How To MEMORIZE Your Guitar FRETBOARD: The No-Nonsense Exercise That Actually Works
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- Опубліковано 22 кві 2024
- Get the FREE eBook of this method for learning the notes: www.musictheoryforguitar.com/...
Do you have questions about the exercises in the videos?
Do you want all the details explained?
Do you want to see me performing the exercises, so you know that you are doing the right thing?
The eBook will do all that (and contains videos with me practicing every single exercises, with tips and tricks to make your learning easier and faster)
Hey, it's free
www.musictheoryforguitar.com/...
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My first guitar teacher was positively great at destroying my motivation to practice.
That was not an easy task. I was young and playing guitar was such a new thing for me and I was brimming with enthusiasm and I was putting together my first few simple songs...
... but every time he mentioned one specific thing... my spirits went underground, and I didn't even want to see my guitar.
What was sinking my heart at the mere mention of it? What sapped my motivation more than anything else?
This simple sentence:
"You need to memorize all the notes on your fretboard!"
"S-word that, I'd rather learn another song" I thought to myself every time.
(But I never said it out loud. The guy was big and scary. He was also a hell of a player.)
See, there are two things you need to know about me...
1. I have a horrible memory. It's like a seashore: every few seconds a wave hits and deletes everything.
Or as my wife says: I have a Teflon brain. Nothing sticks to it ;-)
So memorizing notes on the fretboard is precisely the 'worst case guitar scenario' for me.
2. I can be incredibly stubborn. (I-grew-my-beard-because-a-former-girlfriend-told-me-to-shave stubborn)
So I spent year after years and years refusing to learn the notes. Just to make a point.
I did not want my teacher to "win" that conversation! I'd find another way! I'd show him!
So I put my time and energy into inventing all possible workarounds to not learn the notes of the fretboard...
(most of these workarounds were frankly ridiculous)
... until I finally had to bite the bullet. Not knowing the notes was holding me back, hard.
Now, I wish I could tell you that my teacher gave me some magic exercises or some transcendental wisdom to learn the fretboard in minutes...
He didn't.
So I had to find them out for myself.
I spare you the long trial-end-error story and cut to the chase:
- Learning the notes on the fretboard is one of the most useful things you can practice
- With the right exercises, it's not even hard. Literally 5 minutes a day for a few weeks to learn them permanently. And when I say 'learn' I mean 'effortless recall'. You just know there they are without thinking, period.
- If I had any kind of business sense I would have packaged these exercises in a nice and tidy "guitar fretboard for dummies" course and sold it to you. Instead, you are going to get them for free in this video. And you are going to like them!
Note 1: This is not another "learn your notes in 3 minutes" or "that's the magic pattern that will help you learn the notes". There is no magic pattern - I know because I tried them all. My method may not be not as sexy as some of the videos out there that promise you eternal fame and fortune through note learning, but has one feature that beats all other methods to I've seen so far: it actually works.
Note 2: Yes, I already had a video on my channel about learning the notes... but in the years I perfected the method. So this is the updated, expanded, "director's cut" version.
0:00 Intro
0:50 Why you should learn your fretboard
3:00 Fretboard Diagram
3:14 Exercise 1
5:00 Play, don't memorize!
6:04 Exercise 2
7:20 Exercise 3
8:11 Exercise 4
9:10 Exercise 5
9:47 Exercise 6
11:21 Why you should do the exercises in this order
12:03 "This is too much work"
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If you have any questions on the method above, I have prepared a FREE eBook + accompanying videos where I practice all the exercises on video + I lay down all the details, tips, and tricks to make your learning faster and easier. Get it here: www.musictheoryforguitar.com/guitar-notes.html
Do you need to do all 7 exercises every day or one at a time?
I love how passive aggressive you are in this video. I will follow the rules sir😥….
what is 5, 12, 7 etc? Notes? Frets?
@@yvonnecamacho7887 fret numbers
Thank you.🖖🏻
The thick accent just makes him more believable
classical guitar babeyyytt
I'm a huge Borat fan
@@giannispata931 It'sa very NICE!.
Man im so happy i aint the only one giving credit to him cause of his EPIC accent
Indeed! He's just so good and as you say the accent in his second language makes his teaching style much more creditable ...
In principle it is like a computer keyboard. Nobody could write the keys down by heart in the right order, but you intuitively know where the keys you want to press are.
This is the perfect comparison lol
On landed this one right on the head
Interesting point, but very true. I can type with my eyes closed but I definitely could not write the damn thing out by memory. I know qwerty and asd. . .
Wow, that's a good comparison! I think I could write out all the letters by typing different words in my mind and by that somehow "fill the gaps" kind of. But I could never just löst them in order
And that happens with practice . No short cuts
“I teach music theory. I’m not a motivational speaker.” Excellent.
For those wanting the steps written out, here's how I wrote them:
1) Pick a natural note, then play it on each string (down and up) on frets 1 through 12. Do this 3 times, and move to another note. Then do this for frets 12 through 20. Once you have done all the natural notes twice, go to ex #2.
2) Use a metronome at 40 BPM. Play one note per beat, and repeat ex #1.
3) Repeat ex #2, but do it for the accidentals.
4) Choose any two notes. Play UP in one note (across each of the six strings) and DOWN on the other note (without stopping). Use the metronome @ 40 BPM. When it feels easy, go to ex #5.
