Learn Notes on the fretboard

Hello guys,

I know my good old friend would C.Schlegel is going to answer this one. I considered myself and intermediate player, but i still dont know all the notes on the fretboard. I know how to search for them using octaves and some other tricks, but i can't for example play all the D# in every string, in no time. and looking using octavos would take some time for me.

Do you have here any lesson that show tricks or advises in how to learn or practice to learn all the notes over the fretboard? it can be useful to learn how to play triads in practically real time without have to look for positions, shapes or using octaves?

Thanks

regards.

Originally Posted by: drakeman... i still dont know all the notes on the fretboard. I know how to search for them using octaves and some other tricks, but i can't for example play all the D# in every string, in no time. and looking using octavos would take some time for me.[/quote]

Locating the notes by octaves is a great way to learn. But ultimately this just comes down to repetition. I know what you mean by you can do it but it takes time.

But the only way you are ever going to get to the point at which you can do it automatically, is to keep doing it over & again until it becomes second nature.

[quote=drakeman]Do you have here any lesson that show tricks or advises in how to learn or practice to learn all the notes over the fretboard? it can be useful to learn how to play triads in practically real time without have to look for positions, shapes or using octaves?

Any lesson or song can be an opportunity to practice identifying notes. But some are more useful than others for this purpose. Keep in mind that even in real time you are still just looking at the fretboard for positions & shapes, you can just do it more quickly once you've practiced it. :)

The most practical way to do this is with some musical example. So, you could use triads to do it. This is an A major triad with the A on the E string.

|------------------------------|[br]|------------------------------|

|------------------------------|

|--2-(E)---------------------|[br]|--4-(C#)-------------------|

|--5-(A)---------------------|[br][br]

Move it up an octave and play it here. A note on the D string.

|------------------------------|[br]|--5-(E)---------------------|[br]|--6-(C#)-------------------|[br]|--7-(A)---------------------|[br]|------------------------------|[br]|------------------------------|

Move it up an octave and play it here.

|--12-(E)--------------------|[br]|--12-(C#)------------------|[br]|--14-(A)--------------------|[br]|------------------------------|[br]|------------------------------|

|------------------------------|

Next you can learn all the B-flats a fret higher like this.

|------------------------------|[br]|------------------------------|

|------------------------------|

|--3-(F)---------------------|[br]|--5-(D)---------------------|

|--6-(Bb)--------------------|

And so on. But where this is really helpful is when you are playing music. So play a riff using an actual A major chord. And substitute all those A major triads.

I have a whole series of tutorials on how to play triads & inversions all across the fretboard, on all string groups. Scroll down the the Triads & Inversions section.

https://www.guitartricks.com/instructor.php?input=155014

Alternately, you could use single note licks to do the same thing. This tutorial on blues licks is a practical way to practice moving from octave to octave & you could do it while also focusing on the notes of the fretboard.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2345

So you could play this basic lick in A on the middle strings.

|--------------------------|[br]|--------------------------|[br]|-----5-7-8-7-5---------|[br]|--7---------------7------|[br]|--------------------------|[br]|--------------------------|

Move it down an octave and play it here.

|--------------------------|[br]|--------------------------|

|--------------------------|[br]|--------------------------|[br]|-----3-5-6-5-3---------|[br]|--5---------------5------|

Move it up an octave and play it here.

[br]|------8-10-11-10-8---------|[br]|--10--------------------10---|[br]|--------------------------------|[br]|--------------------------------|

|--------------------------------|[br]|--------------------------------|

Adjust all these patterns to learn the rest of the notes on the rest of the strings!

So, the strategy I'm suggesting is to have some practical purpose you can use while you are learning the notes. That makes it more interesting & musical.

You could also simply dedicate 10 minutes of your practice time to the problem every session. If you practice every day, then work on the notes of the E string every day for a week. Whenever you play something on that string, mentally call out the notes.

The next week focus on the D string, all the notes an octave higher from the E string. In six weeks you've got the entire fretboard covered & a lot of repetitious practice at doing it.

In the end that's the only way this is going to stick in your mind, you have to use it & repeat over & again until it becomes automated, second-nature knowledge.

Hope this helps! Please ask more if necessary. Best of success with it!

Thanks Christopher, actually im currently working on your triads and inversions lessons, but never thought in practice the triads the way you suggest. Im going to try to identify the notes on the triad and then play it in differents octaves repeating the note names each time.

Glad you answered my message.

Regards.

You're welcome for the reply.

Originally Posted by: drakeman

Thanks Christopher, actually im currently working on your triads and inversions lessons, but never thought in practice the triads the way you suggest. Im going to try to identify the notes on the triad and then play it in differents octaves repeating the note names each time.

Best of success with it!