Easiest way to memorize fretboard?

[jemuniverse777]

Ive been playing on and off for about 18 years and realize now that I really need to learn theory to progress any further. I just cant express how I want to sound. The last three years I have been playing about 2 hours a day on average and focused mostly on control and technique.
I bought the Fretboard Logic SE book and its surprisingly very easy stuff to make sense out of. I never even knew that chords were formulas made from degrees of a key. The trouble Im having now is memorizing everything. I bought myself an erasable marker board and outlined tape on it and practice writing the notes every night. If anyone has any suggestions about learning quicker it would be a great help.

[crevis]

Always look for clues like, 7th & 19th fret on the E,G,D & A will be an octave or 2 above the last string, and 2 strings and frets up on the E & A are an ocave up from the original note etc.

Its alot easier than memorizing the 'whole' thing, just memorize the notes on the E and use these techniques to go from there until you know the whole thing.

[IbanezGirl]

Using octaves is a very good way for remembering notes.

You can also check out this site for a free fretboard program.
http://www.francoisbrisson.com/fretb...rdwarrior.html

[ibanezcollector]

learn major scales in all keys thru out the fretboard.. Once you got that down your golden. both one string and multiple

[crevis]

its easier just to memorize the scales paterns so if you want to play in a key you dont know then just use the scale patern u know and start at the tonic of the key u want.

[jemuniverse777]

Thanks for the input everyone. I think Im going to take the approach of learning the major scales in all keys first. Also Im going to actually read the music as I play which should help memorize everything.

[DangerStorm]

You could try this
http://www.videogameport.com/gameroo...8/vguitar.html

[john1880]

If you don't know modes, learn them too. I look at the freboard and I see the shapes of scales in different modes that I can use, if that makes any sense. I think all it takes is a lot of playing. I don't think of the names of notes when I'm playing, but rather the position, key(mode), and shape. Everything is relating back to the C major scale so.
If you haven't yet, check out some Paul Gilbert instructional videos or Vinny Moore. Greg Howe is amazing but he's just doing so much I can't keep up with his brain.

[ibanezlover]

I agree with IbanezGirl about knowing where the octaves are. Good reference points to where you are on the fretboard.

[markg5150]

Check out the Doug Doppler video - www.guitar411.com He has a specific note location exercise.

[vette6600]

you could do a few things;

firstly, joe satriani wrote an article about choosing a single note and finding all of its locations on the fretboard. i'll just use "A" for an example. starting from low E to high E, you'd play the notes in this order:

6th string, 5th fret then 17th fret
5th string, open then 12th fret
4th string, 7th fret then 19th fret
3rd string, 2nd fret then 14th fret
2nd string, 10th fret then 22nd fret
1st string, 5th fret then 17th fret

then you just pick another note to search for and repeat the excercise. going in intervals of a 5th is what i try.

secondly, learning JUST the C major scale across the neck is very useful because you'll be visualizing the fretboard using just the natural notes, no sharps or flats. then, you can reference all of your accidentals off of a natural note; if you need to play a c#, just think of where c would normally be and shift up a fret. to learn the fretboard easily, i think doing ALL of the scales in each key is a massive waste of time, although its useful down the road, it should not be a priority at this point.

lastly, reading music is a great help too.

[mccabekyle]

jemuniverse777,

I'll also have to vouch for using octaves as the best tool for getting to know your fretboard. I was in the same boat as you (still am, actually). I have been playing guitar for about 15 years, only playing by ear. I felt like I hit a roadblock of sorts with my playing.

I started taking lessons, and my instructor has me studying octaves almost exactly as vette describes above. Now, I am seeing a correlative grid on my fretboard that wasn't there before my knowledge of where each note was. It totally has taken the guesswork out of my improv.

Of course, I also agree that different scales in different positions helps, too. But it was the octave excercises that made it all clear for me.

[The Euphor]

Once you see the scales and chords as one, then you are getting somewhere. That's what I think. I don't rely on scales when I play, I don't memorize shapes and play them up/down.

When I play a note, I know what the next one sounds like. So, I'm able to sing what I play, before I actually play it. I'm not sure how I ended up with this. But I've always imagined the fretboard when I have "played" known melodies in my mind.

I think I'm more into the interval approach.

[SirLoyal]

Everyone here has some fantastic advice.... I would just like to say that your beating yourself in the head if you try to learn everything at once...

Just concentrate on the major scale in one key, then move to the other keys, and you'll see the relationship... you'll already know how to do it and you'll surprise yerself...

I think a good measure is to try to memorize, instead of positions, per se, the scales as starting with a root on each string. There's more than one way to play each one, but if you just go for 2 ways on each string as a root, before you know it, you'll be connecting them and moving all across the fretboard.

After you have major diatonic down, everything is a derivative thereof, and it will all be like you're just displacing one or two degrees at a time. In this manner, you never even really need to remember fingerings, just what degrees are included or omitted or displaced in each scale, and then you can think of them all as variations of the one scale you spent the time to memorize.

And if you feel it's neccessary to play a bit slower than you've gotten used to by busting geometric crap, then good, that's a good sign... You are moving toward thinking about, and knowing what you want to play ahead of what your fingers can do physically.

and isn't that the goal? Everything on purpose, nothing by accident?

[SirLoyal]

By the way, Euphor, I think that singing and playing the same thing simultaneously is not only the greatest exercise there is, but a true measure of your hands working with your ears, or rather, FOR your ears...

and not only, that, perhaps the most difficult skill there is to perfect.....

good on ya, mate...