5) Write seven 7 notes in random order. With the metronome @ 40 BPM, play the first note going up, and the next note going down, etc. etc. for all 7 notes. (without stopping). When it feels easy, go to Ex #6
6) Repeat the exercises 2 through 5 at BPM speeds 50 / 60 / 70 / and 80. When you can do Exercise #5 at 80 BPM you are finished.
What do you mean by "then do this for frets 9 trough 20" :D
@@nikolajbertelsen848 He means when you are comfortable with finding the notes on frets 1-12 then try another block of 12 frets to help cover the whole fretboard. (ex 5-16, 7-18, 9-20 etc) Or maybe you were only joking... Now I see a smiley face at the end of your comment.
@@jamessharpe7407 I was not joking! Thank you very much :)
I think that, in exercise 1, the video said no open strings.
Thanks Tod. What fret per string are being used. The numbers denote what. If you can please explain. Thanks.
I know you said you weren't a motivational speaker, but tI actually found the whole " if you don't wanna do it, don't do it" part super motivating
Yeah I think that's because he doesnt put pressure. I feel more motivated as long as I'm comfortable and that's what I need lol
@@braindeadstonehead9500 exactly
That's the defiant part of your brain. The screw you part lol
Don’t stless
@@mikekristin7201 I can see that 😂
1. Not knowing the fretboard is absolutely a roadblock to your progression as a guitarist, and 2. this may seem absurdly simple, but it definitely works. Easily this is worth more than all the scale or chord books I've bought. Do this !
That's awesome ,thank u Master.
I've played guitar here and there for about 18 years in total, and unfortunately have always skipped the basics. This little exercise has helped me so much and I've literally just now only tried it for 5 minutes. I'm extremely excited to have found this and wanted to say thank you!
You're very welcome!
Hey, what are your results now ?
Hey what are your results now?
Cmon man the whole community wants to know your results. Just tell us
Hey what r ur results?
Let's start the journey! 🔥
11.06.2021 - Starting date.
13.06.2021 - Exercise 2 done.
15.06.2021 - Exercise 3 done.
20.06.2021 - Exercise 4 done.
02.07.2021 - Exercise 5 done.
15.07.2021 - Exercise 6 begins!
It's working pretty good :3 I skipped 3-4 days but nothing bad happened. I see most of the fretboard now :)
Practice makes perfect 💫
Same bro
Lets do it
@@t-rexkalita1379 Good luck!😁
So, how's it going?
@@vukasinristanovic5940 Well, it's pretty strange I would say. When I want to play a note I can play it. Sometimes I miss. Especially on new exercises but I can't say that I really see them. I need more like to do it. But it worth it. There are places on the fretboard, where I really know and understand, could say that I see it. So I'm excited to master my fretboard)
P.S. The only thing that I'm doing differently from the video is the spent time. Sometimes it's really 5 minutes but in other days 20-30 minutes.
That's it :)
Actually, for 5th exercise I simply use website for letter letter shuffling. It's much easier)
Ok so i have been doing this for 5 weeks 5 days a week for about 10 mins every day . ... and it works . For those who are skeptical this is the single most thing that has improved my playing . I can now see triads allover the fret board and improvising lead guitar is a lot easier...amazing thank you.
Awesome work man, thanks for your feedback!
Can you do more than 5 min. a day? Is there more benefit the more you do?
@@Omn1c1d3 yes I guess 5 mins is minimum. I just have a routine of practicing for an hr a day with scales new chords songs I'm learning and I just slotted 10 into my hr long practice. Honest if you do this exercise and DONT skip the metronome it works. It will feel like you are not learning anything then when you are playing scales and triads or hitting chord tones , you just realise that you know what the notes are ...
Did you use the note chart or write out the tab for each note? I have done both at this point, but lately have been using the tab rather than the chart. I was curious since you’ve had success which one you did. Thx
@@mattfischer3853 I just used the note chart but I found after the first 5 days I didn't need it. I still use this in my daily practice helps get my fingers moving and brain switching on. I'm so tempted to subscribe to his modes course but it's a big monthly outlay and I'm not sure how long I would need to subscribe for..but I do like his teaching style.let people know how you get on with the fretboard Matt.
Thanks! The only thing missing is a summary of the steps. Here's my attempt:
1. Frets 1-12, no open strings. Pick 1 natural note. Play this note on each string from low to high, then from high to low. Once you can play it without mistakes 3 times then do a different note. When you have done all 7 natural notes twice go to step 2.
2. Set metronome to 40 bpm. Play 1 note per beat as in step 1. Once you can do all 7 notes without mistakes go to step 3.
3. Do the sharps & flats for all notes as in step 2.
4. Pick 2 different notes. Play the first note going up & second note going down without stopping. Once this feels easy go to step 5.
5. Arrange the 7 natural notes in a random order (e.g. D F C E A G B). Play each of these notes (with the metronome) in order moving to the next note each time you reach the last string (e.g. D up, F down, C up, etc.) without stopping. When you can do it without mistakes go to step 6.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 gradually increasing the bpm. The goal is to reach 80 bpm.
You're a god send
Thank you.
Thank you!!! Nice job 👍
Now how do I cut and paste that....!
Great have copied your summary and printed it off cheers 😊 🎸
exercise 1: natural notes up and down
exercise 2: use metronome at 40 bpm
exercise 3: add accidentals
exercise 4: 2 notes
exercise 5: 7 notes in random order
exercise 6 : increase speed exercises 2-5
My problem with this method is that after three weeks I have learned 3/4 notes on the fretboard and played them with metronome at 40 bpm I still make confusion between them and I still cannot see the notes on the fretboard clearly.
@pablonencioni527 I think method is less about *seeing* the notes clearly like a fretboard chart as much as instinctively knowing where they are. Being able to name random frets isn't particularly useful, being able to find notes when you need them is.
It's like learning to touch type. Someone proficient could easily type on a blank keyboard at blazing speeds, but if you point to a key and say "what letter is this", they'd likely still need to process for a moment based on keys they remember or their hand positioning. Because knowing what letter each key is isn't actually needed as long as you can find the right key when you need that letter.
This is learning the same way. The idea is to instinctively know where the notes are when you need them, not to be able to point to a random fret and say "that's a C#", when do you ever need to name random frets after all, but rather instinctively move your hand or finger to the right place when you *need* a C#.
@@LilBoyHexley Great visual!
@@LilBoyHexley wow, I type fast and this is a great analogy!
@@LilBoyHexley This is a good way to put it. It's a muscle memory type of memorization. You're drilling into your head a few anchored points on the fretboard and quickly referencing them, similar to how the "home" keys worked for some people (not me, I type all screwed up).
I've been playing the guitar for roughly over 10 years now and never bothered to master the basics. The older I got, the more I realised how badly I shot myself in the foot with that. After a short phase of regret I decided I'm going to sit my ass down and learn note placements, scales, modes, time signatures, always with a metronome, for at least an hour a day. The best part is that I know I'm gonna make more progress in half a year going forward with this than I have in the last 5 years.
If you're a beginner at the guitar HEED MY WORDS: DO NOT SKIP THE BASICS. They're boring, they're tedious, and they'll ultimately enable you to shred like a God, learn songs easily, adapt and improvise, write your own songs and put all of your soul into you music.
I wish I had started learning this at 12 Instead of 32. But better late then never.
I am in the EXACT SAME BOAT! same age and everything hahahah, Im so happy i started tho!
Haha me too. 31!
I wish I'd learnt this at 32, instead of at 43. But . . .
58 here!! Better late than never..need it now the most.. But way back, my dad gave me a Decca accoustic when I was 6, after the divorce, he knew my favorite thing was music, playing his huge record collection. It ended up smashed ans thrown in the trash, where i found it. Collateral damages... Didnt really remember that stuff when I decided to fix up a broken Stagg left behind by a roomate, broken nut, 3 strings saddle melted missing tuning pegs...lol. I had to research to even know what those parts were called, got the wrong size nut first try, put the wrong strings on first too, but eventually got the right machine head tuners good strings, tusque nut and saddle, painted it, and its cool. It occured to me I was reclaiming some things. And I just enjoy it. We are so blessed by generous artists and musicians sharing 'how to' with all levels.
40 here. I feel motivated!
If you’re on the fence about putting in the work for this exercise, don’t be. Do it. I was extremely skeptical at first, and often thought “hmmm I don’t know, this seems so orthogonal to my other music practice, what if it’s a waste of time?” It isn’t.
About a month now after first coming across this video, I can now do any note at 80 bpm without reference to a diagram. I’ll outline how it came about for anyone giving this a shot:
First few days were about just grokking the problem, getting any note. It was slow, it took me many seconds to find each note. I did not use a metronome.
After I could reliably find a note within 2 seconds, I could start the metronome at 40 bpm. For the next week or so, I improved my speed up to 80 bpm, using the diagram. However, at this point I couldn’t say I “knew” the fretboard. Actually, I knew the first and last string well, and could vaguely aim at the right direction to get the other strings, but that was it. I thought it was a failure and gave up for a day, but I was totally wrong! There’s just a little more to it.
To focus on randomly accessing the middle strings, I first created notecards for three skills. (1) given a string and a note name, what is the fret? (2) given a string and a fret number, what is the note name? (3) given a general region of the guitar (5 zones from head to 12th fret) and a note name, what chord shape would I use?
This got me up to being able to find a note in a couple seconds cold turkey. Close! But not quite there!
To get over the edge, I found two apps. Fret Trainer on iOS tackles skill #2. The fretboard trainer at fachords (www.fachords.com/master-guitar-fretboard-game-intro/) tackles skill #3. I still use my Flashcards or just think through skill #3.
Using these fellas I was able to get dead reckoning down to about a second. Then I went BACK to this exercise, and asked if I could do it WITHOUT the diagram. Yes, I could. I started off without a metronome, then started the metronome at 40, and moved up to 80 bpm within about a day. I couldn’t believe it.
Was it worth it? Absolutely! After learning a lot patterns, to discover that you can get lost and find your way back by seeing what roots you’re playing and knowing where the rest are... the psychological experience is like having a eureka moment every second. It’s a new exciting world when your perception of your instrument is expanded this much! I’m excited to reinforce this knowledge and connect it to the repertoire of shapes and patterns I’ve already memorized.
As for what’s next, I now have very fast recognition when I’m in the zone, but pulling back into the zone still takes a couple seconds (like booting up a laptop), so I’m thinking about exercises where you do something unrelated then suddenly name a note on the fretboard. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks again for the wonderful video series, you’ve really helped a lot of people!
You the realest for this one
Learn all the triads ad inversions
Maybe work on intervals now that you have a foundation then do triads and then building 5ths 7ths and 9ths chords fallowing this method for each step. Meaning pick a note find all the intervals for each note then after you get it up to random try with chord shapes.
Then once you master that try the big one... Sheet music
Wow within a month!!!
It took me half fucking year
Yours is harder than his!!
I DID THIS! I did it. I used this exercise and it worked brilliantly for my ADHD brain. Much love, Maestro.
I wanted to say THANK YOU! I’ve struggled for over 20 years to see the fretboard without hesitation. I had already started doing a version of this exercise on my own but this was much more methodical and thorough. It took me about 6 weeks but now I can see the board clearly and my playing has completely transformed. I wish I had something like this when I was 15, things would have been a lot different. THANK YOU
My absolute pleasure!
Physically resisting the urge to play the pentatonic scale doing this
I feel your pain!
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Same!! LOL
Easy if you don’t even know it
LOL Literally
I can 100% understand without being able to explain why learning this way is 10x better than positioning, thanks again this just what I needed, the base to my structure is now complete. Soon I will have created a great rock pyramid, and I will reign as Pharoah.
All hail the mighty Pharoah
This coment is fucking hilarious 😂
Journey started on Dec 6th 2022. 🚀
Exercise 1: done on Dec 5
Exercise 2: done on Dec 6
Exercise 3: done on Dec 6 and 7
Exercise 4: done on Dec 7
Exercise 5: done on Dec 8
Dec 23rd: I have down most of the patterns. I know where most notes are. some are still tricky but it gets better.
January 3rd: woke up picked up the guitar immediately and was able to play all naturals at around 120 BPM. I don't "see"the fretboard but for most notes I do know what fret they are on and the pattern stuck with me. Occasionally I have to think about a spot for a note and look at the diagram. I didn't play the exercise with the accidentals though except a few times, because it confused me in the beginning..
waiting for an update after new years
Thanks for updating!
how did you finish exercise 1 on Dec 5th if you didn't start your journey until Dec 6th? 😀 (just kidding of course)
@@porkyfedwell He's got a TARDIS
@@porkyfedwell Me too I was wondering If this comment is even serious , that's unrealisticly fast , for a beginner for excercices will take at least 3 days each to perfect
Just came back here to give my thanks. This was my goal for this year. I finally finished all the exercises and I now know all the notes. Thank you sir.
I am so happy to hear this! :)
Works. 😊
Practice makes perfect!
Do I practice all of the exercises everyday right from the beginning or start with first few exercises till I get comfortable?
@@atharvapandharpurkar1691 all the exercises one at a time
Longtime noodler here. Began the process right before Christmas, currently up to 60 bpm. Doesn't feel like you're absorbing anything at first, but oh so gratifying once it starts sticking and you don't even realize it! Great exercise.
Before Christmas of 2019?
Progress update? I’m really curious !
A huge tip that helps me is instead of using a diagram, use a tuner that displays the note as a letter as you practice! That way you instantly know if you got it right or not.
or you could use your ears too.. i mean, you are playing the same note anyways.
it should be pretty damn obvious if you play the wrong note lol
Putting my progress here:
apr 5 2024 --> Started ex. 1, notes ABC
apr 8 2024 --> finished ex. 1, starting ex.2
Hi :P I wrote notes on the video:
“Why?”
- finding notes on the fretboard is what slows down players
- It changes the way you play
“Can’t I Learn my fretboard with intervals instead?”
- short answer, no.
- You have to learn notes on your fretboard, or you will always be limited in what you can do
- Before your learn the fretboard, you don’t even realise what you are missing
Good News:
- It’s not as hard as you think
It is easy if you are
1. Willing to practice 5min/day
2. Follow instructions in the video to the letter
If it’s easy - do it anyway
If it’s hard - take it slower
Before you start doing these exercises, get yourself a diagram of all the notes on the fretboard.
Exercise 1.
Restrict ourselves frets 1-12, no open strings
- pick one natural note, no sharps/flats.
- Play that note on the 1st string, then the 2nd string, then the 3rd, etc IN ORDER. Do not jump strings.
- play it backwards from the 6th, all the way back to the 1st.
- If you can play your note up and down 3 times without making any mistakes (slowly), you are done with that note and you can move on.
- it’s not important whether you are fast or not. Do what you can, at your pace.
- Yes, you can have the note diagram in front of you.
- DO NOT memorise, just play the notes. Your task is not to memorise the patterns (it won’t happen), your task is to play the exercise and you WILL remember where the notes are.
Once you have done this for all the natural notes, move to exercise 2.
2. Metronome, 40 BPM
- Play one note per beat
- metronome is not optional, it drives your brain to learn the notes
Once you have done this for all the natural notes, move to exercise 3.
3. Add accidentals (sharps and flats)
- to find these, think of finding the natural note, move one fret up for the sharps, one fret down for the flats.
- Stay at 40BPM and complete this for all the sharps and flats
4. Choose 2 notes (can be either natural or accidental, doesn’t matter.) One going up, one going down.
- do the first note going up (40bpm still) and when you reach the top, do the second note going down.
When this starts to feel easy, move to exercise 5.
5. Write down all natural notes in a random order.
- Play them in the order, alternating from up, down, up, down, up, down, as you move throughout the order. (like previous exercise, just with more notes)
- One note per beat, do not stop
6. Increase the speed for exercises 2-5 GRADUALLY
- eventual goal: 80bpm.
3 reactions to the exercises:
1. Just do it (best kind of reaction)
2. Exercises “too easy”, skips 1-4 and goes straight to five. Your memory will betray you when you play in ‘real life’. Puts too much pressure on you, your brain will not learn the right way. Do them in the order.
3. “Too much work”. If this is the case then… don’t do it ;-) It is very useful to know these notes instantly, but if you don’t like these simple exercises, you don’t have to do them. You just won’t reap the full benefits.
Hope this is helpful to someone :P
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you
Completely agree. I love the break down of these exercises! It is enough criteria for quite a few lesson sessions. ❤
I came back to say this ABSOLUTELY works!
I found this video mid-November 2020. By Thanksgiving I was ok at it, the progress was obvious. I stayed at 40 bpm for maybe 3 weeks before moving on.
By mid December I was quite comfortable... But...I forgot to practice this for a bit and I caught myself saying "what note is that?" It took like 2 or 3 seconds which is too long! (Better than before, but not instant!) So, back to the exercise I went.
I've been at it for 2 weeks again and I'm nearing instantaneous recall. This works 💯.
Don't stop at "good enough"! It's only 5 minutes a day! Keep going until you reach perfection. It will be worth it.
Question, does this just become an indefinite part of your practice routine, or is there a point where you can just stop doing by this once you’ve gotten instantaneous recognition? Does regular practice just reinforce it enough where there’s no point in keep maintaining it through deliberate practice
What a great idea! Many educational videos try to show beginners the “hidden pattern “ on the fretboard, like a number theory mathematician do with their numbers. This is good for the math students. But your method takes a completely different approach, building the muscle memory of the left hand to”traverse “ on the fretboard! It’s like telling the muscles to “memorize” the path to each note on the fretboard, forget the “note distance” all together. This way the “logical mind” is bypassed. You don’t “think” of the “pattern” before you move, you just move as naturally as breathing.👏👏👏🎸🎸🎸
Well, I am done. I finished. It takes me twelve days of practice (several times some days, for 10 to 20 minutes), to be able to do all the exercises (2 to 5) at 80 bpm. I’ve thought it takes much more time. Also thought it is going to be more difficult as it results. It is not difficult at all; and it’s fun.
I am not sure if I know all the notes on the freatboard, but my fingers could find them with (almost) no mistakes. I feel I need to keep practicing a bit more. Maybe I do everything a bit fast. Maybe is better to take more time. But I want to encourage other people to do it. Certainly you will be surprised.
I don't think this is something you can speed run, repetition is the key here. I already know most of the notes, so this exercise helps me to fill some gaps. There are just notes you need more often than others ^^ But you want to engrave this knowledge in the deepest layers of your brain and this process needs probably several weeks so that it can seep into the unconscious and long term memory. After that you need some repetition now and then and you'll be fine. It's not as complicated as it seems, but I know so many guitar players that have great technique and musicality but they have absolutely no clue what they are playing. Only playing from tabs can be a blessing, but in the long run it's more of a curse imho.
One tip! Watch this with a guitar, and start with "A" like the example. And...Congratulations you just learnt the note of "A". That easy. Thank you teacher, I like your style a lot.
I first discovered this video on Jan 11 and decided to give it a shot and I can 100% attest to it working. Not only does it work but it is BY FAR the most important thing I've ever done to improve at playing guitar in 32 years! I can't put into words how valuable doing this is. And since it turns out to be so easy, I now believe if you're reading this and want to improve and don't do it, sell your guitar!
This opens the door to EVERYTHING!
I rip through all the natural notes at 100 BPM EASILY!
I can make a couple of suggestions tho. Learn them in this order - F, A, C, E, G, B, D F#, A#, C#, D#, G#, ...
Stay with one note for 4 days at a time. Start with finding F and ONLY add A in 4 days. Don't rush it (you don't need too - it works) then add C on day 8 etc. Doing it in this order (since you need one anyway) you learn the triads as you go.
Next, I found it didn't translate to above the 12th fret for me so I used this format:
3 times UP from Low E to High E below the 12th, followed by...
3 times DOWN from above the 12th, then,
3 times DOWN below the 12th and,
3 times UP above the 12...
(This idea ensured I wasn't picking up on a pattern and forced my brain to truly learn where the notes were above the 12.)
Start again with the next note...
This should be MANDATORY for all beginner guitarists.
If you give this a shot, lemme know. HTH.
Hi, thanks for your comment. I'm going to try exactly this. It will be frustrating in the first week with only 2 notes to use but I'll try taking it slow
Coming back. I know all the natural notes, it’s taken a bit of time but I’m sure with some more consistency it’s going to be worth it in the long run. I’d still like to connect what I’m playing more to the notes instead of keeping it an exercise though
Thank you for your comments. Absolute beginner here and I was wondering if the fingers you use to form the notes when doing this exercise matters. I suspect some of this might turn into muscle memory so would I be forming bad habits if I say stick with the same finger each time?
Is this essential to being able to solo and improvise do you know? I’m about to start this because my main goal is to be able to solo and improv
@@jaytoochill_no you dont need to know any note names to improvise, you just need to be able to hear a melody in your head that fits with the music your playing to, then to be able to play that melody on your instrument.
Motivational speaker for those with a short attention span:
“Just do it if you want to or don’t do it if you don’t want to”
Love it!!!
Been doing this for about a month now and I find that the biggest obstacle is actually remembering/deciding what note to play next when on Exercise 5. At first I'd write them down in a random order and glance at that whenever I was about to change directions, but I found just saying them outloud like "G A B E C F D" before I start the exercise helped me a lot. Just thought I'd share in case anyone else was struggling with that! Not needing to take that second to glance at the list and just being able to stay locked in the practice made a big difference for me.
Oh my gosh I'm tripping out because I practiced this like 100 times while watching some videos on note A. Then I moved on to C and somehow played all the correct notes without even looking. You are totally right, this does work and doesn't take long at all.
I recently lost a beloved teacher. Your style of teaching is skilled like hers. Thank you
I am very sorry for your loss.
I love the "shut up, don't ask questions just follow orders" vibe of this video. It's what guitarists need to hear lol
HOLY SHIT THIS WORKED ! I’ve been playing with this for a few months…. It WORKED … … i’ve been trying to learn the notes on the fretboard for years and I just never did. I knew a lot of them but never like this …….this system actually freaking worked ! unbelievable.! !
Are you doing it without looking at the fretboard?
I started to play guitar one year ago in my 43 years. I always wanted to play guitar but never got to it. I started because my 3 years old son likes rock music very much and he wants to play guitar - so I decided to learn so I could teach him later. I started with accoustic, after 6 months moved to electric, after 10 months built first electric guitar for my son (3 strings - looking like Brian Mays Red special). Now I can play many rock songs and my kids recognize what I play. I have learnt much more about music theory from youtube than during my whole previous life. Thanks for people who put work into videos and share knowledge in much simpler way than in school.
Tommaso is the real deal. I’ve done his Complete Chord Mastery course and it’s fantastic. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend his course anyone serious about guitar.
Edmonton is so incredibly fortunate to have this gifted teacher in our small community.
So, I started this and then stopped for a month. I came back to doing this practice for the past week and I will say this, IT WORKS. But I will say this as well, 5 mins minimum is good for the average player but if you want to really progress on the fret board you gotta practice for as long as you can and in between the frustration of doing this practice you HAVE to incorporate some sort of relief. Like playing a part of a song you know. If you feel like this doesn’t work do not give up❤
I do this or hanging some clothes inbetween or groceries, chores like that. i try to do exercise 3 to 6 now in 9 days before februari. we will see if I make it. I think I will get very far. I have time this week. it will be good
I started this like 8 months ago, I stopped doing it at the C note. I don't remember why. But, I picked it back up tonight and within 15 minutes, I had A B &C down again! I will not quit again. It works!
I've been playing for 45 years and don't know the note's. I am excited about this. I'm in.
You are not alone, a 100% ear guy here too! I figured you only need to learn the notes if you're gonna play with others/composing, I should have learned them decades ago; oh well, no better time than the present!
I listened twice and find him very convincing. My impression is that he has given this much thought and is taking into consideration not only a method for learning the fretboard, but HOW one learns complex tasks.
I've listened to dozens of "learn the notes on the fretboard" lessons over the years but none convinced me they were the most efficient way to do it.
As a teacher, not only does he need to know the material but he also needs to know HOW STUDENTS LEARNS and develop exercises that are efficient and don't waste time.
This method is one I'm willing to commit to.
Many thanks for your effort and for sharing this.
I'm currently in exercise 2 and its so crazy how now I'm able to tell the majority of the natural notes. Its magical really. And it took me a week five minutes a day. Big thank you!!
This really works thanks a lot! 😊.
I am at 80bpm level without any mistakes now in just 2 months with stubbornly following this procedure to the 'letter' 😄👋
hows it going now lol
If I had you as a teacher 20 years ago I would be a much better musician as opposed to just an accomplished guitarist.
My worst mistake has always been jumping ahead before I was ready. Instead of this, I learned Metallica riffs.
I'm definitely going to get your courses'. these days I want to be as good of a composer as I am with my guitar chops.
As always, thanks so much Tommaso. You're a great instructor.
It's worthwhile. I will try it.
Story of my life, bro!!
@@ChristianVirial Yeah same here! I'm on my 2nd week of practice now.
I always appreciate anyone that says "no shortcuts." While "work smart not hard" can be good advice, quick fixes are usually garbage.
Very informative, practical and useful. Thank you very much - really appreciated!
I’ve been playing guitar for years and never REALLY learned my fretboard. I know some tricks to figure out where notes are based on the 6th string, but this is a GREAT way to learn! You may not be a motivational speaker, but you’ve inspired me to finally quickly identify the notes!
He is indeed a motivational speaker. I am 58 years old and I still don't know how to do this and I've been playing a long time... I started yesterday with this method. It seems to be working already...
I lost this video after giving up and found it after alot of searching.
