving a string's length raises its pitch by exactly one octave, and the twelfth fret marks that octave.