Fretboard Trainer

Although I have played the guitar for many years, my knowledge of the fretboard is extremely limited. The Fretboard trainer is a game that I find engaging and challenging. However, as a "fretboard beginner", I find it hard to use as a learning tool.

If there was a gaming level which would require an input following a wrong answer, before advancing, the beginner (me) could review the correct response, and WHY I made the incorrect selection.

Does anyone else see this as a positive .... Or have additional ideas?

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll pass this along to the team.

I think this is a good idea. the only problem I have is that the whole fretboard as a game all at once is too overwhelming, I would rather suggest learning notes 5 frets at a time.

go to the next level and learn 5 more next level 5 more. by the time you are done with the 15 frets it will be already in your mind. A score to go to the next level.

Originally Posted by: torainbowsendAlthough I have played the guitar for many years, my knowledge of the fretboard is extremely limited. The Fretboard trainer is a game that I find engaging and challenging. However, as a "fretboard beginner", I find it hard to use as a learning tool.

If there was a gaming level which would require an input following a wrong answer, before advancing, the beginner (me) could review the correct response, and WHY I made the incorrect selection.

Does anyone else see this as a positive .... Or have additional ideas?

Personaly I studied, and continue to study the fretboard in a number of ways as I found that there is no one way which will cover you 100% when playing.

Here are some of the ways I have studied or study:

1) Knowing all of the note names on any string and any fret number
2) Taking any note, then being able to instantly identify 2 possibilities for any interval based on that starting note (so I can quickly give you two options for nearby thirds, fourths, fifths etc.)
3) Learning inversions for chords and arps
4) Learning modal scale positions and practicing them in a number of ways such as ascending in Ionian then discendin Dorian the ascending Phrygian etc. or simply playing on two strings at a time horizontaly rather than vertically.. Or playing three modal shapes at a time and playing through them diagonally etc.
5) singing phrases and finding them by ear so that I get a natural sense of where to go to get a particular sound

In the long run I have found that when you look at the fretboard in many different ways you get to know it on a deeper level

/Dave

Here's another idea for the fretboard trainer. Chords. A chord appears on the fretboard an we have to pick the right answer.

Thanks for all the ideas. It may be a while before we update the fretboard trainer (we are working on other stuff that you will hopefully also like :) ) but when we get back to working the fretboard trainer, we will definitely take any ideas on this thread into account.

There are already several great ideas here, so please add any more ideas you have.

To me, the trainer seems more like a test. I liken it to a kid learning math facts, like times tables. The fretboard trainer is like a set of flash cards for all of the times tables - you wouldn't use them to learn but to practice for a test.

Follwing the anaology, you don't learn all of the times tables all at once, you learn the 2's, 3's, 4's, etc indivudually. At the end, you'll use flash card from every number and mix it up. As you are building up your math fact repartiore, you'll mix up what you've learned.

I think a logical breakdown for this would be allowing the user to specify a fret range to select notes from, 0 being the open strings. Perhaps you are comfortable with all of the notes up to the 5th fret, you could specify a fret range from 6 to 12. If you are just starting out, you can start with specifying a single fret.

You could even allow the user to specify a string range on top of that to make it really flexable. For some reason, I don't know the notes on the 2nd and 3rd strings as well as the others. With this functionality, I could narrow down the trainer to focus on what I need to work on.

These are good, I like to do all my Major, Minor, Dominant and Half Diminished arps in the circle of fourths going through all 12 keys in three different positions in time.

For instance, C Major Arp- 13579753 is C, E, G, B, D, B, G, E

then go to F Major, Bb Major, Eb Major and so on.

Forwards and backward in time, great exercise!! Especially for Soloing over changes like Jazz, Rock Fusion.

That's my ish!

I think it’s a great little tool for learning the fret board. Maybe let it remain on the site as is where it is now. Then create other fret boards that speak directly to some of the ideas above. Have a “Learning the Neck” button that opens a page presenting the different fret boards. More can be added as you go if they catch on.

I do love playing the fret board trainer. It used to take me just over 3 minutes to do, now I'm doing it just under 2 minutes. How about an ear trainer game.

Originally Posted by: Paramedic102How about an ear trainer game.

+1 for ear trainer

Sebas, you're a monster! I don't know how you finish the fretboard trainer so fast, I haven't been able to get under a minute yet. Good idea about the chord trainer, I like that one. Some good idears floating around this thread.

Originally Posted by: Guitar Tricks AdminThanks for the suggestion! I'll pass this along to the team.

yeah WHY DONT YOU PASS THIS ON TOO THE TEAM AS WELL ,YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by: Neal WalterSebas, you're a monster! I don't know how you finish the fretboard trainer so fast, I haven't been able to get under a minute yet.

Hahaha thank you. My 30 sec scores happened with the game "bugging" and always giving me the same notes (made it a lot easier). But my 40 ish seconds scores are legit.

Recently I made a serious commitment to learning the name of each note on the fretboard.  This area of expertise may be of no significance to some, either because you've already mastered it, or because you have no interest.

I am truly enjoying the fretboard trainer as part of my learning process.  My times are slow but steadily improving as I aim to play 10 or more games per day ( about 15 minutes).

I noticed early on, that sharps (and never flats) are offered as answer choices.  Just curious, why does the fretboard trainer have a bias for sharps even though a single note could be a this-flat and a that-sharp?

Is this purposeful?

I'd love to see the trainer add flats into the mix of answers as part of the training.

Thank you GT,

Chuck

 

I used one for a short time.  While it caused no harm, I can not say that using it was additive over and above practice.  It's definately not replacement for the feeling of the fretboard.  

Hope this helps, and best of luck on your guitar journey.