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How do you learn the fretboard?

vishalicious

vishalicious

Mar 31, 2011
213
134
51
Yonkers, NY
uglybass.wordpress.com
#1
For those of you who have learned the note namess on the fretboard, or are learning it - how do you go about it?

I've been practicing chord and scale patterns and reading a bit about theory. I've even been learning to read music, slowly. But, for some reason, I keep hitting a mental block when trying to memorize where notes are on the fretboard. I tell myself that there are only 12, and I compare it to how I can type on a keyboard w/o looking, but I can't seem to drill the notes on the fretboard into memory.

I've tried memorizing the first 3 frets of each string, and then adding another fret at a time. For some reason, it doesn't stick. I've also tried playing the natural notes on each string, but it feels like I'm just memorizing the letters A-G. If I start anywhere other than the first 1-2 frets, I have to recount where I am in my head to orient myself.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
#3
If you play through the major scale, in all keys, in your rehearsal say the name of each note as you play it. Use all cheat sheets and aids, and play out of time and take the time to figure it out and get it right. You want to build the correct association, and only the correct association, as quickly as possible. Do that for a week or two, then start to try it without any cheat sheets and aids.
 
#5
What helped the most for me was I bought some jazz backing tracks off of Scott Devine's website, and as I would play along to the changes, I would call out the root note as I played it, but the kicker was that every time I got to that chord again I would play it in a different location, whether it was a different octave or not. This would force me to think of where that note is located, play it, and recite, which cements it into my mind. There wasn't any sort of pattern I was used to, like scales. I had to think of it every time. Once I could play the three to four chords every time in a different location for the duration of the three minute track without hesitation, I would change keys. Once I did it in all twelve keys, I would then add in the fifths of that chord, I would change these up every time too going a fifth below, a fifth above, and fifths more than an octave away. This would really re-inforce all of the note names. I'd continue this until all twelve keys where done well and then add in the respective thirds. I did this for half an hour, every day for about a month, and not only did my note recollection greatly improve but so did my improvizing, by a substantial amount.
 
#6
Matthew_84 said:
What helped the most for me was I bought some jazz backing tracks off of Scott Devine's website, and as I would play along to the changes, I would call out the root note as I played it, but the kicker was that every time I got to that chord again I would play it in a different location, whether it was a different octave or not. This would force me to think of where that note is located, play it, and recite, which cements it into my mind. There wasn't any sort of pattern I was used to, like scales. I had to think of it every time. Once I could play the three to four chords every time in a different location for the duration of the three minute track without hesitation, I would change keys. Once I did it in all twelve keys, I would then add in the fifths of that chord, I would change these up every time too going a fifth below, a fifth above, and fifths more than an octave away. This would really re-inforce all of the note names. I'd continue this until all twelve keys where done well and then add in the respective thirds. I did this for half an hour, every day for about a month, and not only did my note recollection greatly improve but so did my improvizing, by a substantial amount.
Click to expand...

This is why a positive applicaton of learning works so well. This is learning..not memorising. It is also learning how to play in time, how to hear intervals and chord quality. It is also a great work out for the hands and fingers as well as a great all round improver of skills. Learning is practice of something new, not practice of something you all ready know.
Try coming at it from a different angle with new information that will reinforce what you need to learn. Intervals, for example, will have a definate shape on a bass tuned in 4ths.

Try learning the intervals between the notes on the neck and use the repeating patterns they create to identify the same notes elsewhere.
If a F is always the next string above a C on the same fret then a G must be below it on the same fret G. So at the 3rd fret this is true, at the 8th fret this is true, at the 10th fret this is true, at the 15th fret this is true etc.
So that means any note to the side will be the same relationship to them as well....and so it builds.
The simple relation to the C is the F and the G are always a 4th and 5th above or below that C. The trick is to play slow and name out loud the notes as you play them, or simply write out the notes and their relationships, learning to play is not always done on the instrument, theri has to be thought application as well.
 
#8
The way I learned was simply to play C on every string in the first 12 frets. Start with the 8th fret on the "E" string, the 3rd fret on the "A" string, 10th fret for the "D" string, then 5th on the "G" string. Do this until you can do it at one second intervals up and back.

Then working around the table of fifths, do the same for G (3rd fret, 10th fret, 5th fret, open). Then D, A, E etc.

Do the same for every note, and you'll have it no time. Since the twelfth fret upward is exactly the same, just an octave higher, you won't have any problems with those (though you can add them in if you want). Once you've learnt the first few, it gets easier: B is one fret below C. Then F is one fret above E, etc. So you can see how it gets easier and easier as you go.

I learned this way on guitar and it worked a treat. Just do it for 5 minutes at the beginning and end of each practice, and it doesn't take long at all.

Regards,
Mark

P.S. This is a very common drill in many of the newer teaching methods.
 
#9
I've been incorporating 3 different simple ways:

1) Every week focus on a different note, & play it everywhere it appears up to the 15th fret, trying to make something as musical as I can out if it.

