Remembering notes on the fretboard

[thepeopleperson]

For some reason I struggle to remember them, mainly past 5th fret. It's quite annoying because well, I should just know it.

Does anyone have a good method to remember them? Or any advice at all?

[Sav'nBass]

The best way to remember them for me was to just play. For a long time I was stuck at the 5th fret.. then the 7th.. I started to try to play the same thing in different positions further up the neck..

[JoZac21]

Get a good nights sleep. Avoid marijuana and alcohol. Vitamin B6 and Ginko Biloba.

But seriously, learn to read music... it'll force you to have to associate note "names" to what you're playing.

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by thepeopleperson

For some reason I struggle to remember them, mainly past 5th fret. It's quite annoying because well, I should just know it. Does anyone have a good method to remember them? Or any advice at all?

Our fretboard opened up for me when I was able to visualize, in my minds eye, the Major scale pattern repeating it's self everywhere you look on the fretboard. To pull it into perspective focus on the root note and all of the other notes of the scale are waiting in their place. You just need to know the notes on the 3rd and 4th string so you can place your root pattern. Once the root is established then.......

The 2nd degree of the scale is on the same string as the root and up two frets.
The 3rd degree of the scale is up a string and back one fret.
The 4th degree of the scale is up a string.
The 5th degree of the scale is up a string and over two frets.
The 6th degree of the scale is up two strings and back one fret, right over the 3rd degree.
The 7th degree of the scale is up two strings and over one fret.
The 8th degree (octave) is up two strings and over two fret.

That is repeated all over your fretboard. I'm sure you have a fretboard chart, here is the major scale pattern.

[quote] Root on the 4th string
G|---2---|-------|---3---|---4---| 1st string
D|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E|-------|---1---|-------|---2---|4th string

Root on the 3rd string
G|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---| 1st string
D|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
A|-------|---1---|-------|---2---|
E|-------|---5---|-------|---6---|4th string [/guote]
If you place the root on the 3rd string where is the 1-4-5? Is that convenient or what!

I said earlier you have to know the notes on the 3rd and 4th string so you can place your root note -- well how many scale/key do you use? If you know where the seven natural notes are that pretty well gets it.

Good luck.

[Twocan]

There's a good IPod app (Fret Surfer) that shows you the locations of notes on the neck. Well worth the $2.99 I paid.

[the_hook]

I’ve found the only thing that helps me retain the notes on the fretboard is if I have a visual layout I can glance at when I’m doing my exercises.

So I've created a bunch of Excel sheets and made grids for the entire 4 string fretboard. I do a separate one for each of the scales and chords I'm doing. I highlight the frets I need to walk over and I’ll do it in the other areas of the neck where I can play the same scale or chord (middle of the neck, closer to the body, etc.).

I place a printed copy in front of me on the stand when I practice and I’ll scan it before I start, when I get stuck, or to look ahead to where I need to be next.

The more I use it the less I glance at it because I can picture the grids and the highlighted notes on each fret in my mind exactly the way they are on the paper.

I combine the Excel grids with written notes. I write every note and chord out by hand on blank music paper for anything I need to practice. This way I can read the music sheet with notes and know where on the neck I can play it.

Eventually, with enough practice time, I’ll just know where notes are, how to combine them for what I need, where else to find them on the neck, etc. from only reading the music sheets.

[Gab124]

A small game I used to do was this -
Play a note, lets say a G on 3rd fret e string. Actually say "g" when you play it (in mind or out loud). Now play G in every position on the board. This can be increased by starting in the same postition and playing the Gmaj7 arpeggio and repeating that all over the board in the same way. Always saying the notes when played. Of course then you change what note you play and repeat. I think this helps to memorize less notes in more locations - and as you get better other notes fall into place. See how fast you can jump around the board while maintaining clear articulated notes. Clarity is better than speed.

[Gab124]

Oh, forgot the next stage in my game. Try to get to a point and play that game without looking. This will really work your ear for a key.

