hellogoodbye
10-21-2003, 09:25 PM
I was having a bit of trouble finding the same notes on the fretboard. If I played a D on string B, I really had to look and think where that note was on string G or A. Tonight I found of a simple method to solve this. And it didn't only solve this, it also helped me with mentally placing the patterns on the right place on the fretboard.
This is probably nothing new to you all, but while I was just learning myself where all notes on the fretboard are, I suddenly noticed I was playing a simple pattern. I was playing all C's all over the fretboard and noticed there was a pattern there. Of course... Simple and easy to remember. A Single Note Pattern.
I mentally (automatically) divided the pattern in two parts. I'll give an example using the note G.
Part 1
This consists of three G close together:
Play the G on fret 8 on string B.
Skip one fret and there is another G on fret 10 on string A.
Skip one fret and there is another G on fret 12 on string G.
Part 2
This also consists of three G close together:
There is alwas a space of two frets between this part and part 1.
So... After Part 1 skip 2 frets and play the G on fret 15 on BOTH strings E (of course).
Skip one fret and there is another G on fret 17 on string D.
You could also go BACK after Part 1:
Skip two frets backwards and there is a G on fret 5 on string D.
Skip one fret backwards and there is another G on fret 3 on BOTH strings E.
Both parts are very easy to remember and very easy to combine. There always is one fret space within each part and 2two frets space between the parts. Just look at them as old fashioned open chords: easy shapes and easy to play. (But you shouldn't play them as chord, of course...)
These two VERY easy chord/shapes/patterns form the Single Note Pattern. By using it, it became VERY easy to me to find other similar notes on the fretboard. Instantly. This patterns is the same no matter what note you play: the relation to each other never changes. When I now play a note anywhere on the fretboard and want to play it higher up, I don't have to search anymore: thanks to this pattern I quickly know it.
After that I noticed it also helps me a lot to play the usual major (or penta or minor or whatever) scales all over the fretboard.
I kept the Single Note Pattern in mind and mentally placed it on the fretboard. That pattern now held the root note I wanted to play in.
I pictured the usual patterns around this Single Note Pattern. Now this is easy because the same usual patterns always fall on the same notes in the Single Note Pattern! Very logical. (You could even use this pattern just to remember the 'big' complete patterns! It's always easy and helpfull to divide things into smaller parts that are easier to remember! This is all I'm doing here, really!)
Because I didn't have to picture the complete big pattern on the fretboard, just the Single Note Pattern, I could suddenly fly from a certain pattern at fret 2 to another pattern at fret 10 without having to think about it! My eyes didn't have to check all the notes of the pattern, with the big chance of missing a fret, to see if I moved them right. I only had to watch the Single Note Pattern (consisting of the root note). And when I found the right spot, I could play the appropriate pattern immediately.
Hm, well, I hope this makes any sense to you all... It was quit a revelation to me and it gave me a boost forward: it's now a lot easier to play the big pattern in any key all over the keyboard.
Maybe this idea (original or not) might help others too. Or confuse them even more... :D
I made a 'drawing' of the pattern (I hope the font doesn't screw it up!). Every - is a fret, every X is a note in Part 1 and every 0 is a note in Part 2:
0 - - - - - - - - - - - (0 - - - - - - - - - - - )
- - - - - X - - - - - - (- - - - - X - - - - - - )
- - - - - - - - - X - - (- - - - - - - - - X - - )
- - 0 - - - - - - - - - (- - 0 - - - - - - - - - )
- - - - - - - X - - - - (- - - - - - - X - - - - )
0 - - - - - - - - - - - (0 - - - - - - - - - - - )
The patterns can be repeated over and over until you run out of fretboard. I repeated it once because then you get the picture I have in mind. (Sort of...) At the left is Part 2, then Part 1 and inside the brackets Part 2 comes again. And Part 1 once more. (Confusing, huh? ;) )
I somehow see Part 1 in the middle and Part 2 on both sides, so I drew it like that.
