Hey guys, lurked for awhile, now joined.
Fairly new to guitar and I am wanting to learn more without looking at the fretboard. How do you know where you are on the fretboard and how to get to a specific fret?
Thanks!
Hey guys, lurked for awhile, now joined.
Fairly new to guitar and I am wanting to learn more without looking at the fretboard. How do you know where you are on the fretboard and how to get to a specific fret?
Thanks!
You can memorize the fret numbers by the dots. 1st dot is 3rd fret, 2nd is 5th... The 12th and 24th frets have 2 dots. The frets from 12-24 are exactly the same notes as open strings-12th fret repeated. So you can think of the 15th fret as the 3rd fret... same fingerings repeated one octave higher.
No lookie?! You can look if you want. I prefer too. But my classical guitar teachers hated it. I dont see why not.
Takes hours of practice. No short cuts, it will come. Yes the dots help, that's why they are there.Originally Posted by BobbyS
Where is your music stand? Mine is about a 30 degree angle to how I sit. Why? When I look at the music I'm looking right down my fretboard. After awhile your fingers just know where to go. Give that 30 degree angle a try, see if it helps.
Last edited by Malcolm; 01-26-2012 at 03:15 PM.
Go ahead and look at the fretboard. It's not like piano where you can feel your way around groupings of keys. There's many different ways to learn your notes as well - you can split the neck into 3 different positions - 1st, 5th, 9th - this is a simple way to learn all of your natural notes.
You can also learn your notes by shapes by using the CAGED sequence.
You can learn the notes on one string at a time, though I don't find that to be very practical.
Anyway, lots of ways to learn. But look for now!
...........
and I am wanting to learn more without looking at the fretboard. How do you know where you are on the fretboard and how to get to a specific fret?
..........
I like to practice in the dark. So dark, you couldn't see the fretboard even if you wanted to. I personally believe that when you cut out the visual (looking at the fretboard), your brain has less to think about. Plus this helps your ear to pick out the specific tones.
Here is a couple of things I did. I focused on the A note and chord. I put my 3rd finger on the G string and struck a note (somewhere around the 7th fret) and slid my finger up the fretboard until my wrist hit the body of the guitar. Turns out for me, that is an A note. After I got the feel of the A note. I changed my wrist position slightly so that it wouldn't hit the body of the guitar and started trying to stop at that A note (on the 14th fret). Also from there I could go into my little pentatonic scale and play some type of lick.
Another thing I did was to learn the sound of the A barre chord on the 5th fret. When ever I got lost, I would just play that A on the fifth fret to get the sound of that A back into my head. From that bar chord, it's not too hard to find the tonic A note. (All three A notes in that area....both E strings, 5th fret and the G string, 7th fret).
Finally, I would play a little game with myself of trying to go from root note to root note. (The A note on the low E to the A note on the G string. From the A note on the 7th fret to the A note on the 10th fret. etc.)
It's a fun thing to do. (at least for me it is. But then, I'm easily entertained)
Or, you could just close your eyes and play something you already know!
Learn the fretboard and various gtr's you are playing... meaning LOOK lol... In time you won't need look at all, on most any gtr... Priorities might require you learn the fretboard first eh?
It should come naturally... playing without looking... but for Pete's Sake LOOK now!
Yup. Your fingers will eventually get used to the distances that they need to. practice practice practice.
Like the other said...practice, practice, practice. It look me a super long time to get my distances down, but it took my little bro a few weeks. It all depends on how hard you practice and how "naturally" it comes for you.
- Sara
-------------------------
top songs of 2012
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote