Learning The Entire Guitar Neck Can Be EZPZ!
Most players look at the guitar neck and envision an
Impossible to memorize myriad of notes scattered in
an unbelievably difficult, no rhyme or reason, random
order. Borderline impossible to memorize.
But that’s not really the case at all. In fact, the whole
neck is simply one very easy to learn, repeating pattern!
This is an example showing you about half of the pattern.
Not so random, is it. It just repeats on each string.
So, you can see here that just by memorizing “A B C D E F G”, you have a HUGE
amount of the neck memorized. BUT . . . you don’t have to memorize this! You
only need to memorize, in your head . . . A B C D E F G. And you need to know
where to start it on each string.
So, in this example, if you only knew where each “A” was on the neck, any you
knew WHAT MOST 2 year olds already know, the 1st 7 letters of the Alphabet,
A B C D E F G . . . You’d automatically know all of those notes on the neck.
So where are all of the “A” notes? Do you think you can memorize where the “A”s
are on each string? You only need to know 5, because they are the same on the
top and bottom E strings.
Well, that’s kinda what we’re going to do in this tutorial. But we’re also going
to fill in all the gaps. All the missing notes. BUT . . . it’s actually easier
than what I showed you above. Stick with me! In one week, you can NAIL this!
~
There is a way to easily learn ALL of the notes on the entire guitar neck. You can
easily learn them in just ONE WEEK! You will simply learn ONE scale. You will do
the following exercise over and over as many times a day as you can. While driving
to and from where ever, getting ready for work or school. Watching TV, any time you
aren’t actually talking to someone, or when focused on something important.
Every time you have more than 20 seconds!
Keep in mind, this is a progressive tutorial. Each part builds off the previous part.
When you get through the entire tutorial, and once you have done each exercise . . .
You will . . .
#1 . . . You’ll know ALL of the notes on the entire neck!
#2 . . . You will have learned 2 new scales that will boost your solos to the STRATosphere, Pun intended!
(If you read the extra listed tutorial!)
#3 . . . You’ll be PLAYING better than you were. Just by doing the exercises.
Here’s the sad part. What’s contained in this workshop are two things you need to
totally have a handle on. Two things that are holding you back from getting to the next
level. They are two things you didn’t learn well enough, or maybe didn’t learn at all.
But sadly, most of you will fall into the 30 day club. You’ll start reading this. You’ll
get a feeling like it might require a little work, and start getting second thoughts.
You’ll then start skimming over the next few pages, and then . . . you’ll make the
subconscious decision to stay at the same level you are now.
MOST people are not willing to do the time! You have time to watch TV. Time to go
bowling. Time to practice the same stuff you have been, over and over, not getting
ANY results! But you won’t do something different, so you get different results.
Don’t be a 90 percenter!
And we’re only talking about ONE WEEK! Just give me one week! And during MOST
of that week, you won’t be dedicating time to do it.You’ll do most of this WHILE you do other stuff!
At the Same time!
We’re going to apply science here so, this will be SO easy! You will do this
using THREE senses! You’re going to SAY, HEAR and READ.
(I know, “saying” isn’t a sense. But it requires THINKING. And you won’t hear it
if you don’t say it!)
What you are going to do is learn the Chromatic Scale. Just learn how to SAY it.
Forward and backward. It’s literally going to be that easy! And don’t tell me here
that you already know it. Do you? Can you say it forward and backward . . . without
stopping to think about it. In flats and sharps? Can you start from any note and
fire it off? And do you know it well enough to APPLY it? If you do, this will be
a breeze for you!
Once you can fire it off without even thinking about it, THEN you will pickup your
guitar, and instantly be able to tell where every note is!
You’ll do this in a few different steps. But before you continue, I strongly
recommend reading my Theory 101 overview tutorial. It not only will help you
with this tutorial, it will also help get you to the next level! It’s an easy
read with several pix.
Go on and read it now.
Then come back. I’ll wait . . .
~
You’re going to read the theory section again a couple
times as you go through this section. I’ll let you know
when. If you skipped it now, and you’re reading this without reading it . . . I
suggest you skip the rest of this tutorial. It’s not going to work for you
because you don’t WANT IT badly enough to Follow instruction.
IF YOU SKIP IT . . . you’re just hurting yourself! Put your
trust in me for just ONE WEEK!
Go read it now!
