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  #1  
Old 04-19-2022, 08:09 AM
Bluenose Bluenose is offline
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Default A good practice for learning the fretboard

I think a good thing for a beginner to do would be to play major scales (up and down) initially in the first position (frets 1-4) starting with C and going clockwise down the right side of the circle of fifths. So you go C,G,D,A,E ect. As you progress down the circle you are adding a sharp to every scale you play. I would keep it to the sharp keys as they are the most common guitar keys but aspiring jazz players could go the full 360 to learn the flat keys. A great way to find out where the 'black and white keys' are on the fretboard and also for becoming familiar with the circle of fifths. Just thinking what I could have done to make my own 'journey' a little faster.
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Old 04-19-2022, 10:27 AM
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rick-slo rick-slo is offline
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No black and white frets on the fretboard of course.

Easier IMO to think of intervals when doing scales and pretty simple in major and minor keys when sticking to diatonic notes of the key. Just need to working on the crossing over points to another string for the tuning your guitar is in. There is that for your memory and whatever speed you can play the notes given your dexterity.
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Old 04-21-2022, 06:15 AM
RichardN RichardN is offline
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If your goal is to learn the fretboard learning to read music is one way to do that.

I know that when I went through a year long process of learning to read in all positions, I one day realized I knew every note on the fretboard.
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Old 04-27-2022, 05:04 AM
Bushleague Bushleague is offline
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I think if you play lots of barre chords and have a basic understanding of the various intervals, the learning the fret board just comes naturally. I just mentally picture the scale arranged around whatever barre chord form I'm using. By knowing where my 3rds, 5ths, and 7ths and octaves are in relation to my root note I'm able to work up and down the neck with relative ease, and its not really anything I've ever had to actually work at.
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Old 05-04-2022, 07:58 AM
tbirdman tbirdman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardN View Post
If your goal is to learn the fretboard learning to read music is one way to do that.

I know that when I went through a year long process of learning to read in all positions, I one day realized I knew every note on the fretboard.
Funny you post this because I had a similar moment. I've only been playing for 2 years and this happen about 1 year or so thru my journey. I had memorized all the notes on the fret, but never used that knowledge.

I was taking a lesson with a teacher remotely and was trying to figure out what strings/fret she was playing for chord walk ups and downs looking at the computer screen. We were not talking about notes, but the string and fret positions. She was getting frustrated, and just then I realized I knew the notes on the first position to converse with her what notes I should play.

We now can converse now strictly with notes. No more saying 3rd fret, 4 string. LOL I've come a long way from trying to remember the strings and not referring the strings by a number versus a note.
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Old 05-06-2022, 09:51 AM
mr. beaumont mr. beaumont is offline
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Practicing things through the key cycle is a time tested method that works.
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Old 05-10-2022, 10:47 AM
Kyle215 Kyle215 is offline
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I’ve found fiddle tunes are more fun than just running scales… just make sure you’re saying the notes (or scale degrees) as you hit the notes. Then work out the same notes up a position, etc.
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Old 05-11-2022, 01:58 PM
Bluenose Bluenose is offline
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I’ve found fiddle tunes are more fun than just running scales… just make sure you’re saying the notes (or scale degrees) as you hit the notes. Then work out the same notes up a position, etc.
Absolutely, fiddle tunes are fun to play and are a great exercise in alternate picking but playing scales and arpeggios have their own reward. If you want to improvise over chord changes I suggest that you study the major and minor pentatonic scales, arpeggios especially the dom 7 arpeggios, and the various forms of the diminished scale (whole step, half step and half step, whole step). There's really no end to it and I think that is part of the allure. There is always something to gain in terms of musical knowledge.
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Old 05-14-2022, 12:31 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Twiddle Dee View Post
I think a good thing for a beginner to do would be to play major scales (up and down) initially in the first position (frets 1-4) starting with C and going clockwise down the right side of the circle of fifths. So you go C,G,D,A,E ect. As you progress down the circle you are adding a sharp to every scale you play. I would keep it to the sharp keys as they are the most common guitar keys but aspiring jazz players could go the full 360 to learn the flat keys. A great way to find out where the 'black and white keys' are on the fretboard and also for becoming familiar with the circle of fifths. Just thinking what I could have done to make my own 'journey' a little faster.
Learn the chromatic scale, open string to 12th, in standard tuning, for each string. Learn 4 different places to play a C chord, D chord, etc. and a couple of places for a E7 for instance, etc.
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Old 05-15-2022, 01:49 AM
Robin, Wales Robin, Wales is offline
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Blimey! I'm totally off the page here! 50 years of banging stuff out on guitar on and off (and the last 3 years of concerted daily playing) and I have no idea what notes I'm playing without sitting down and working it out; which I have found no need to do.

Never practiced scales.

I sort of read music, just the melody line, to sing in choir or to play old Welsh dance tunes on my home made fretted zither. But not the note names. I just follow the pattern of intervals and the timing. I often transpose on the fly like that: so I'm reading a tune in say D from a fiddle book but playing it in G or C or whatever I happen to be tuned to, or to fit in when playing with someone else on a different instrument.

If I want to play a fiddle tune on guitar, then I just listen to a fiddler playing it and work it out by ear from there. Not that I really want to play fiddle tunes on guitar; there are far better instruments for that purpose to take to an old time session; where the guitar's job is to play rhythm.

I suppose, coming from claw hammer banjo and dulcimer (and alt tuned guitar to some extent, and even cross tuned fiddle) I can't see the point in "learning the fretboard" because it is a constantly moving feast.

With my guitar playing I use a capo. For my present song set I capo on every fret between the nut and the 6th and use open chords. On different days I may play the same song a semitone higher or a semitone lower depending on how my voice is going. So I just move the capo. I use the Nashville system to call chord sequences rather than chord names when playing with others - it just makes more sense.

I really don't think that I am missing out by not knowing all notes of the guitar fretboard in standard tuning. I just don't need to know them, or how to play scales, because of the way I use the instrument.

I would have to say, for the majority of beginners who buy an acoustic guitar, learning how to lay down a solid right hand rhythm and perform smooth open chord changes will get them where they want to go with the instrument. Very few folks will ever need to know the fretboard, note for note, or be able to play scales up and down the neck in order for them to get the instrument to do the job they want.
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Last edited by Robin, Wales; 05-15-2022 at 03:20 AM.
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Old 05-15-2022, 07:03 AM
Bluenose Bluenose is offline
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As many have said before "you don't need to know how a car engine works to drive a car" but it doesn't hurt either and in fact it may help in some situations.

I just find it interesting because at heart I'm a tinkerer and like to know how things are put together and what makes things work.

Translate that to the guitar and it means I noodle a lot. I enjoy playing scales, arpeggios, and modes or what have you almost as much as making music but I can understand that many don't share this proclivity.
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Old 05-15-2022, 07:25 AM
Jamolay Jamolay is offline
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As a beginner myself I have spent time thinking about this in my world.

Reasons to learn notes, scales and all would be:
1. Interest. Music theory is interesting. I am learning to play music and want to learn about music and how the guitar works to make music. Why not? I have no agenda but my interest and enjoyment.
2. Skill practice
3. Easier jamming. Basic knowledge of where notes, scales and cords are on the fretboard allow one to join other musician earlier because you at least know where to go to fit in and sound ok.

In the modern day, especially for us older newbies, we aren’t learning in the basement with a bunch of our high school pals figuring it all out together. Also, I don’t really want to wait for the 10+ years it will take to just know it all by ear. Not a substitute, best is just to hear it, but a helpful step in the modern day.
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Old 05-16-2022, 09:16 AM
MigueldeMaria MigueldeMaria is offline
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If you intend to get good, consider reversing the OP and learning the hardest keys first. You could start with C#. Then everything is going downhill from there and feels very easy. I say "if you intend to get good," because this will no doubt be very painful at the beginning and would only be worth it if you are planning on learning all the keys.
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Old 05-16-2022, 09:38 AM
Robin, Wales Robin, Wales is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MigueldeMaria View Post
If you intend to get good, consider reversing the OP and learning the hardest keys first. You could start with C#. Then everything is going downhill from there and feels very easy. I say "if you intend to get good," because this will no doubt be very painful at the beginning and would only be worth it if you are planning on learning all the keys.
I can't see why any particular key would be any easier or harder to learn than any other? Am I missing something? I don't play scales and I don't "know" the fretboard, but it has only taken me a couple of minutes to find the C# major scale by ear with comfortable reaches and bang out "Doe a Deer" from the Sound of Music (that tune is a bloody easy way to find all the notes of a major scale and jumps of 3rds and 5ths).
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  #15  
Old 05-17-2022, 06:13 PM
MigueldeMaria MigueldeMaria is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin, Wales View Post
I can't see why any particular key would be any easier or harder to learn than any other? Am I missing something? I don't play scales and I don't "know" the fretboard, but it has only taken me a couple of minutes to find the C# major scale by ear with comfortable reaches and bang out "Doe a Deer" from the Sound of Music (that tune is a bloody easy way to find all the notes of a major scale and jumps of 3rds and 5ths).
A key with lots of sharps and flats will be difficult in the sense of naming/knowing the notes in it. Being able to pick out the notes of a scale is a very different thing than instantly knowing where all those notes are on the fingerboard, at all times.
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