all the notes on all the frets

are you guys able to tell each not on each fret on top of ur head? ive been playing scales and i realize that all i've been doing is memorizing the patterns. i am used to playing scales on the piano and knowing all the notes with the sharps and flats. but on the guitar, it takes me forever to tell what note is on what fret. so i guess im asking what technique is there that'll help me recognize the notes on each frets?

Start off learning the notes along the low E string. When you know the notes on this string you will know the notes along the high E string because they are exactly the same. Then you can start learning the notes on the A string and the B string. I learnt in this order because the root notes of the major and minor chords are on the low E, A, B and high E strings.
The thing to remember is the notes on the next string down will be in the same order but just 5 frets different if you know what i mean.
Anyway. Its not as important to remember all the notes. Knowing the notes does help you find where a scale may start or where you should play a chord but once you have that its all about remembering the shaps and all the "gaps" between the notes.

yeah - its pretty simple

the notes are like the alphabet - A B C D E F G

and in between there are halfsteps - 1 fret is 1 halfstep

the halfsteps are

A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#

then it starts off on A again (notice between B and C and E and F there is no note for b-c and e-f IS one half step)

knowing that you can easily figure out the notes

example

you are on the d string - simply start counting from D onward.

and memorize a few basic shapes like octaves to quicky find the notes. if you are for example on the low E string7th fret you have an B - now you find that very same note one string higher and 5 frets lower - in that case the same B is on the a string 2nd fret.
pretty simple - the only exception it the b string - from g-string ot b-string the distance is only 4 frets.

octaves are two frets and two strings higher
or one string and 7 frets higher
or 3 strings higher and 3 frets lower
or 6 strings higher on the same position
(again the exception is the 1-fret difference of the b-string - and according to it the high e-string, which is 5 frets difference to the b-string)

so if you are on that B again you´ll find it
on the 9th fret D-string or
on the 14th fret A-string or
on the 4th fret G-string or
on the 7th fret high e-string

from fret 12 onward it starts all over again - so consider the 12th fret your zero-fret and start counting again.

just paint yourself a fretboard and write all the notes on it and you will see the shapes i just mentioned

Originally Posted by: Azraeljust paint yourself a fretboard and write all the notes on it and you will see the shapes i just mentioned

hey thats actually a good idea...

yea i know how to find what notes on what fret, but it just takes me forever to do it. i gotta count from 0 and then up the frets, u noe?

what about the scale forms? for example, if you wanna play the scale in the key of B, using the D scale formation, how do you know in a split second where to start and end?

i never think about it - realy.

when i get to play a solo over any given chord progression you wont see me asking for the chords to figure out the scale i have to use. i just start to play. after like 2 bars i know where i am - concentrate more on developing your ear than learning all the scales like a robot. if you know the basic shapes it wil be fine when you improvise.

I didn't for years, but a year ago I was playing a christmas gig at a country club.

VERY complicated chord structures on songs like I'll Be Home For The Holidays, Christmas Time Is Here, etc. After doing that kind of thing a couple of time, I know pretty much the entire fretboard. And even if I don't know off the top of my head that say, the 14th fret of the G string is A (which I do, but thats not the point), I know that 12th fret is the octave, and A is just two semitones above it.

also, you can use octaves, depending on how well you know both the low E and the A string

i personally do because i like to play a lot of Barre chords

Oh yeah, I guess I took it for granted, but if you learn jazz bass throughout high school you're going to learn the bottom four strings because you have to be able to read the scores (an octave down mind you but the frets stay the same). Oh, plus the top E, same as the bottom E and the B string too if you're playing a 5 string.

I was going to say you don't really have to learn all the notes since the majority of stuff is done using scale patterns, but ... you do have to find out where these patterns start I guess.

i've been using a software called fretwarrior, it helped a lot. just like flashcards.