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  #31  
Old 03-27-2019, 01:04 PM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Ok all..as we get into the second half of week one, see if you can do the "spider say and play" without looking at your fretboard chart...and now pick notes at random in that first 4 fret zone (plus open strings) and see if you can name them when "not in order."
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  #32  
Old 03-27-2019, 01:22 PM
gordyt gordyt is offline
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Thanks Jeff. This is fun!
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  #33  
Old 03-27-2019, 01:44 PM
dingrr dingrr is offline
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I’m a couple days late to start but I’ll catch up. I’ve been working on learning music theory and it’s beginning to make sense. Knowing the fretboard seems to be basic and should prove very helpful. Thank you, Jeff.
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  #34  
Old 03-27-2019, 02:28 PM
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KevWind KevWind is offline
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Dear Mr Beaumont,
I regret to inform you that the dog ate my guitar diagrams, and I am lagging behind on my assignment. I will endeavor to do better in future ....


.Bad Dog

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  #35  
Old 03-27-2019, 02:50 PM
jafranks jafranks is offline
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I'm in! Great idea.
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  #36  
Old 03-27-2019, 03:46 PM
jamma jamma is offline
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Default 90 days to fretboard freedom

As an alternative to the pencil/paper route, you could use a dry erase board and strips of electrical tape (or something similar) as the “permanent” lines of the fretboard. I did this in college years ago when I was first trying to learn to play. I’m on my second attempt (life got in the way the 1st time) and may join along with you guys.

ETA: Actually I used permanent marker for the fretboard lines, not tape. I was worried erasing wouldn’t work all that well if the surface wasn’t completely smooth.

Last edited by jamma; 03-27-2019 at 05:44 PM.
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  #37  
Old 03-28-2019, 07:14 AM
jdto jdto is offline
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I finally was able to sit down and actually do the exercises yesterday. I must admit, saying the notes out loud while also doing the "spider" was challenging. I will take it slowly and make sure I am doing it properly, but it's a good exercise!
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  #38  
Old 03-28-2019, 09:20 AM
offkey offkey is offline
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For writing out the notes I used a manuscript paper notebook I had. Drawing out the frets then placing the high and low E above and below the staff. Its nice for me to see what I have done as well as keeping it organized.
And I find I can name the notes up the staff pretty readily but coming down not so much so. Thanks for doing this Jeff. It is already very good for me.
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  #39  
Old 03-28-2019, 09:50 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Glad to hear so many people are getting into this. I'll post next week's assignments Monday. Be ready, it's gonna ramp up a bit as we move on...
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  #40  
Old 03-29-2019, 10:39 AM
Arthur Blake Arthur Blake is offline
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Default Start with a blank sheet of paper

Hi Jeff and all,

Don't think I need any more lessons. Misunderstood and have been "spidering" up and down all six strings from frets one through twelve from the start.

My recommendation is to start with a blank sheet of paper. You can fit it all on a small piece, like one quarter the size of 8 ½ x 11.

Draw the nut with double lines. Draw the 12th fret, the 6th in the middle then five more between each division.

Draw the strings. First the outside two, then the other four.

Place the fingerboard marker dots, at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th frets, and two dots at the 12th.

Then label the notes. First the open strings to the left of the nut. Then low F and whole notes upward on each string. Then fill in the sharps just above each whole note, then coming back down fill in the flats just below each whole note. Obviously there are no sharps or flats between BC and EF.

I think you get a much better understanding of the layout by drawing it all yourself, rather than just filling in someone else's template.

The piano keyboard has 88 notes, and the guitar fingerboard up to the 14th fret has 84. Kind of ingenious the way they're laid out to fit the space on the guitar.

The original instruction was to continue playing. I play some Bach, and Renbourne, so naturally, I'm noticing that's a G flat note in the first part of Boureé, and so on.

It does take some effort, but I'm sure if I stay with it for 90 days it will come.

The article of faith is that it will do some good, but I believe it already is -- in finding and recognizing the notes and their relation to each other, and how they fit together as music.
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  #41  
Old 03-29-2019, 11:27 AM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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Important to address the fretboard as randomly as possible. Example start with third string 6th fret, next fifth string 11th fret, next first string third fret, etc. and write down the name of the note.

