hi gustavo
yes i will perform in sau paulo
the dates for brasil are abril 19 to 24
great to see you there, i post you in the mail, the place and date.
obrigado
Eblen

The examples you state would eventually result in injury or death which is kind of drastic compared to not looking at fretboard markers on a guitar.

Sometimes it's good not to have to rely on such things, but it's always nice to have something you can draw upon as a point of reference...imho

I have to admit that I'm pretty dependent on the "idiot dots" for quick navigation. They're on the guitar and right in front of me. Maybe I should practice some with my eyes closed or in the dark.

Hi fngrpck…
If this is universally applicable, then shouldn't we drive blindfolded since it slows our reflexes down to have to watch where we are going and trying to steer, accelerate/brake at the same time?

And when I’m chopping onions with my sharpest knives I probably should look away too since it will slow my food prep times if I watch the knife and my hands...

These of course would be foolish, but they are evidence that many activities involve visual cues which actually enhance the performance of the participant.


Hey lj,

All the examples you use have variables in them, constantly changing,etc.
so visual vigilance is necessary. The guitar fingerboard is static (never changes) so though markers help initially as reference points I believe they hinder later on. After 400 years or so the violin proves this out.

fngrpck

A question semi-related to the off topic ... er topic. Why and/or when did guitar develop frets? I would assume that the first guitars were fret-less (like their siblings) and I've yet to see much information or documentation that it existed (seems like a new-aged novelty to me).

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The markers on your guitar make it for me...the icing on the cake. ;)

I don't know when, but as to why, I would think that it's ease of playing. A fretless guitar would be like learning to play a violin - you couldn't even begin to sound decent until you've seriously developed both your ear and a feel for the right spot to jump to.

I guess the closest thing we have to it would be slide guitar, but there you still use the frets to guide you.

I think this debate ranges across instruments and musical styles. I know that with piano teachers, some are fine with their students looking at their hands, while others are very strict about not allowing it.

So you go ahead and memorize the fingerboard, and I’ll glance at mine. Let's both make great music...

I'll agree with you on that lj....happy picking!

fngrpck

As has been noted here; If you play with your eyes closed mostly, as do I, it can be very disorienting to open them, see those fingerboard markers (I'm not talking about dots, but the position things on the upper edge of the fingerboard binding), so I'd rather not have them.

I do think it's like typing, not like onions or some other examples. I have a keyboard (I think it is called "DAS Keyboard") which has no key markers. It is much easier for me to type without typos on. With my eyes closed, I rarely make 'positional' mistakes. With them open, it takes me time to adjust to markers.

I don't look down on them as 'training wheels for guitar' at all. I just got used to this mode likely because my first instrument at 7 or 8 years of age was the cello. You can only properly intonate by 'measuring' the fingerboard in your head and no amount of tape (not allowed by my teacher back then) would ever help. I also enjoy music quite a bit more and am able to reach further into whatever state I'm in playing by playing blind.

In case anyone is thinking that it's kind of rude to be onstage, not making any eye contact (I've thought this myself), then just open your eyes for awhile and act human ;) It really doesn't hurt a thing, and possibly helps. One of the great things about playing live is how the audience, the room, changes your playing because you react to them, but you can do this with your eyes closed or open.

Hey look. We have a Nylon section of this forum now.

Well that is my point. As all other fretless instruments were made, why did this get frets? An electric bass has frets, but it's orchestrated brother doesn't.

Also, they do make fretless guitars, they are just not that common.