Any tricks to learn fretboard?

[Tailgate215]

One string at a time, bottom to top?
Or start at 6th and move up a string on the open note, then repeat, moving up.
Or some combination of both... or something else?

Just looking for an exercise that makes it simple and effective.

[1neeto]

Just good ol memorization is what seems to work. Learn the low E and of course that means you’re also learning the high e too. Memorize which notes are on the dots, if you know how to tune by ear then you already know the notes on the fifth fret dots. Remember everything repeats at the 12 fret (15th fret dots are the same as the third dots and so on). I still don’t know where all the notes are, but I’m getting better. My problem area is in between the 7th and 11th fret.

[rick-slo]

For any particular context?

[Tashbash]

As has been mentioned if you learn the low E then you know your high e as well. Learn your octaves, 1st fret E = 3rd fret D=6th fret b or the C chord shape 3rd fret A string = 1st fret b string. Sorry hard to explain.

Also learning the C major scale all over the neck helped me. Id say the notes out loud as I played slowly. Now you know where to find CDEFGAB. You can go up or down a half step for sharps and flats.

[rick-slo]

For most people getting a handle on the CAGED system of chords up and down the neck would be most useful. That plus memorizing how to play a number of tunes. Depends on context of likely usage.

[MusicLaw]

You may find this very recently posted (Dec 21, 2017) Jason Sadites' Guitar Lesson 1: Mastering The Fretboard YouTube Video helpful:

Here's the direct YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/weFYSMHHuuE

Not sure why, the embedded YouTube link below is not currently working with AGF's nest embedded YOUTUBE php codes.... Nonetheless, here it is that way too, for when it resumes proper operation.


Hope this helps. And, Happy Holidays.

[rick-slo]

MusicLaw, try it this way.

Originally Posted by MusicLaw

You may find this very recently posted YouTube helpful:

https://youtu.be/weFYSMHHuuE

In actual play temporal considerations demand it be more about intervals than names, at least for most mortals.

[MikeVB]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

For most people getting a handle on the CAGED system of chords up and down the neck would be most useful. That plus memorizing how to play a number of tunes. Depends on context of likely usage.

+1. Learning CAGED and the Nashville Number System and using them in jams/bands is when my understanding of the fretboard really took off. That happened starting at 40 years old, took a lot of work, and made me magnitudes of order better at 50 than I was at 40.

There's no substitute for time behind the guitar, but learning from others and on-line resources can teach you faster than you might otherwise learn alone.

[fazool]

Lots of tricks and methods but there is no shortcut. It is truly rote memorization.

[Big Band Guitar]

Pick a tune from memory or read it. A simple tune 4 or 8 measures.

Say out loud the notes as you play them, very slowly at first.

Play it again in another position, then a octave higher every place you can find it on your instrument.

Do it all over a fifth higher or lower.

Keep at it until you have it in all 12 keys.

[tbzbbt]

1. I used the dot markers to learn notes _along_ each string by memory.

2. Then I learned octaves relative to a note on each string (across two strings and up two frets for example is an octave higher on most strings)

3. This was mixed with learning some notes on the fretboard by playing simple melodies.

This gave me isolated "islands" of notes that I knew at various positions....

Later, using the notes I knew as anchors, I tried to link together _across_ adjacent strings (for example by saying the next tone higher is across one string and down three frets. Two tones higher is across one string and down one fret.) This developed over time into learning intervals across the guitar fretboard.

The different ways of learning seems to blend over time and the "islands" on the fretboard fused together. I realise this not a "method" but a description of how my knowledge evolved.

tbzbbt

[jseth]

Play songs of all types, songs you love (or want to!)... take every opportunity to expand your chord vocabulary, and when you learn a new chord, practise playing the same shape in different keys, up and down the fretboard...

It would help if you mentioned what style of music you want to play. Learning the notes on the fretboard by rote will not be nearly as useful as actually APPLYING what you learn.

Remember, Music is not a race or a competition; go at whatever pace you choose... there is no "finish line" to this journey. Have fun along the way!

[flatsrat]

learn to read music and pay attention to where the fingering is on the fretboard. i picked up the guitar 3 years ago an got fustrated so i started taking lessons. it is helping out very much. it will start coming to you. pay attention to your finger forms on the fretboard and triad chord forms

[wlhblues]

learn the circle of 4ths (aka circle of 5ths) C, F, B-Flat, E-flat, A-flat, D-flat, G-flat/F sharp, B, E, A, D, G, and back to C again. The trick here is to remember the word BEAD then add G,C, and F. Learn the natural notes on the 6th and 5th string and apply the circle of forth moving consecutively up to the E string. The order of notes remain constant snow matter what letter you start with in the circle of 4ths. For example 6th string 3rd fret it goes GCF B moves up to 3rd string 4th Fret, and E moves up to 5th fret 2nd and A is right next to E on the first string and 5th fret.

memorize the locations of BCEF cluster. there only 3 more notes to the scale. Remembering the BEAD-GCF word and BCEF cluster you will be able to identify adjacent notes.

[MC5C]

A friend of mine was doing a masters degree in music, and did a thesis on learning the fretboard, which I participated in. We got a specific published method of fretboard learning to work on each week (CAGED. Segovia, scales in all positions, etc), around 12 in all, and each week the test was to play two random notes on each string, 12 different notes in all, timed to see how long it took to play all 12 notes. A couple of quite unexpected results came out of it. First was that not one of the many methods actually had an effect on knowing where the notes are on the fretboard from the point of view of being able to play them fluidly. None of the participants showed significant improvement from any one method. Second was that many of the methods are purely chord pattern based (CAGED) or scale based (hammer out C major scales everywhere), but had no relation to note names or positions on the fretboard. None of the methods helped, or even tried to help, with learning intervals (what is the flat 5 of A major, instinctively and intuitively - I still have to count.) So it boils down to rote memorization, time on the instrument, and most importantly, in my opinion, a deep understanding of why each note is important in the key/chord/harmony you are playing. Interestingly also, professional jazz players were at least twice as fast at the test as the best student (including university level students) players in the test.