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Original message:12 days 23 hours 14 minutes ago
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Member: Fred Kraus
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I'm currently in the process of memorizing the entire fretboard. I want to be able to know what any given note is when pointed to. I know this is something that comes from practice and time. I just never knuckled down and stuck to it. I've decided to concentrate on the e strings first because they mirror each other. You get two for the price of one. Is there anything that helps expedite this process?
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Reply:12 days 22 hours 52 minutes ago
Member: shanejohnson2002
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Draw a diagram of the fretboard and start naming each fret. I did that about a billion times in high school and it's paid massive dividends now.
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Reply:12 days 22 hours 20 minutes ago
Member: Fred Kraus
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There are little memorization tricks I can employ also. Starting on the second fret A string it spells BEA, then go one fret up on the B and E strings and you have D and G. So just from sight I think of the word BEAD with a G on the end. I just have to remember the last two are a fret up. Things like that always helped me to memorize things. I still don't understand why there's no B# or E#. It probably has something to do with Pythagoras, or some mathematical equation I don't understand.
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Reply:12 days 17 hours 32 minutes ago
Member: RuiOlasBrandon 's
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B# = C and E# = F
they are used in dropped tunings and unusual scales.
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Reply:12 days 19 hours 3 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG
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shameless plug:
http://www.guitar.com/kimonf/blog/tutorial_learn_your_fretboard_finding_the_notes
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Reply:12 days 15 hours 59 minutes ago
Member: G_Barber
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Heh I saw that a few months back...very useful.
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Reply:12 days 12 hours 30 minutes ago
Member: Fred Kraus
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ibzRG,

I'll be using that. Thanks!!!
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Reply:12 days 12 hours 9 minutes ago
Member: mister_poop
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i don't know if it's such a good idea to make guitar-playing so academic. i started playing because i was so sick of school and all the reading and memorization. i think it's better to know sounds rather than letters. practice is so much worthwhile than studying a bunch of theory. all that reading and memorization ain't gunna do a thing for your playing technique. besides, at some point you'll discover alternate tunings. then what ???
Reply:12 days 11 hours 9 minutes ago
Member: Fred Kraus
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M_P,

I'm not so sure about that. I think I'd like to crack down and learn this stuff. I've been playing by feel long enough and I think I'd be better off. But I thank you for your input..
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Reply:12 days 3 hours 14 minutes ago
Member: shanejohnson2002
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For some people, they are content with knowing only that something is, without knowing the how or why behind it. That is fine. I however am a much more inquisitive mind and like to unlock the secrets behind things, Music being one of them.

At some point you'll find you can go no further without learning something of music theory...when you go to a blues jam and they say "Shuffle in A" and you give them a clueless look because you don't know exactly what that means...

Also,
"All that reading and memorization ain't gonna do a thing for your playing technique".

Really? One sure-fire way to increase your technical skill is to learn other styles of music. Classical, jazz, rock, metal, etc all involve some basis in an understanding of music theory. Even if it is only the notes on the fretboard so that you don't play the wrong note in the middle of your ballad solo.

As far as alternate tunings, I can't quite see what you're going for there. Theory holds just as true in ANY tuning. Just because you change the relative pitches doesn't mean that the rules stop applying.
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Angels of mercy, guardians of time, shackled and chained to the eternal flame, the hammer will slowly arise.
Reply:12 days 2 hours 39 minutes ago
Member: Joe
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I've found an easy way to figure out the notes on a string. The notes precede like this A,A#,B,B#,C,C#,D,D#,E,E#,F,F#,G,G#. However on the fretboard there are no E# or B#(If some one could tell me why that would be great). So from there if your on say, the A string you would say 0-A, 1-A#, 2-B, there is no B# so skip to C, 3-C, and so on and so forth. It isnt the quikest way, but if you cant seem to remember a note, it could help you out.
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Reply:12 days 1 hours 29 minutes ago
Member: Fred Kraus
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Well I'm working with Fretpro. It's really a cool program. My average time identifying frets was 9 seconds per fret. Now I'm down to five. Thanks again ibzRG.
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Reply:11 days 15 hours 42 minutes ago
Member: ibzRG
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Joe, E# is F and B# is C, which makes things a tiny bit confusing for beginners (myself included) . The octave only has 12 tones, not 14.


The reason you'd want to know where all the notes on the fretboard are has little to do with strict theory per se and everything to do with practicality. It's like putting names on the streets and using a map to find your way. Imagine trying to explain to someone where you live if the streets had no names or numbers and no maps where available. Life is a lot easier for reading chord sheets, communicating with band members or jamming along a friend if you know where the notes are. Granted, alternate tuning will render memorization inappropriate but knowing your tuning you can make up for the shift in note positions, whereas if you never knew where the notes were you'd still be completely lost.
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Reply:11 days 13 hours 43 minutes ago
Member: Joe
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I know that E# is F and B# is C, but I really dont know why its like that, is it just the way it is, with no explanation, or is there a reason for that?
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Reply:11 days 4 hours 58 minutes ago
Member: Triste
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From what I can tell, it's just accepted "as is" due to the way music has evolved. Sort of like how ten 1s make a 10. It works! =p
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