The explanation is perfect
Thank you for the motivational way of bringing these exercises 😊❤
I followed the instructions and now i memorized all the notes on my fretboard. Thank you MusicTheoryForGuitar i'm enjoying my instrument even more now
I'm VERY glad to hear this :)
This is helpful. As a pianist taking guitar more seriously these days, I have to say it is annoying to not be able to look at my instrument and instantly know what note someone is pointing at. The piano is so simple in this way, the notes might as well be written on the keys.
Yep. There is only one 11 note pattern on the piano and it is repeated every octave. I’ve been playing at the guitar for 40 years and I’m still lost when I look at the fretboard other than just box patterns because there are between 126 and 144 different note positions and the only repeated pattern is the section above the 12th fret is a repeat of the section below it. And there are multiple ways to play the same note on guitar whereas there is only one key on the piano for each note.
Yet I hear guitarists claim they can’t figure out the piano keyboard. But then they probably can’t name the note names on the fretboard either.
@Jennifer Maple I thought about that, I am not sure whether it would help or hinder the progress so I decided to stick with the plan as laid out here. Also, I was not going to use sharpie, I was thinking of little stickers, sharpie can stain wood, stickers can be removed completely with a little rubbing alcohol.
@@tannertuner Yeah, I vaguely remember a time when I didn't know every note on the piano, but it was so long ago that it feels like I have always known them. I mean, I had to learn every major scale on a piano, that is a lot harder than guitar because with guitar you only need to know like 4 (or 2 really) scale 'forms' and just move them up and down the fretboard. Both instruments have their strong points and weak points.
Although with major scales on piano you just need to remember wwhwwwh and apply it to a key. It's more about getting the patterns under your fingers but there are 11 patterns to remember.
@Jennifer Maple Another comment (@julesdarulesTM) compares typing on a PC keyboard to the process, the discussion points out that with practice we don't tend to think about where the next letter is, our finger is already over the letter. Since nobody has ever suggested any one learn to type on blank keyboards (TMK) but people do learn to touch type simply by not looking - I think there's a very strong argument for doing these exercises with a "stickered" fretboard. Clearly it does no harm to learning where things are on a computer keyboard and while I assume there's some hidden logic to its layout, it's not a pattern, unlike the fretboard.
The more I think about it the more I suspect that the only reason this isn't utterly commonplace is that a) it isn't cool and b) it wouldn't have been practically possible historically.
@Jennifer Maple No - but the important thing is that my "fingers" (muscle memory) know where the letters are I want to type without conscious thought - which is pretty much what pianists take for granted simply by virtue of the repeating pattern. Believe me I never thought 20 years in I'd be contemplating putting stickers on my fretboard! The irony is that I've wanted to be a better guitarist for twenty years, but despite having zero interest in becoming a better typist, I have arrived at the "unconscious competence" level which can sadly not be said for my knowledge of the fretboard!
I feel That Mario is Teaching me Guitar
mamma mia!
Love this video. Started it last night, already feel like it's the right thing to put time into. Well done and appreciate your outlay of value!
Thank you so much for the free lesson ebook! I will be doing this practice plan step by step. Thank you for your knowledge! It's much appreciated!
If you play by ear, this is invaluable! If you don’t play by ear, it’s still invaluable! Not only do you know where the notes are, you know HOW they sound, so tuning gets easier by ear! Brilliant!
What’s this? A video that came out just when I purchased a guitar? Perfect timing for me
Back months later to rewatch and it really does work. Playing guitar is very different knowing the actual notes, and it makes applying music theory concepts way easier than just winging it with patterns and shapes
Thank you for this valueable exercise. It just realy works! Not only for the guitar, but for the baroque lute as well.
Only a Genius can simplify complicated things...
You are such a wonderful teacher
Awesome!!!!
I’m really glad to see somebody on UA-cam teaching music for real no arguing about theory or simple solutions on
Playing guitar and learning the notes on a guitar it’s not that hard it’s learning how to read the music and making their hand and I coordination work 🎸😃👍🏼
I really needed this! I can wrap my head around the fretboard in theory but I’ve lacked the intuition and muscle memory to navigate it with fluidity. Was a bit overwhelming to try to teach myself. This helps so much!
I really love this. I want to go from zero to guitar hero and this finally gave me some hope and a functional structure of learning I can dig my hands into. I hate writing things and reading but I love hands on. Thank you!
I'm doing these exercises and they work. It is a ground breaking way of learning the fretboard. Thank you for explaining this.
Indeed a very different approach ! You nailed it ! There is no compromise when it comes to practice. Thank you very much for the wonderful tips. 🙏
Looking forward to this. I've seen several other teachers do variations of this and none of them suggest memorizing. It's much like this where you're just training yourself to recall it based on instinct. I like the variations you add with the random notes coming back up, and then back down.
I'm intrigued.
I'm ready the try.
This is about the most comprehensive plan for learning the notes that I've seen on UA-cam. I can't wait to try this. Great video.
Just started a month ago and this is the first time I've felt truly oriented in approaching guitar music theory. Thanks for making this. Looking forward to studying with you from now on.
FINALLY a video that doesn’t do that clickbait “you can learn the fretboard in 8 microseconds using this trick!” thing. These exercises are actually something that will help people learn the fretboard and reference it from memory.
