Is there ONE exercise that's been key for you?

[Bioflava]

Hey TBrs,

I'm an advanced beginner who's been playing on-and-off for a few decades. I play mainly rock and blues, and jam weekly with a 4-piece band. I've been working on really learning the fingerboard of late and have found this exercise really helpful:

• Moving through the circle of 4ths (or 5ths) playing straight 8ths on each string (against a drum machine) and saying the note names as I play them. So if I start on F, I play the F on the E string, then on the A string and so forth playing all the Fs in the first 12 frets -- and then I go backwards.

1. Although this is basic, it's really been helping my fretboard knowledge and time. I think I'm going to try Scott's suggestion here to say the note names as I play the scales and then learn the scales on a single string.

Do you have an exercise that has really turbo-charged your playing? If so please share!

Thanks!

 

[FatStringer52]

Mine would be quite similiar to yours, with a couple of differences:

Definitely working thru the circle of 4ths and the circle of 5ths (whichever comes to mind first that day)

Instead of pounding out 8ths or playing scales, I primarily focus on chord tones, mainly 7th chords (the big four: Maj, Min, Dom, [half]Dim). And I focus on naming each chord tone, not just the root. Again, whichever suits my fancy that day.

I play each arpeggio using five different fingerings: starting with the 4th finger, starting with 2nd or 3rd finger, starting with the 1st finger, a two string arpeggio and, finally, a one string arpeggio.

Lastly, I go as far up the fingerboard as possible. Yes, it's a duplicate of the first twelve frets, but it a much tighter fingering and, in some situations, different hand positioning. Better to be somewhat familiar with that territory when you need to go there. I'm primarily a classic rocker, soul and blues guy and you'd be surprised how many songs go up there (Toto - Africa, Elton John - Rocket Man, etc.)

It's all good, no matter how we do it.

 

[Bioflava]

Mine would be quite similiar to yours, with a couple of differences...
Instead of pounding out 8ths or playing scales, I primarily focus on chord tones, mainly 7th chords (the big four: Maj, Min, Dom, [half]Dim). And I focus on naming each chord tone, not just the root. Again, whichever suits my fancy that day.

I play each arpeggio using five different fingerings: starting with the 4th finger, starting with 2nd or 3rd finger, starting with the 1st finger, a two string arpeggio and, finally, a one string arpeggio...

Heya -- those two above sound like challenging twists! How long does it take you (roughly) to play through one circle using all those different fingerings?

 

[MrLenny1]

Learn each scale in 3 positions on the neck
and use a different finger to lead off.
i.e. middle finger, major. Index finger,major. Pinky for major again.

 

[Green1]

Janek Gwizdala has two new books on major and minor modes, I believe they are called Chop Builders........he has them on his site as well as amazon. There are tons of scale related exercises. Standard music and Tab. The cool thing is EACH example moves through every degree or mode of the key you are in. And each example is presented in all 12 keys. I highly recommend all of his books.......All the Good Stuff and All the Better Stuff are awesome as well.

 

[Bioflava]

Thanks @Green1 --> I know Janek's work from seeing him on YouTube and those books look awesome, but possibly a bit advanced for me. Great suggestions tho, thanks!

 

[FatStringer52]

Heya -- those two above sound like challenging twists! How long does it take you (roughly) to play through one circle using all those different fingerings?

It takes about half an hour to work thru one specific exercise, i.e., major 7ths thru one of the circles. Makes for a great warm-up as well as memory reinforcement. Obviously, there are some root postions that you cannot play all 5 fingerings.

 

[Basshappi]

Squats

 

[bikeplate]

More gigs

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Learning some piano.

 

[lfmn16]

The 'one' thing I've done that's been key is to not worry about finding 'one' thing to concentrate on. If you want to be a good, well-rounded player, there are no short-cuts. The closest thing to 'one' thing that actually works is to get a good teacher. There's nothing wrong with Youtube videos and books, but they aren't really lessons - they provide NO feedback.

 

[grinx]

I have taken 2 lessons
1 was a generic music store intro lesson
1 was with some dude in NoVa that everyone said was The Man, who seemed to play everything, named Peter Prince

He showed me one thing that I still use daily, he called it Spiders:
start on the lowest string/note, chromatically put a finger to each note working towards the bridge then back to the nut, move down a string, repeat, move up the string (keep moving down if you play a 'normal' bass) and move up one fret repeat. do this all the way to the 24th fret and then work you way back down. It takes a couple of minutes.

great stretchout

 

[MalcolmAmos]

For me it was not one exercise, but understanding if I knew the chord/scale degree spelling - (G7= R-3-5-b7) and where those notes were on my fret board I could provide useable bass lines.

That knowledge did not come over night, but, once I had it many new doors were opened.

 

[DWBass]

While scales and arpeggios are great practice, I find listening skills are very essential. And understanding rhythms. Lastly......being diverse. This gives a much better appreciation for all music.

 

[Scott Lynch]

I'm a big fan of the fretboard note exercise over at www.musictheory.net. It's the evolution of flashcards: Fretboard Note Identification Additionally this exercise is available as an iOS app under the name Tenuto.

I encourage my students to take 5 minutes or so a day on exercises such as this and practice them during downtime, i. e. sitting at the doctor's office, on a break at work, waiting in the car somewhere, etc.

It's customizable for instrument as well as range. Depending on where you're at with knowing the fingerboard you can start with the first few frets then add more as your knowledge base grows.

Exercises like this are convenient because they don't require you to be in front of the instrument to do them. There's also a growing body of research that supports the notion that mental practice exercises such as this can be just as effective at developing certain skills as actually practicing your instrument.

 

[Green1]

Thanks @Green1 --> I know Janek's work from seeing him on YouTube and those books look awesome, but possibly a bit advanced for me. Great suggestions tho, thanks!

I think you would be able to handle it. Everything is tabbed out and there is video that goes with all the books that shows Janek playing the examples. Even if you just started with the Chop Builder book on Major Modes. It will give you ideas that will not only work out your hands but it also allows you to hear the modes using different sequences which is cool. Good Luck!

 

[Bob_Ross]

Squats

 

[Badwater]

No. Unless you call ear training a exercise. I do it all the time when not playing.

 

[Bioflava]

The 'one' thing I've done that's been key is to not worry about finding 'one' thing to concentrate on. If you want to be a good, well-rounded player, there are no short-cuts. The closest thing to 'one' thing that actually works is to get a good teacher. There's nothing wrong with Youtube videos and books, but they aren't really lessons - they provide NO feedback.

Heya @lfmn16, I know there's no "one" thing b/c music is complex, and I've been learning about music theory since 1990... My issue is that I "know" more than my hands can hands can do -- so yeah, if a song calls for a G7, I know what scale degrees make up that chord -- but really, in a rock context, so much is just be able to play roots 5ths and some fills -- but with great rhythm and feel.

So that's why I'm looking for exercises -- not because I think there's a magic key, but because I'm looking to get the basics into great shape (fretboard knowledge, rhythm, arpeggios, etc) so I can apply the functional theory in my head

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions!

 

[vindibona1]

Simple C major scale starting on 8th fret, up two octaves plus 1, then down two octaves -1 alternating fingers. It's been instrumental in developing my right hand alternating technique and creating a consistent plucking strategy so my fingers aren't just doing "whatever".