Learning the Notes

[TaylorSwiftYAY]

I'm doing Fundamentals Chapter 4 right now, and I'm not sure how to learn/memorize the notes for the 1st through 5th frets on all the strings. Any suggestions?

[frankht]

I'm doing Fundamentals Chapter 4 right now, and I'm not sure how to learn/memorize the notes for the 1st through 5th frets on all the strings. Any suggestions?

Here is link to a graphic of the notes on the fretboard. I break it down and memorize them one fret at a time. I also incorporate it into my daily practice routine. Also as I practice scales I vocalize the notes as I play them and that helps in locating certain notes at specific locations on the fretboard.

But I think that it just takes time and practice on the fretboard. Good luck.

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=4469

[TaylorSwiftYAY]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try saying the notes either out loud or in my head as I play them. Also, I found other pictures, but not the one you linked so thanks for that, too.
(f anyone else has comments, I'd still like to hear them, though!)

[KFS1972]

The C major scale in the open position helped me a lot. I still don't really have the memorized. But I can quickly find all the natural notes on the 2nd through 5th string. From there its pretty easy to count frets for the others.

That plus the fact that the fifth fret is almost as easy as the open stings should make the others pretty easy to fill in.

[TaylorSwiftYAY]

The C major scale in the open position helped me a lot.

What's the fingering for that?
2nd string, 1st fret
3rd string, 2nd fret
4th string, 3rd fret?

[LisaMcC]

Hey Taylor,

There are a couple of lessons in my Spider Legs Warm-Ups series that focus on learning the notes on each string in the first four frets. Here are the links:

Spider Legs Warm-Ups 6: Learn the Notes, Learn the Sharps
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12298

Spider Legs Warm-Ups 7: Learn the Notes, Learn the Flats
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=12299

Hope this helps! Keep us posted - Lisa

[KFS1972]

What's the fingering for that?
2nd string, 1st fret
3rd string, 2nd fret
4th string, 3rd fret?

Its in Fundamentals 2 chapter 1. When I first read your message it didn't sink in that you had not reached that lesson yet. Just continue on your path, its on its way.

But it goes something like this:

-------------------
---------------0-1-
-----------0-2-----
----0-2-3----------
--3----------------
-------------------


But the lesson on how this is derived explains a lot more than this.

[ksturgeon]

Also, I found other pictures, but not the one you linked so thanks for that, too.
(f anyone else has comments, I'd still like to hear them, though!)

I ran across a few freeware programs that admittedly have pretty cheesy interfaces but might help you memorize the notes on the fretboard.

NoteCard (http://aheadwithmusic.com/notecard/)
Jayde Musica (http://www.jaydemusica.com/)
Fretpro (http://tabguitarlessons.com/advanced-fretpro.htm) -- I would not advise spending the $14.95 for "The 60 Minute Fretboard Memory System eBook" which they claim will revolutionize the way you look at the fretboard. What I can guarantee from experience is it will revolutionize your thought process when faced with decisions to spend $14.95 for "miracle" systems. :)

Good luck.

[Razbo]

I purchase books to read some theory and stuff because I hate reading online. (I program all day, so it sucks after 8 hours or so...) anyway, I've read a couple of variations, some involving visualization of the patterns/shapes of notes, but one of the most straight forward was to simply name all the points on the fret board for a note as part of your session start up each day.

ie: Today, go up the fretboard fretting each A note where it appears on each string. Tommorrow, do B, and so on. Might be worth a try.

[GuitardedGeezer]

Just to add something I found. I have an iPhone and I downloaded an app called "iReadMusic". It's been a great help learning the notes of the fretboard AND how to read music at the same time. It's a game where the music score scrolls across the screen and you touch the guitar neck at the appropriate place. It's been great because you learn to LOOK at a note on the score, and you can go to the correct fret as fast as you can think what the note IS. Plus it's great to practice music at work during your lunch hour or whenever you've got 5 minutes.

GG

[Douglas Showalter]

A way that I teach my students this concept is by first teaching them all 12 notes in music. They are as follows;

A - A#/Bb - B - C - C#/Db - D - D#/Eb - E - F - F#/Gb - G - G#/Ab

These are all the notes that we know in western music, and what all music that we know is based on. This does not deviate from instrument to instrument. What is nice about the guitar, like the piano, is that we can take a very visual approach to learning this concept. When you move from note to note (left to right, right to left), you are moving in half steps. This is equal to moving up or down one fret on the guitar. Let's apply this to the High E string;

Here are the 12 frets and their corresponding frets;

0 (open string) - E
1 - F
2 - F#/Gb
3 - G
4 - G#/Ab
5 - A
6 - A#/Bb
7 - B
8 - C
9 - C#/Db
10 - D
11 - D#/Eb
12 - E

Notice that you started and ended on the same notes. The two dots on the 12th fret of your guitar are what really guide you to knowing that you naming the notes correctly. Try this method on all 6 strings, as you will begin to memorize the notes as they apply to music and relate that to guitar.

Try doing this for the A string; simply quote this part of the forum and copy it and fill in the notes to show that you have this concept under your fingers. Simply fill in the corresponding frets with the correct notes.

Notes on the A String:
0 (open string) - A
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -
5 -
6 -
7 -
8 -
9 -
10 -
11 -
12 -

Give it a shot!