[nickmo007]

You need to stop thinking in terms of frets and think in terms of notes like a piano or horn player. Mentally be able to spell out your major scales in all 12 keys without hesitation. Also be able to mentally spell out all the common minor major, 7th chords, diminished, etc like a computer. Then you should apply those notes to your scale and arpeggio positions. Learn your scales and arpeggios in 2 octaves up and down the board. Get good at walking bass, and be a able to read a lead sheet chord chart. Finally put a small bit of sight reading into your practice routine.
These things should get you thinking about the bass in the right way and help you to learn the entire instrument.

[Dmanlamius]

Try this:

http://www.dmanlamius.com/#/learn-th...boa/4532552265

Hope it helps

[JTE]

Like Nike says... Just do it.

First make sure you know the way the fingerboard is laid out and what basic intervals are. You should know how to find the major 3rd, the minor 3rd, the fourth, the fifth, and the octave of every note. So, if you start on C you can find E, Eb, F and G (above or below that root C).

Then start with finding every C on the neck. From there you can find every G. And Every F. Etc. etc.

Also, playing a two octave diatonic major scale while naming each note helps a LOT. Do it this way, using a G major scale on a 4-string as an example.

Play the low G. Sing it, and say "G, the root". Then sing "A, the second", then play the A. Repeat over two octaves ascending and descending.

Naming the notes as you play them fixes the location, saying the interval fixes the degree of the scale, and singing fixes the SOUND of the scale. So, this way you cover three critical parts of knowing music.

John

[MarkTAW]

I don't know all the notes all over the neck (not cold anyway, it'll take me a second sometimes) & I've been playing for 18 years. I just know the basic locations of a few notes & orient myself from there... which is pretty lazy of me & screws me up if someone's playing in an odd key (just like on guitar, playing with a capo can screw me up if I know what chords I should be playing, but go for the wrong shapes).

If you know the 2+2 octave pattern (two strings + two frets = the same note an octave up) then you don't have to learn much more than what you know.

7th fret E string = B
7th fret A string = E
8th fret E string = C
10th fret A string = G

12th fret is the same as the open string an octave up.

From there you can find all the other notes. Where's D? Two frets behind E, so 5th fret A string (which you already know), 10th fret E string (two frets lower than E), 12th fret D string (of course), 14th fret G string (2+2 from 12th fret D string).

And so on. Where's F? 1 fret higher than E and you know all the E's. Or 2 frets lower than G and you know all the Gs. Where's B? 1 fret lower than C, and you can find all the C's.

Maybe it's a lazy way of thinking about it, but once I know what key I'm in, I'm pretty much playing everything relative anyway. I rarely think "Okay going from a C to a G" I usually think "The song is in C and it starts with I - V" - if I had to think of every note name before I played it I'd lose my mind. Actually I don't even think that, I just have the muscle memory which guides my fingers.

Music, especially rock, tend to be in a few keys, so I mostly learn to find those keys quickly.

[Steady Eddie]

The best way to learn and retain new information is to form it into some sort of order, or pattern and then fit it into what you already know.

The starting point is to learn all the natural notes on the fretboard up to the 12th fret. All the accidentals can be easily worked out from there.

You already know the notes to the 5th fret, so memorising natural notes from the 5th fret upwards goes like this:

The notes at the seventh fret spell out the word BEAD. That's easy to remember.

From your familiarity with the major scale you know that there is a semitone between BC and EF. So the next two notes are just up from the B (a C) and the E (an F) on the eighth fret.

Shifting across to the next two strings and up to the ninth fret you find that B and E are repeated.

Again the two notes up from these on the tenth are C and F.

If you look at a picture of the fretboard you can clearly see the pattern.

The twelth fret we all know repeats the names of the open strings EADG.

That leaves two notes that have not fitted in. On the tenth fret of the E string is a D and on the tenth fret of the A string is a G. These can be remembered as the note before the name of the open string, i.e.for the E string it's a D and for the A string it's a G.

Try it and see how you go.

[251]

Use a metronome & speak the notes as you play them. Do it as a separate exercise for 10-15 minutes per day. Start with a different note each day. Play notes at random, in scales, arpeggios, chromatic scales, no pattern at all, all over the fretboard.

Do not stop playing for mistakes. Play a note or 2 to stay with the metronome & start speaking again. It is important to learn to play through your mistakes.

Photocopy a drawing of the entire fret board & fill in the notes on a fresh sheet every day for a month. stop numbering the frets after the 1st week.