2) Going cover to cover through my basic bass method books, first playing everything in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd position as taught in the books (which taught me frets 1-5+). Then I went back through them again playing what I could starting from the 5th position (which helped solidify frets 5-9 pretty well.)

3) Using Pacman's scale learning technique of singing the notes/numbers all the way up the board- http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f22/pacmans-sure-fire-scale-practice-method-50170/

It helps to remember BEAD at the 7th fret as a reference point if you still need to sometimes count frets so you don't need to start all the way down at the bottom of the board. And everything at 12th & above is just a repeat of what you've already learned below.
 
#10
As others have said, I have students find all of the E's for a week going up and down each string, across the fretboard and in random order. Continue through all of the notes. Works well. After that you can do intervals, arpeggios and scales.
 
#11
Pff!

Just practice. Practice this stuff 15 minutes a day, twice a day. Get up and do it, eat breakfast. Later in the afternoon, do it, then treat yourself to a candy bar (don't spoil dinner).

Maybe you can type w/o looking because there's GIRLS on the computer??

EDIT: Anyway, all these guys have great advice, but I swear there's no trick to it. I just checked your blog to make sure you are within "normal mental parameters". You are! Shouldn't have any problem. Learning to read music is a drag for a little while. It becomes awesome after a while and can even make you a little smug around your friends!
 
#12
I have an exercise that helped me tremendously.

You play through your scales, but you only use one note per string, starting with the E string and continue through the scale until you get all the way back to the tonic on E.

So if you want to play through C major, start with C on the E string, then D on the A string, E on the D string, and so on until you get back to C on the E string.

Not only does this help you memorize your fretboard, but it helps you break out of box patterns.

Start with C major, and once you have it down try moving through the circle of 5ths.

I would also recommend timing yourself. This seemed to improve my progress by establishing a goal to work towards. Everyday I try to improve my time.
 
#13
Just play and name the notes, with 5 each. So for example : The first till the 5th fret on the E, A, D and G string (and others if you have more). Do this over the entire fretboard. If you're done with that, play some chord and / or scales and name each note you play :)
 
#15
Sorry for being a bit insensitive, but if the issue is learning the notes on the fretboard, I'd say just sit and focus on mapping it out. Draw out the fretboard with the strings and frets and fill in the blanks. Do it at one sitting until you can get it right. You will quickly see patterns emerge and it will be easier than you thimk. This is not hard, but it takes focus. Just do it and move on to more challenging things which do require more thoughtful learning.
 
#16
Wow, lot's of great advice here. I never did any of that, lol. :P

To me.. In a 4 string bass, if you know the notes in the lower two strings (E and A) then you're pretty much done, 'cause the higher two are exactly the same notes just two strings higher and two spaces above.

ie:
E string 1st fret = D string 3rd fret (F)
A string 1st fret = G string 3rd fret (Bb)
...

What I'm trying to say here is that if you can write all the notes on the E and A strings, that's it, you already have everything that goes on the D and G.

The only two notes you can't guess with this "system" are the first frets on D and G, and those are the 6th fret on the lowest string next to that one:

D string 1st fret = A string 6th fret (Eb)
G string 1st fret = D string 6th fret (Ab)

Well, hope that helps. Cheers. :)
 
#18
To learn the fretboard, I did chromatic scales (using the 5 fret method AND on each string) and sang out loud each note's name as I played it. You can do that with any scale/arpeggio or whatever.

Adding this small thing to your routine can help a lot. Also remember that there's no flats between B/C and E/F. A chromatic scale on a bass guitar can look like this if you start with the open E string (or any E note for that matter). E-F-F#-G-G#-A-A#-B-C-C#-D-D#-E.

Another thing I try to do is go through and hit every C on the fretboard, then every C#, etc. You'll begin to see the relationship between the notes and where they are on the fretboard.
 
#19
I learned my fretboard/fingerboard by reading music. At some point playing classical music I found some passages to be very akward so I thought ... I should find a way to play it more confortably ... then I discovered that past the 12th fret everything just repeat itself.
 
#20
Thanks for the replies and advice, everyone. Sorry for the late response. Hurricane Sandy left us without power for a few days.

I'm particularly intrigued by MarkMGibson's and Matthew_84's approaches and Catcauphonic's advice. I'm going to look at combining some of these ideas, and other piecess from the rest of you to see if it helps me overcome my block.

And Anonymatt, thanks for checking out my (woefully outdated) blog. I'm glad that I'm functioning within normal mental parameters - between work and having our first baby, sometimes it does feel like I'm losing it. I'm waiting for her to be big enough to hold a Ubass in her hands, and becoming my practice partner. ;)

Crazyeelboy - I don't find your response insensitive at all. I can write out the notes on each string without any problems at all if I start from the 1st fret. My problem is internalizing it so that my fingers and head know where they are on the fretboard. For example, I might know that I'm on the 3rd fret on the E string, but I have to stop and count to realize that its a G. That's what I really want to get into my head and hands - the physical locations of the notes.

Thanks again, everyone. Once I've gone over this a few times and determined how to incorporate all of your advice into my practice, I'll write a little blog post about it and report here. Hopefully, it'll help someone else out as well.

Take care!
 

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