~
OK, you simply need to memorize, and SAY IT OUT LOUD, when you
can, and SAY IN YOUR HEAD as often
as possible for the next week. You can say it softly, quietly. But say it out loud
when you can! When it’s not appropriate for you to say it out loud, think it in your
head! But trust me, saying it out loud is magic! Say it when you're driving to
work, driving home, at lunch break. While you're working. Or getting ready for work
or school! Shopping. Walking the dog! Feeding the dog! Making dinner. Eating dinner!
Any time you have 16 seconds . . . SAY IT! For a week!
Because when you do, you also HEAR it! You use two senses, not one. Just like you
can memorize something you THINK, over and over, you can also memorize
something you HEAR, over and over. Right?
And when you can, also READ the scale, over and over.
Read it to yourself when appropriate, AND READ it out loud when appropriate. So
you SEE it. You also memorize by SEEING, right?
You get all three senses involved, you memorize the scale in no time at
all!
And I mean really KNOW it! Don't stop doing this just because you can get through it.
It has to become a part of you. Embedded in your memory so you can SEE IT in your
mind! So you can see it, and pick notes out of it in any order! THIS is how you
learn music! And if you don't know . . . you can't do!
OK, if you’re starting to think this will be difficult, remember this. A 3 year
old can easily learn the entire Alphabet in a fairly short time. RIGHT! Well,
you already know the 7 letter you need. A B C D E F G
First, know that # is a sharp. b is a flat. When you see G#, you SAY . . . G sharp.
When you see Bb you SAY . . . B flat.
Just 7 notes, and some have sharps. The same 7 notes, and some have flats. It
will depend on what key you’re in. So, you will learn to SAY the Chromatic Scale
BOTH WAYS! Same 7 notes with sharps and flats.
We’re going to do the sharps first, because as a guitarist, you’ll be playing a LOT
in E G A B C & D. These keys only have sharps. (C has no sharps/
flats!) After a few days, you’ll also work on SAYING the scale using flats.
Fact: If you can say the Chromatic
Scale, forward and backward, without even thinking about it . . . If you can start
with any one of the 7 letters and fire off the scale without thinking about it . . .
you will apply it to the guitar neck, and in ONE DAY be able to go to ANY note on
the entire neck, any fret, any string, and you will know what note it is. I'll show you how!
DON’T FEEL CHALLENGED! This isn’t hard! Basically, you start with any of the 7
letters/notes, say them in a row. And repeat each one adding a sharp after it.
Like you say . . . C C# D D#, etc.
BUT there are two notes that never get a sharp. E and B. So you’d say
D D# EF F# and A A# BC C#. Remember when you read the Theory 101 tutorial
earlier today? (You did, right?) Remember the 2 places where there is no
black key on the piano keyboard? No sharp or flat between B & C, or E & F, right?
~
Learn to SAY this . . .
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C
Basically you just SAY C. Follow the alphabet. C D E F G A B C
By now you know (because you have read the theory section 3 times by now!) that
there is only a half step between C & B and E & F.
NOW . . . SAY it backwards!
C B A# A G# G F# F E D# D C# C
THAT’S IT! It just gets easier from here on out!
Start right now. Say it over and over until it flows from your lips. This is what
EVERY chord and EVERY scale comes from!
OK, listen up. this isn't only so you can quickly learn the notes on the fretboard.
It's WAY more important than that!!! If you KNOW the Chromatic scale, and I mean
inside out, top to bottom. front to rear, up and down, left to right AND RIGHT
TO LEFT . . . I can show you how to MENTALLY figure out ANY chord in seconds!
How to figure out any scale! In your head, with no charts!
If you see a chord you don't know, while you're playing, you will be able to
stop, close your eyes. Figure out the notes of the chord. Then look at your
fretboard, and MAKE THE CHORD!
This isn't rocket science. (It's harder! LOL) Stop making it harder than it is.
Learn all of the basics you should have already learned. Especially if you're
self taught. The Chromatic Scale is the FIRST thing you should have been taught.
Because EVERYTHING comes out of it!
Surely you can see the advantage in that! Right? Ok. Stay wth me on this!
Write it out! Put a copy on your steering wheel until you know it by heart!
Bathroom mirror. Refrigerator door. Outside door! Next to the TV “ON” button. On
your TV remote! On your guitar. On your amp, by the “ON” switch! On your PC or
laptop screen (in a corner). Broom handle! On any windows you look out regularly.
And every time you see it, pause for just 16 seconds, and READ IT, SAY it! Forwards
and backwards!