Well... that's all folks! Did this make any sense to anyone...? If not, that's alright: writing things down makes me think it all over again, so now I know it all even better than before... ;)
This is probably nothing new to you all, but while I was just learning myself where all notes on the fretboard are, I suddenly noticed I was playing a simple pattern. I was playing all C's all over the fretboard and noticed there was a pattern there. Of course... Simple and easy to remember. A Single Note Pattern.
I mentally (automatically) divided the pattern in two parts. I'll give an example using the note G.
Part 1
This consists of three G close together:
Play the G on fret 8 on string B.
Skip one fret and there is another G on fret 10 on string A.
Skip one fret and there is another G on fret 12 on string G.
Part 2
This also consists of three G close together:
There is alwas a space of two frets between this part and part 1.
So... After Part 1 skip 2 frets and play the G on fret 15 on BOTH strings E (of course).
Skip one fret and there is another G on fret 17 on string D.
You could also go BACK after Part 1:
Skip two frets backwards and there is a G on fret 5 on string D.
Skip one fret backwards and there is another G on fret 3 on BOTH strings E.
Both parts are very easy to remember and very easy to combine. There always is one fret space within each part and 2two frets space between the parts. Just look at them as old fashioned open chords: easy shapes and easy to play. (But you shouldn't play them as chord, of course...)
These two VERY easy chord/shapes/patterns form the Single Note Pattern. By using it, it became VERY easy to me to find other similar notes on the fretboard. Instantly. This patterns is the same no matter what note you play: the relation to each other never changes. When I now play a note anywhere on the fretboard and want to play it higher up, I don't have to search anymore: thanks to this pattern I quickly know it.
After that I noticed it also helps me a lot to play the usual major (or penta or minor or whatever) scales all over the fretboard.
I kept the Single Note Pattern in mind and mentally placed it on the fretboard. That pattern now held the root note I wanted to play in.
I pictured the usual patterns around this Single Note Pattern. Now this is easy because the same usual patterns always fall on the same notes in the Single Note Pattern! Very logical. (You could even use this pattern just to remember the 'big' complete patterns! It's always easy and helpfull to divide things into smaller parts that are easier to remember! This is all I'm doing here, really!)
Because I didn't have to picture the complete big pattern on the fretboard, just the Single Note Pattern, I could suddenly fly from a certain pattern at fret 2 to another pattern at fret 10 without having to think about it! My eyes didn't have to check all the notes of the pattern, with the big chance of missing a fret, to see if I moved them right. I only had to watch the Single Note Pattern (consisting of the root note). And when I found the right spot, I could play the appropriate pattern immediately.
Hm, well, I hope this makes any sense to you all... It was quit a revelation to me and it gave me a boost forward: it's now a lot easier to play the big pattern in any key all over the keyboard.
Maybe this idea (original or not) might help others too. Or confuse them even more... :D
I made a 'drawing' of the pattern (I hope the font doesn't screw it up!). Every - is a fret, every X is a note in Part 1 and every 0 is a note in Part 2:
0 - - - - - - - - - - - (0 - - - - - - - - - - - )
- - - - - X - - - - - - (- - - - - X - - - - - - )
- - - - - - - - - X - - (- - - - - - - - - X - - )
- - 0 - - - - - - - - - (- - 0 - - - - - - - - - )
- - - - - - - X - - - - (- - - - - - - X - - - - )
0 - - - - - - - - - - - (0 - - - - - - - - - - - )
The patterns can be repeated over and over until you run out of fretboard. I repeated it once because then you get the picture I have in mind. (Sort of...) At the left is Part 2, then Part 1 and inside the brackets Part 2 comes again. And Part 1 once more. (Confusing, huh? ;) )
I somehow see Part 1 in the middle and Part 2 on both sides, so I drew it like that.
Well... that's all folks! Did this make any sense to anyone...? If not, that's alright: writing things down makes me think it all over again, so now I know it all even better than before... ;)