Fretboard Memorization

[hippieparadox]

I know this should actually be under the lessons section, but it appears nobody goes there, and everybody is here.

 

Move it if you gotta I guess.

 

I've FINALLY decided to take on the grueling task of memorizing the fretboard. Or maybe it's not so grueling after all?

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[saturn]

http://www.fretlight.com/ :D

[Californiaman]

I sometimes find myself just picturing it in my minds eye and then going from there.

Pick a fret. Memorize every note within a four or five-fret range. I do four because that's how many fingers I have on the guitar.

Sometimes I do six to test myself. I usually do this right before I go to bed at night because it's quiet and I won't be disturbed.

[Bluemoon]

Learn notes on 5th and 6th strings. The notes on the fourth string are the same as the 6th but two frets up. The third string is the same as the 5th but two frets up. The 2nd is the same as the 5th but two frets back. The first is the same as the 6th.

 

So the key is learning the 6th and 5th. The rest is cake.

[FirstMeasure]

It's a big Puzzle, that just gets easier the more you "Get It".

 

Put your Guitar down and get out a Pencil and Paper. Draw up a Fret Board Grid up to the 12th fret and start putting in the notes. Compare it to a Fretboard Graph on line or in the back of a Mel Bay book and see how you did.

 

If E is the 6th string open, then an E one Octave higher is on the 7th fret 5th String and 2nd fret 4ths string.

 

If A is open 5th String, the same A will be on the 6th string 5th fret, and one octave higher on the 7th fret 4th string and 2nd fret 3rd string.

 

Low E string (6th String) notes in standard tuning are E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb, E. One full octave covers 12 frets.

 

That's all you need to know to start puzzling out the fret board.

[daveinspain]

Great topic... anyone else have some good memorizing methods?

[six-string]

Great topic... anyone else have some good memorizing methods?

 

i have a beautiful groupie whisper scales into my ear while i'm sleeping.

[rocketman]

Well I guess I'm the weird one...again! I played piano (heavily) for about 5 years before taking up the guitar. I don't really picture a fretboard but rather the notes themselves. So if I'm playing a scale run, I know the note on the fretboard by knowing the note of the scale. This actually makes it easier for me to play different modal scales on the guitar. So I'm a guitar player who thinks like a piano player. I know, it's kinda weird but that's me....

[saturn]

I think this is the reason many guitar players don't know theory as well as other musicians. It's easier to learn patterns and tricks on the fretboard than to actually understand the different notes and their relationship to one another.

[hippieparadox]

I think this is the reason many guitar players don't know theory as well as other musicians. It's easier to learn patterns and tricks on the fretboard than to actually understand the different notes and their relationship to one another.

 

Ah' date=' I am memorizing the fretboard for exactly that reason

[Mark]

Well I guess I'm the weird one...again! I played piano (heavily) for about 5 years before taking up the guitar. I don't really picture a fretboard but rather the notes themselves. So if I'm playing a scale run' date=' I know the note on the fretboard by knowing the note of the scale. This actually makes it easier for me to play different modal scales on the guitar. So I'm a guitar player who thinks like a piano player. I know, it's kinda weird but that's me.... [/quote']

 

You got it, I believe that if you know piano most other instruments come easily or easier.

 

Its not weird at all.

 

I think about my piano lessons all the time.

[G u e s t]

.

.

Play, play some more, and then play some more again..... with your eyes closed.

Think of a tune and play it - with your eyes tight shut.

Sing a note at random and then go straight to it and play it - without looking.

Listen to a record and play the chords or melody - with your eyes closed.

 

Eventually you will be fingering the fretboard like you drive a car - not thinking about

the mechanics of driving/playing, but concentrating on the act itself. Instinct takes over.

 

Practice - it will sound crap with all the mistakes and stuff, but pretty darned

soon you will not even notice the frets, neck, strings - your hands will just

automatically play the notes your brain tells them to. THEN you can jam.....

.

[DAS44]

for me (keep in mind it may not work for you) I just improvise over scales for hours at a time and It's workin for me.