Once you have it memorized, totally! Once it’s a part of your HEAD . . . a part of
YOU . . . you’re going to pick up your guitar, and apply it as follows . . .
We’ll do this three ways. Doing them together will accomplish more than you realize
right now. Stick with me. You’re gonna LOVE this!
Part 1: The “Per String” Method
a). Start on the LOW E string. Pick it and SAY E. Now go up the neck, picking each
note, and saying the Chromatic Scale you already know frontwards and backwards.
Starting on fret 1, F F# G etc. Go ALL THE WAY to the highest fret!
Now, go backwards. Pick each note and SAY the name of the note.
Do this 3 times!
b). Go to the next string, A. Do the same thing. Pick the string and SAY A.
Then continue up the neck, starting at fret 1, A#. Continue up the whole
neck. Then back down. Do this 3 times!
c). Now repeat this on the D string . . . D D# E F etc. 3 times.
d). Repeat on the G string . . . G G# A A# etc. 3 times.
e). Repeat on the B string. B C C# D etc. 3 times.
f). Now the EASY ONE! Do the HIGH E string! 3 times.
OK, that’s it! Right? Umm, nope. I don’t teach anything “part way”! Ha!
Part 2: Follow the DOTS! Guitarists tend to play in just a handful of keys,
unless they’re a Jazz player. But if we pretty much play Blues, Country, Folk,
Gospel, Surf, etc., we’re going to be in C, D, E, G, A or B. And maybe B not so
much. And we’ll play in Em, Gm, Am and Bm, and Cm mostly. At least until we’re
more accomplished musicians. So, if we learn the positions for those keys, know
the notes on the neck for those chords, we’ll be in pretty good shape. So, let’s
NAIL those positions. And they will be . . . ON THE DOTS!
The dots are on the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th frets. Then on the 12th, it’s the same
order, starting with E on the 12th. These positions we’ll call the “standard” or
common frets, for now.
a). Start on the low E string. Go to the 1st dotted fret, fret 3. What note is that?
Figure it out if you don’t know it. Start with the open string, E and count up three
frets: E F F# G! Continue up the neck to the next dot. 2 frets higher. What is
it? G G# A! Up two more frets to A A# B! Then the weird one, up 2
more to B C C#. (We will more commonly refer to this as Db.)
OK, now DRILL your E string notes, Say the notes as you play them: E G A B C#, then
back down: C# B A G E. REPEAT!
Do the same thing for the A string.
Same process, and you get: A C D E F#, F# E D C A.
Repeat for the D string: D F G A B, B A G F D.
G string: G A# C D E, E D C A# G
B string: B D E F# G#, G# F# E D B
High E string is the same as the low E: E G A B C#, C# B A G E.
Do these several times. It only takes a couple minutes.
You need to do this one a LOT until you KNOW all the notes on the dotted frets!
b). Count up 7! Start on the Low E string like above. This time, starting
on E, go up 7 frets, and call them off as you play them. E F F# G G# A A# B, then
B A# A G# G F# F E. REPEAT!
Now start on the 1st dot and do the same thing. G G# A A# B C C# D, then back down,
D C# C B A# A G# G. Now do the same for each of the other 3 dots. Starting the
Chromatic scale on A, then B then C#, going up 7 each time.
Now repeat for the other strings. Do them the same way. Don’t skip this part!
Do all of the strings!
Part 3: The Scale Method: You can apply this part to ANY scale you use.
Did you know you can play almost any note in a solo and make it fit!?! As in,
no wrong notes? If you want to know how you can play a solo and never be more
than one fret from a correct note . . . and how to make the FEW notes between
correct notes also correct, check out my No Wrong Notes tutorial here!
NO WRONG NOTES Tutorial
But the truth be told, you’re never more than one fret of a correct note. Most notes
are going to fit in your solo. And when you do hit a wrong note, you’re never more
than one note, either way, of a correct note! Read the tutorial to find out how to
never hit a “wrong” note again!
a). One assumption: You know the Pentatonic scale. (Major shape 5/minor shape 1)
The shape everyone learns first. First step is go to any fret. Figure out the note
on the low E. Let’s use 5th fret, A as our example.
Assuming you can play the scale from memory, as in, you know the shape, what frets
to play on each string. Start on the low E, note A. Now slowly play each note of
the scale, and SAY the note you’re playing. Just count up the Chromatic scale from
A up 3 frets to C. Next string, same thing. Start by playing and SAYING ... D. Then
up 2, to E Continue on all strings. Do this at least 3 times. Next practice time,
stay on the SAME fret! Just keep doing A until you can fire off the names of each
note in the Am Pentatonic scale.