But try this:

Write out work sheets and play them on the guitar, randomly. Each sheet will have 6 rows on it, representing 6 strings (but in random order 4 - 2- 5- 6- 1- 3 for example) and two note names. Taking all 12 semitones, randomly assign two tones to each string - string 4, Ab, F#, string 2, E, G, and so on, until all 12 semitones are randomly placed on each string. Do a half dozen or more of these sheets (enough that you can't easily memorize or predict them), and each day grab one and blow through it as fast as you can, once only. It's a lot harder than you think.

I participated in a graduate student thesis study for a friend of mine, on specifically learning the fretboard. Every week for around 15 weeks we got an exercise to study, for exactly 10 minutes a day. One week it was CAGED, one week it was scale studies, and it worked through all of the popular methods published to learn the fretboard. Every we did one of those sheets with 6 rows and two notes per string as a test to see if we had learned anything or not. Nothing actually worked to improve our working knowledge of the fret, except doing the test, which wasn't part of the research since it wasn't a published practice method. My average was around 30 - 40 seconds, which was kind of low middle of the road. Serious university students of performance guitar were doing it in around 25 seconds. Several professional jazz guitarists with decades of exerience did it in around 15 seconds.
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  #42  
Old 03-29-2019, 11:52 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MC5C View Post
Important to address the fretboard as randomly as possible. Example start with third string 6th fret, next fifth string 11th fret, next first string third fret, etc. and write down the name of the note.

But try this:

Write out work sheets and play them on the guitar, randomly. Each sheet will have 6 rows on it, representing 6 strings (but in random order 4 - 2- 5- 6- 1- 3 for example) and two note names. Taking all 12 semitones, randomly assign two tones to each string - string 4, Ab, F#, string 2, E, G, and so on, until all 12 semitones are randomly placed on each string. Do a half dozen or more of these sheets (enough that you can't easily memorize or predict them), and each day grab one and blow through it as fast as you can, once only. It's a lot harder than you think.

I participated in a graduate student thesis study for a friend of mine, on specifically learning the fretboard. Every week for around 15 weeks we got an exercise to study, for exactly 10 minutes a day. One week it was CAGED, one week it was scale studies, and it worked through all of the popular methods published to learn the fretboard. Every we did one of those sheets with 6 rows and two notes per string as a test to see if we had learned anything or not. Nothing actually worked to improve our working knowledge of the fret, except doing the test, which wasn't part of the research since it wasn't a published practice method. My average was around 30 - 40 seconds, which was kind of low middle of the road. Serious university students of performance guitar were doing it in around 25 seconds. Several professional jazz guitarists with decades of exerience did it in around 15 seconds.
Good post, great exercise. THis is actually pretty similar to where we're going in the next few weeks...
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  #43  
Old 03-29-2019, 03:36 PM
jaymarsch jaymarsch is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Johny Tenthumbs View Post
Don't they make an app for this to make it easier?
Okay, I'm new, but I'll play along too.
I had an app on my phone a few years ago called Fretboard Surfer - not even sure if they make it any more but it was basically a learning app in the form of a game so you could learn the fingerings and the note names.

Best,
Jayne
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  #44  
Old 03-29-2019, 04:33 PM
Arthur Blake Arthur Blake is offline
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Default We all learn differently?

It may be we all prefer different learning methods. Probably few of us play guitar exactly alike.

What works for me is a definite plan that's not overwhelming.

I'm not yet able to pick out random notes, with an application or otherwise, but I can draw a picture of the strings and label it. That's something I can do.

I liked the start of this thread "for those who think learning the fingerboard will impair their creativity." That's me. Always thought, "what difference does it make if I know letter names, it's a pain to learn them all."

Turns out there is no shortcut, but at least the diagram with spider notes is something I can stick to long enough not to abandon it from boredom or frustration and actually get through the process.

Now *that's* something cool.
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  #45  
Old 03-29-2019, 05:13 PM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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If it's easy, it probably sucks.
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