Involve our senses of sight, sound, touch, muscle memory playing & writing to be sure to engage the way you usually remember things.

You knew this wouldn't be easy but look at how simple the task can be with as little as 20 minutes per day. If you can keep it up for 3 months, you will need a sharp blow to the head or a neurosurgeon to forget what you've taught yourself. Good luck.

[Stumbo]

If you have Microsoft Excel or and Excel file reader, here's a link to a free fretboard learning/training worksheet that makes memorizing/learning pretty easy:

The Big Free Music Related Software Thread

[the_hook]

Originally Posted by Stumbo

If you have Microsoft Excel or and Excel file reader, here's a link to a free fretboard learning/training worksheet that makes memorizing learning pretty easy:

The Big Free Music Related Software Thread

This is somewhat similar to mine, but more sophisticated with the drop down menus. Nice work. For mine I write out each scale and each chord separately so I can print them off and just glance at the sheets when I need to.

[Danny Fox]

i learnt by just playing the major scale in all keys and naming the notes as I went.

[bass player 48]

I’ve been working on this a bit lately. I am about 10 years into learning bass (hobbyist) and I do know my board well enough to do what I do – but I want to really know it.

Here’s what I’ve been doing, and this has seemed to help a bit. Play every note every place it exists. Just single notes – I do practice scales and arpeggios and other things to, but I play single notes to work on this.

I start with, for example, E. I know that I only have one low E. I play my low E (open 4th string, of course).

Then I play my middle E every place it exists. (there’s 3 places - 12th fret on the 4th string – 7th fret on the 3rd string – 2nd fret on the 2nd string)

and then I go to the next octave – play that one every place it exists. (for me – 19th fret on the 3rd string, 14th fret on the 2nd string, 9th fret on the 1st string)

and then, if applicable, the next octave. I do have that 4th octave E (it lives at the 21st fret on my 1st string)

*Please note – I play a 22 fret board. If you have a different number of frets, this will vary a bit.*

Don’t just go from low to high, turn it around and play the highest octave first then work your way down. Just make sure that when you play that note in any given octave, you play the note every place that it exists. Make sure you can do it fast and smooth and not miss any.

Then, do F – same idea. And then G and keep going through all of the naturals. That’s enough for me for one day. The next day, I do all the sharp / flats. The next step, is to not go in any order, but mix it up randomly (play all the E’s – then play all of the Bb’s – then play all of the G#’s – random order)

I want no part of a learning process that involves a piece of paper - IME, what I can learn with just my brain and my bass in my hands sticks with much better when I get into a real world playing situation. YMMV

I’ve just started this program myself, but so far, it seems to help. I was surprised at how much I had to think the first time. Patterns quickly open up and you soon get to think less. It does feel like it’s helping. I hope this helps you and isn’t something completely obvious that everybody was doing already, anyway. I’d love to hear any teachers input on this as well.

Originally Posted by Danny Fox

i learnt by just playing the major scale in all keys and naming the notes as I went.

But playing the scale in all keys doesn't necesarily get you into all positions...

[mambo4]

my cut n paste reply....

---------------------------------------
LEARNING THE FINGERBOARD
---------------------------------------
when I first picked up the bass I memorized the open strings (EADG) and then memorized each "dotted" fret up to the octave:
open:EADG
3rd fret:GCFA#
5th fret:ADGC
7th fret:BEAD
9th fret:C#F#BE
Ocatve:EADG

With those notes memorized, I could quickly figure out "in between" notes based on the dotted ones. If you can instantly find E then you can almost as instantly figure out where E flat is. It was enough to get me by at first.

I never made a deliberate effort to memorize the rest of the neck, eventually I just absorbed the knowledge via experience.

ultimately, I think we tend to stop thinking in note names as we play and think more in interval , chord and scale shapes and sounds...less of: "this is E, G, B in the key of G" and more "this is a minor chord on the vi, so i'm using this shape /hearing this sound in my head"

[EagleMoon]

I think one thing that helps is to realize there are only eight major notes in a scale, then you have the sharps and flats from those main notes. What helped me when I was first learning was to find all the same notes at different places on the neck. Then to learn the different scales at different places on the neck. It just takes practice and once you see the pattern, it becomes pretty easy.