90 days to fretboard freedom

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by Arthur Blake

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.

Good!

Keep doing your regular thing too...fretboard knowledge is NOT music, and if it's all you do, you will get bored and give up.

But once you get far enough in, you'll see the benefit.

[Gitfiddlemann]

Originally Posted by Arthur Blake

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.

Hi Arthur, is that the popular "Jethro Tull" Bourree? If so, that should be thought of as an F# rather than a Gb. That suite (BWV 996) is in Em, as are the first few measures of that Bourree.

[mr. beaumont]

Definitely an F#, but that's another lesson for another day.

[SunnyDee]

Originally Posted by MC5C

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. Everyday 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 experience did it in around 15 seconds.

This little quiz site works something like that. I found it helpful when I was learning the fretboard, especially because it's so customizable that I could even shift it to using lefty solfege which was super helpful for seeing the patterns of notes and chords of a scale as they apply to any key. https://www.musictheory.net/exercises/fretboard

[Denny B]

Originally Posted by SunnyDee

This little quiz site works something like that. I found it helpful when I was learning the fretboard, especially because it's so customizable that I could even shift it to using lefty solfege which was super helpful for seeing the patterns of notes and chords of a scale as they apply to any key. https://www.musictheory.net/exercises/fretboard

I found that site early on when I was first learning...very helpful to me...

[thechariot1x]

Sorry all I'm late to the party but count me in!

[mr. beaumont]

Okay, all, it's WEEK 2.

Week 2 Assignments…

Flashcard time…Make a set of flashcards for yourself with all of the notes of the chromatic scale. Make separate cards for enharmonics (so you’ll have an F# card and a Gb card, for example)

Move your spider exercise up to the next group of four frets—so the 5th thru 8th fret. Keep saying and playing. If things are going rough, you might want to write out a chart again a few times.

After a few days, grab your flashcards, and a timer. Set your timer for 30 seconds, shuffle your flashcards, and pull a note.

Start the timer, and for those 30 seconds, find every one of that note on each string between the open and 8th fret. If you get them all, go ahead and repeat yourself. So for example, you might just be playing “E’s” for 30 seconds, then on to “Db’s”—whatever. Try doing this going “string by string” and also by going randomly, finding and playing them as quickly as you can.

Do this as often as you can. If you get really good at it, you can take on frets 9 thru 12.

[mr. beaumont]

Uh oh, did we lose folks?

[offkey]

Well we didn't loose me. i am enjoying the simple structure of thrice a day working the fretboard. I am especially enjoying naming the notes I play. Kind of like the thing you believe you already know, until you put it into practice.
Thanks again for doing this.

[3fingers]

Have been following this thread and I am all in. Previously I had been trying to memorize the fretboard by playing scales up and down the neck. It has worked to an extent but learning notes in sections and using flashcards looks like a good idea. There are no shortcuts.

[jdto]

I'm still working on the first exercise, but will try to catch up. Life has been hectic and guitar time has been limited.

[Chipotle]

I'm following. Behind a bit due to lack of time (and, tbh, lack of practice discipline) but definintely following. Keep up the good work.

[rick-slo]

Ok, you have done that. Then what?

[Edgar Poe]

Originally Posted by islandguitar

I'm there.........now I need to do some fret board drawing!

I have a color coded fret board diagram I will share. I opened a Dropbox account see post below.

Ed

[Edgar Poe]

I opened a Dropbox account.
Now just need to work on how to add link.
Click on the link below, select Save as. Then open in your photo editor and print it out.
Notice each same note is coded the same color.


Ed