I just finished exercise number 5 with 80 BPM for the first time. I struggled with the fretboard for many years. But 5 months ago I found your exersice and been doing it ever since. It was fun to me so I did it longer then 5 minutes a day, but not every day, because there was not always the time and motivation for practice. Being able now to complete exersice number 5 with 80 BPM is a huge a accomplishment to me. Thank you very much for sharing your method! It worked for me!
IT WORKS!!! This is the first and only thing that has actually helped me learn the fretboard. I have already nailed A and B. I am having my wife quiz me for randomization drills by string. IT WORKS!! Thank you so much! Anyone that clicked a thumb down is crazy! This is a thumbs up lesson!
This guy's voice and confidence in his method is compelling. I must try this. I like him as a teacher. I am looking forward to doing this and will report back on my progress
The simplicity and effectiveness of these excercises is mind-blowingly good!!
This is one of the most important videos for a guitarist! Thank you!
Love the concept. Here is one idea I use to learn even more: I train the notes in the order of the circle of fiths. This way i reinforce this tool at the same time. Cool way to check the progress is mapping the circle of fifths to one string to see the progress in fretboard fluency.
great idea thanks
I appreciate your enthusiasm in sharing your knowledge and expertise in music and guitar. This exercise is really very helpful!
Thank you for creating this video, cleverly using audio, text and graphical delivery. You have successfully convinced me to do the exercises. 👍😉
I've seen people animate this type of whiteboard learning, but your ability to do it personally is so amazing!
The only teacher who has focussed on the learning process and mental exercise behind fretboard understanding. I owe a huge thanks to you. Your previous video helped me learn natural notes' positions up to the 12th fret. Thank you very much! :)
Started to learn scales and patterns after doing rhythm guitar for a year and this video is pure gold. Only just starting to add this into my daily practise now but wow this is awesome! Definitely feeling more confident.
Wish I knew this earlier thank you!
I love this style of learning I am so glad I found you Cheers from Canada!
Just started playing guitar today for the first time and got the A note really quick with this exercise, thanks for the clear explanation.
There are some videos on how to memorize the fretboard with a few million views. But this one if by far the best method. I wonder why this doesn't have as many views. This should be the definitive fretboard memorization technique.
Finally got to one Million eh? Great. 👍
It’s because it’s fairly new
Thank you so much for this I'm just new to the guitar and this video is really helpful and I'll be a guitarist one day.
This is by far the BEST method I have found for learning the notes/neck of the guitar. I am excited to begin learning! Thank you!
Very effective technique. Definitely needed this lesson. Thank you very much!
So I've decided to do this and for the last 3 days I've done it for 5 minutes everyday and plan to continue. Right now I suck but I am starting to see improvements. Gonna keep it up for as long as it takes and comment here in a week's time.
@@sireggreen Started 3 weeks ago and just advanced from 40bpm to 50bpm. I think I spent much more than the 5 minutes a day though.
It's been a week man, how's it coming?
@@Anthony-nk4ky Thanks for asking. Pretty good actually but slow. Still I do it everyday (a migraine set me back one day so even though I did it it didn't seem to be working at all) and I'm seeing the improvements. I'm starting to recognize notes on the fretboard instantly just by sight. I can't do all 7 notes yet but A B and C are pretty good.
And I only spend 5 minutes a day doing it. I'm hoping it'll be like brushing my teeth, just something I do everyday that has a long term benefit.
@@sireggreen That's an awesome idea. I think I'm going a bit slower than everyone else but I'll get there eventually. I'm only up to A B and C memorized. Still better than a week ago haha
@@adamradzimowski6740 That's awesome man. I hope to be where you are in a few weeks or months. Haha
The best guitar lesson I've found on UA-cam so far. This is completely necessary for jamming with other people when they call out the chords and you have to improvise.
This is a great video! I can't wait to get home to practice! Thank you!
I have never heard a teacher teach this way and it seems to work .
thank you!
Honestly I tried this for 3 minutes and I have a much greater understanding of where "A" is on the fretboard, along with instantly having a better understanding of the fretboard itself. I'm not memorizing anything, yet it's still being memorized, if that makes any sense. This is going to be extremely difficult at first, since I'm just starting, but I feel that if I keep at it, I'll be better at playing guitar much faster than if I'd used the "usual" methods. And the bonus of all of this is that there are no shortcuts or gimmicks. This isn't "learn to play guitar in a week", it's just that the exercise is very efficient in training you.
I started the system off of the first video about a week ago. Making progress, but it's not easy. This is the way to do it, not silly patterns or mnemonics that cause you to think and pause to find instead of instinctively knowing. Thanks, Tomasso. You do a great job!
Great stuff! Keep the videos coming.
This is probably the most logical explanation I've found. Subscribed!
Now, off for some fretboard note learning! Thanks a million!
I NEEDED THIS SO BADLY!! been playing for 20 years and never mastered this. I will begin practice exactly this way from now on! THANK YOU
Excellent! I like that you bring a sense of reality to it, there are no shortcuts. Memorable quote: "I teach music theory, I am not a motivational speaker". Brilliant!
this is a very thorough way of practice. I am a hobby guitarist and have been using the same for a few months (unknowingly). It does work, slowly, depending on your speed and how much time can you give. But the main idea is if you have a good practice regime and a laid down path of what to practice then it becomes easier. Yes, you don't see the results immediately, but once you do you'll notice that you've started playing a bit cleaner and enjoy it more.
Really really helpful thank you. Gna follow everything you post