When you can do this fairly easily, staying with the same shape, same position, do
the C Major Pentatonic scale. Just start on the 8th fret with your 4th finger. The
notes are going to be the same. So now you know the notes of the C major Pentatonic
scale on the neck!
Got it down? OK, pick a different position. How about doing the 9th fret. C#! Just
start with the C#minor scale. Pick C# and SAY it! Then up 3 frets to E. Continue
just like above. You still need to think your way through it, but you have all the
tools you need in your head. YOU DON’T NEED TO LOOK AT CHARTS ANY MORE!
If you do this at each of the DOTS, it will be easy because
these are common positions you play often. Plus, they are all sharp positions. All
notes will either be natural, or sharps.
There is no way for you NOT to know all of the strings, all of the fret’s notes,
unless you simply don’t WANT IT bad enough!
WHEN YOU’RE DONE . . . You might never actually be “done”. But once you have this
down. When it makes total sense. When you can pick a position on the neck and play
a scale, and know the notes (or figure them out as you play them) . . THEN it’s
time to work on the FLATS! UGGHHH!
But it’s going to be a lot easier this time. You have so much of the neck down now.
But you’ll play songs in flat keys, too! Just maybe not as often. UNLESS you play
in a HORN BAND! If you wanna play stuff by Chicago, Blood Swear & Tears, etc. . . .
Horn bands commonly play in flat keys!
So do the following. And do it exactly the same way you did the sharps. Refer back
and do EVERYTHING you did above. Including writing out the Chromatic scale in flats,
and putting it everywhere you could see it. And SAYING it over and over until you
get it!
Then do the same scale exercises as above. But give the # notes b names!
If you want to know more about why there are flat keys, then read my Theory
101 Overview tutorial.
Theory 101 Overview Tutorial
Just know that there are times when it’s just appropriate to call a note flat,
not sharp, even though it’s the same note! (called enharmonic notes. IE: Eb is
the same note as D#.)
C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B C, And C B Bb A Ab G Gb F E Eb D Db C
Just like the sharp scale, there is no flat between B & C or E & F.
So, now you take a week and say, think, and read this scale until you can fire
through it! You can shout it out without even thinking about it! And apply it as above.
NOW . . . you will know all of the notes on the neck, and you’ll call them
appropriately sharps or flats! For example, when you play a scale in E F# G A or B,
you’ll call the in between notes sharps. When you play the scales on the in between
frets, YOU WILL CALL THOSE NOTES FLATS!
IE: You play the Pentatonic Scale on the 5th fret. You know the 5th fret on low E is
an A. And you play the scale. The notes in between A C D E & G are sharps. Right?
When you play the scale on the 6th fret, between the A and B (5th and 7th fret) that in between key is Bb!
Not A#! So the in between notes in that scale will be flats!
The following are flat keys/frets: 1st fret F, 2nd fret Gb. (This one is an exception to the rule.
It could be the key of F#. It’s subjective, and for another lesson.) 4th fret Ab. 6th fret Bb.
9th fret is Db. 11th fret is Eb.
In sharp keys, the in between note is named after the note it’s AFTER. Go from D up on is D#.
In flat keys, the in between note is named after the note it’s BEFORE. Go from D down to Db!
NOTE: It isn't because we went up that it's a sharp, or down and it's a flat! Db is in
between C and D. And C# is between C and D. But Db is named as the note before D. C# is
named as the note after C. It depend on the KEY! In flat keys, a Db is before D. In
sharp keys, C# is after C.
Over all, it’s not really that hard. BUT it IS at the same time. I get that. But you know what? If it
was easy, it wouldn’t be so special! EVERYBODY could do it.
KEEP THIS IN MIND . . . Over 90% of the people who start learning to play guitar QUIT in 30 days!
THIRTY DAYS! Because it’s not easy. And they don’t have what it takes to DO IT! BUT YOU DO!
Over 90% of the remaining people who stuck it out for 30 days QUIT in less than 90 days! NINETY
DAYS! Because it’s not easy. And they don’t have what it takes to DO IT! BUT YOU DO!
I hope I become a small part of how you become a successful guitar player.
Wayne
Theory 101 Overview
Back to the Tutorials Index Page
Hope you found this interesting. If you did, please feel welcome
to drop me a line. Email me, or drop me a PM on Facebook!
Email me any time! ~/~
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