What is this garbage??

[Robscott]

Bass Guitar Fretboard Note Labels Fret Stickers + Online Lessons & Learning Aids 5060492200109 | eBay

This is a interesting thread, different ways people learn the fretboard. Does anyone play like me? Most of the time I don't know what notes I'm playing, I just seem to know where to go next. Not a brilliant player, cos I don't have the dexterity, but I seem to have a really good ear and can play along to just about anything on one or two listens. If people ask me what the notes are I can tell them if I stop and think, but when I'm playing I just don't think that way. Try to, but not natural to me. Am I a freak?

 

[AdamR]

My daughter us learning to read using site words. Is that the lazy way ?

 

[City]

Well Sir, in this band we tune down a 1/2 step to help out the singer....Rut Roh.

 

[Josh Kneisel]

I mostly think in intervals or patterns based around what I know the chord/key signature to be, but I can tell you the notes I'm playing if a gun was to my head... I'm not usually thinking in that way though.

 

[Gorn]

My daughter us learning to read using site words. Is that the lazy way ?

Apparently. Just give her The Brothers Karamazov and ground her if she doesn’t come up with a 10,000 word essay on it by the weekend.

 

[Tom Baker]

side note, people have different learning styles. crapping all over them because they are an auditory learner vs. a visual learner and so on accomplishes nothing except for making the world slightly more hostile. learn more here: https://learning-styles-online.com/overview/

 

[Josh Kneisel]

Well Sir, in this band we tune down a 1/2 step to help out the singer....Rut Roh.

Now that is lazy....j/k

 

[Spin Doctor]

This is a interesting thread, different ways people learn the fretboard. Does anyone play like me? Most of the time I don't know what notes I'm playing, I just seem to know where to go next. Not a brilliant player, cos I don't have the dexterity, but I seem to have a really good ear and can play along to just about anything on one or two listens. If people ask me what the notes are I can tell them if I stop and think, but when I'm playing I just don't think that way. Try to, but not natural to me. Am I a freak?

Nobody is thinking C, E, G, A, whatever when they are playing. But you need to know what you are doing.

Bass players have a reputation for being the dumbest musicians in the band when it comes to knowledge of their own instruments. You think a sax player doesn't know all the notes on his sax? No point in arguing for ignorance, because that is way too lame a position. As far as whether or not you are a freak, only you can answer that...

 

[Gorn]

Where’s Jeff Berlin when we need him?

 

[RichardW]

Paul Simenon of The Clash taped note markings under his strings when he was just starting out. If it helps you learn, who cares? I can't imagine anyone would keep them on, once they'd learned their neck.

 

[gln1955]

Where’s Jeff Berlin when we need him?

Who needs Jeff. We seem to have plenty of self-appointed learning experts here.

 

[JKos]

It is a learning tool. Not garbage. People label the notes on a piano, put lines on violins and cellos, etc. As said above, people learn in different ways.

- John

 

[Robscott]

I mostly think in intervals or patterns based around what I know the chord/key signature to be, but I can tell you the notes I'm playing if a gun was to my head... I'm not usually thinking in that way though.

Yeah that's me too

 

[GBBSbassist]

This is a interesting thread, different ways people learn the fretboard. Does anyone play like me? Most of the time I don't know what notes I'm playing, I just seem to know where to go next. Not a brilliant player, cos I don't have the dexterity, but I seem to have a really good ear and can play along to just about anything on one or two listens. If people ask me what the notes are I can tell them if I stop and think, but when I'm playing I just don't think that way. Try to, but not natural to me. Am I a freak?

You're not the only one. I learned and played like that for a good 10 years (I've been playing now for 20 years). I didn't start focusing on any theory until I began playing guitar, and I really only learned very basic music theory. I'm also a very fast learner like that though. If I'm familiar with the song in general, I'm confident I can play it on my first pass (to a degree obviously...) I only started thinking that way when I started learning basic music theory, but I ignore it most of the time. I don't care if something theoretically works if it sounds aurally unpleasant.

 

[Spin Doctor]

You're not the only one. I learned and played like that for a good 10 years (I've been playing now for 20 years). I didn't start focusing on any theory until I began playing guitar, and I really only learned very basic music theory. I'm also a very fast learner like that though. If I'm familiar with the song in general, I'm confident I can play it on my first pass (to a degree obviously...) I only started thinking that way when I started learning basic music theory, but I ignore it most of the time. I don't care if something theoretically works if it sounds aurally unpleasant.

The vast majority of bass players are like this. They can play a song after hearing it and figuring it out. Maybe in a short amount of time. That doesn't change the fact that most are profoundly ignorant of their instrument. They don't see it as something they need to know, I guess.

And for the record, I don't know of something that works theoretically and is aurally unpleasant. Theory is just used to explain what's happening musically. It doesn't dictate anything.

 

[onosson]

When my daughter started on piano, her teacher gave her little letter stickers to put in the centre octave on the keyboard. She didn't use them for too long, but they did help her out at the beginning. This seems like it could serve a similar purpose. I don't really get all the negativity...

 

[BigBigGuy44]

This type of sticker helped me immensely. I used masking tape and hand wrote the notes. Coming from a baritone horn background, I knew how to read music but had difficulties learning where the notes were on the fretboard. Being able to see the notes helped learn songs while also building muscle memory. After a while, I no longer had to look at the notes and then didn't have to look at the fretboard. What can I say, I guess we all can't be God.

 

[GBBSbassist]

The vast majority of bass players are like this. They can play a song after hearing it and figuring it out. Maybe in a short amount of time. That doesn't change the fact that most are profoundly ignorant of their instrument.

Well, I'm not "like that". I studied basic theory, but not until I had already been playing for a while. I know what I'm playing and why I'm playing it when I do.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't give two craps about how much a bass player knows about their instrument, or any musician for that matter. Can you play or not? That's it. I've been in bands with plenty of theory nuts who clearly studied their ass off learning theory, and obviously didn't pick up their instrument enough. Being a theory major isn't going to make you move your fingers any faster or smoother.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Start by remembering where the half-step naturals are

The Half Step Naturals.....Band name of the week

 

[Fat Freddy]

It's being lazy. Just learn the damn notes. It's not rocket science.IMHO anyway.

Nobody tells me what to learn.....And lives!.........