By Craig Bassett
In this guitar lesson we look at a great way to test your note knowledge of the guitar fretboard. But before we look at that, why even bother learning the notes?
Knowing the notes on your guitar fretboard is an essential skill. Here are a FEW of the benefits that you’ll gain if you have fantastic guitar fretboard knowledge?
- You’ll learn how to apply music theory to the guitar much more quickly. In my opinion there’s no point learning music theory if you can’t PLAY it!
- Your creativity will increase. You’ll be able to think of new and unique ways of playing chords and scales. If you don’t know the notes on the guitar fretboard, you’ll be stuck playing the same chord and scale fingerings that everyone uses.
- You’ll become a better musician. Great musicians don’t just think in terms of chord shapes or scale fingerings. They think in terms of notes.
- You’ll save yourself hundreds (if not thousands!) of hours of frustration. By knowing the notes on the fretboard you’ll be able to understand, learn and memorize things faster.
Pretty powerful benefits right?
So? How do we know if our note knowledge is good enough? Read more »
Learning guitar scales nearly drove me crazy.
The whole process was long frustrating and to tell you the truth, at first, I just didn’t see the point of it.
You see, when I first started learning guitar all i wanted to do was to play my favorite songs. I had no interest in learning the background theory. I way a D.I.Y guitarist doing it all by myself, not one of those fancy kids with their music lessons.
Learning all the modes, theory and scales really wasn’t for me.
To be perfectly honest…
- I didn’t want to waste time memorizing boring note combinations or dull sets of sounds repeated over and over again.
- I didn’t understand how I could use them
- Scale diagrams might as well have been in Chinese
Read more »
Guitar Scales Get You Ready For Playing
Playing guitar scales to warm up before you start playing some real songs works really well. They are a great way to switch your brain into a sort of guitar playing mode and get your fingers stretched and ready.
Guitar Scales Are Exercise For The Fingers
If you imagine guitar playing as a sport then playing scales is like going to the gym. Playing guitar scales is great ‘exercise’ for both strengthening and conditioning your fingers for playing and for getting your brain used to musical patterns and sounds. To be in top playing condition you really need to play scales regularly to keep your fingers in peak performance shape.
Playing Scales Help Your Strumming Hand Too
Try playing alternate picking when you are going through your scales. Practicing scales while concentrating on your strumming hand can dramatically improve you picking and strumming abilities. Read more »
Learning guitar is often referred to as yoga for the fingers, as they learn to stretch and even grow a little differently. The key to learning guitar is practice and if done the right way, it sure can be a whole lot of fun!
Learning guitar soon becomes a wonderful experience once you can play numerous songs. Learning guitar is fun, develops confidence, coordination, an understanding of music, and develops a life long skill.
Here are some simple tips for practicing the guitar:
(1) Eliminate distractions.
Get yourself a well-lit quiet, comfortable location, free from distractions like radio, T.V., relatives and well-meaning friends. Read more »
Learn Guitar Scales Using The Crabwise Method
Crabwise scales are a great way to learn numerous guitar scales in a single lesson. This is how you can play guitar scales ‘Crabwise.’ Lets look at the E major scale as an example. Start off on the E major scale and play it on the first 3 frets from the 6th string down to the first. When you reach the last note play back the F major scale back up the strings. When you reach the 6th string play the G major scales down the strings.
Learn Guitar Scales on The Entire Fretboard
When most people learn scales they learn one position, then the next, then the next. Learning guitar scales this way can make your playing sound very ‘boxy.’ Instead of learning scales by potions try learning them in string pairs right up and down the neck. This will program into your mind that the scale is over the entire fretboard and will have a remarkable effect on your playing.
Play With Repetition in Mind
Repetition is what makes music great. When you first learn scales you may be tempted to avoid repetition but this is a mistake. Repetition lets the listener get the feel for the song and makes your playing more entertaining. Read more »
