Remembering Notes on the Fretboard

sikadelic · #1 06-23-2011, 10:31 AM

I'm getting back into playing after a long layoff. I feel like I have completely started over as my hands and fingers move nothing like they did 10 years ago.

I am somewhat lost on what to do when I sit down to practice. Of course, I have a couple of tabs to work on and riffs that I can play, however, I don't feel like I'm really learning anything.

I have read and looked through all the practice threads but they all seem like warm-ups and stretches. How can I meaningfully practice technique? I guess what I'm getting at is how did you accomplished and polished players practice when you first started out? Also, what are some good ways to remember all the notes on the fretboard? Thanks in advance!

sikadelic · #2 07-07-2011, 01:16 PM

Well, looks like I'm screwed!!

I'm just looking for ways to practice that aren't stretches, reaches, etc. I have played along with a few songs, but I just don't feel like I'm really learning...

AMp'D.2play · #3 07-07-2011, 02:14 PM

StudyBass is a great online resource.

The Hal Leonard Bass Method, Complete Edition (with play-along CDs) is also excellent.

There are a ton of TalkBass users on this very site whose tips have been very helpful (apologize in advance for leaving anyone out): JTE, Mambo4, Pacman, devine, & MalcolmAmos, to name just a few. Check out the sticky(s) at the top of the page &/or search for their posts. Some, like Scott Devine, also have their own website.

On YouTube, you could go for hours watching & learning from marlowedk & dave marks. I know I have.

Be patient, and take it one day at a time. Good luck!

codeinedreams · #4 07-07-2011, 02:35 PM

pick out songs that are challenging and interesting to you and learn them, either through tab, sheet music (standard notation), or by ear from listening to a recording - preferably using all these methods. I believe it is not necessary to memorize all the notes on the fretboard except the bottom frets (EADG) unless you are going to be reading sheet music. if this is the case, practicing sightreading will help reinforce the location of the notes. but if you're not planning to read sheet music, you should at least map out all the notes on the fretboard by drawing a diagram and understand why the notes are all where they are so you can figure out what note any particular fret is when needed. I have not memorized notes by letter on the fretboard, and I don't believe it has hindered my playing, except that I take a long time to read sheet music (I have learned it on piano and flute but not bass).

Stones_Fan · #5 07-07-2011, 02:35 PM

Check out Ed Friedland's book "Bass Grooves". I've found it really helpful. You could also get some books filled with riffs or just make a list of some of your favorite bass lines and try learning them and playing them with a metronome. Most bass lines can be found on line for free from sites like Ultimate Guitar. They are usually transcribed by non professionals but many are very accurate. Check the ratings. Cheers.

Russell L · #6 07-08-2011, 06:17 AM

As for the fingerboard, pay attention to where the natural notes are in relation to the dots. And don't forget there's no note between B and C or between E and F.

Otherwise, work up a tune that is difficult for you, something you have to strive at. And don't forget to just jam with yourself on a simple lick in order to feel the groove for awhile. Feeling and articulation are what keep me hungry to play.

odin70 · #7 07-08-2011, 07:02 AM

Learn to read.

sikadelic · #8 07-08-2011, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odin70

Learn to read.

Great piece of advice. I'll see what I can do your majesty.

To the rest, thanks for some recommendations. I am picking up a little bit from each book I read, which I am on my second one right now. Maybe I'm just not progressing as fast as I would like. It would help if I had some local guitar players to jam with...

john grey · #9 07-08-2011, 08:50 AM

Never measure yourself against others: it's unproductive. You have a warmup regime? Try running major scales up and down the neck in both linear and grid patterns. That is a VERY fast way of learning the fretboard. If it helps - do whatever it takes. Pasting tiny letters on the neck to locate A,B,C,D,E,F,G is extremely common with children and the unique thing is that it stays with them as they visually associate the neck configuration with the letters, etc. Do whatever it takes! When practicing in privacy, no one is making value judgements over your methods of memorization.

LowDown Hal · #10 07-09-2011, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMp'D.2play

StudyBass is a great online resource.

The Hal Leonard Bass Method, Complete Edition (with play-along CDs) is also excellent.

There are a ton of TalkBass users on this very site whose tips have been very helpful (apologize in advance for leaving anyone out): JTE, Mambo4, Pacman, devine, & MalcolmAmos, to name just a few. Check out the sticky(s) at the top of the page &/or search for their posts. Some, like Scott Devine, also have their own website.

On YouTube, you could go for hours watching & learning from marlowedk & dave marks. I know I have.

Be patient, and take it one day at a time. Good luck!

I started with the Hal Leonard Books, well the first one anyway.

It's a good way to develop a routine and learn to read music at the same time.

Papa Dangerous · #11 07-09-2011, 10:28 AM

INTERVALS INTERVALS INTERVALS!

That is the best way to learn the fret board (in my opinion). Play a note, locate the octave, find the fifth, and the fourth. Then learn the second, and for M and m scales, its a minor 2nd. (Not implying that the chord is minor, but rather that it is a whole step [two frets (counting the initial fret) from the root])

Now you have The Root, 2nd, 4th, 5th, and octave. That is 5/8 of what you need to know. Then learn the differences between Major and natural minor. Then explore the differences between natural, harmonic and melodic minor.

I will make a separate thread in a moment demonstrating some useful things that anyone can use and find, then I will post the link

To incorporate this into effective practice is by learning arrpegios. Learn the scales, and the associated chords. Then apply it to the fretboard. I will discuss that too in the thread I will post.

jamisonsalamand · #12 07-09-2011, 11:59 AM

Get the complete Hal Leonard bass book (the one including cd's) as someone mentioned earlier. I don't know if they have a version without cd's, but they shouldn't, because you really will want to have the cd's for beginning stuff like that book.

Probably when you're done learning that book, the one thing I would tell people is to not become a victim of shapes. Some people claim that they just use shapes to stay in the right key and just locate roots. This could work in some cases, but I really feel it is not the way to go. I did that at first, but quickly realized I couldn't play everywhere and anywhere someone might ask me to, and that's a weakness if you're looking to be good at improvising.

What I've been doing is taking a chord progression, and playing just roots and fifths along the chords in quarter notes. No leading tones or anything else, simply the root or the fifth of the current chord in any octave. I do this in each position, and you'll see you have to learn where the actual notes are, instead of relying on certain scale shapes. I'll start out with open strings up to the fourth fret, then frets 2 to 6 for the next position, 4 to 8 for the next, and so on.

The chords I practice this over are
|A-7 D7 |Gmaj7 |G-7 C7 |Fmaj7 |
|F-7 Bb7 |Ebmaj7 |E-7 A7 |Dmaj7 |

I use iRealb on the ipod touch to practice with, and do it through different keys as well.

Papa Dangerous · #13 07-09-2011, 02:58 PM

Fretboard Logic via Intervals, Scales and Chords. This is your one spot!