[marinoFret]

Yeah.... This problem bothers me, especially when improvising. When switching strings I often get lost, I mix up all the intervals... I do know all the notes on the E & A strings, but I have to think a lot until I found some note on the other string....

Any advice? How to get familiar with the fretboard?

[Fernandes_Sustainer]

Scales....

Start with the major scale and then the minor penatonic

[Jamonkey]

I know all the notes on the fretboard...because of at least one of these ways.

1. I put on the metronome at a reasonable speed while I tried to find all the A's all over the fretboard (E-5th fret and 17th, A-Open, and 12th, etc.), and I did this with all the notes...but it's good to get a little familiarity before doing with the metronome

2. Fretboard Warrior...is a good way to test where you're weak. Just do a google search for Fretboard warrior and your good.

3. If you know the E and A strings...then know octave placements. For example if you know that G is on the Third fret of the E string, than you should also know that there is a G on the fifth fret of the D. This will also work on the A and G Strings...but never forget the kink on the B string...don't rely on octaves for the D and B strings because it's likely to confuse.

Alright,

I hope I helped.

[Justapicker]

I had to stop and think about how I learned it a few hundred years ago. IIRC, it was just a matter of knowing what notes make up chords and identifying them in the various forms. With an open E major chord shape, for example, you have E,B,E,G,B,E, low to high, or Root, 5th, root, 3rd, 5th, root. That pattern stays the same for E shaped barre chords as you move up the neck, so it's just a simple matter of identifying the intervals with the notes from that chord. Sooner or latter the patterns start to make sense and you can easily identify the surrounding notes.

[marinoFret]

I'm now learning octave shapes, and I see it really helps.

[EFinFLA]

Thanks for the info on Fretboard Warrior. Never heard of it and it's pretty cool!

[minor00]

does any1 know of a website that has a chart or picture showing where all the notes on the fretboard r?

[johnbullard]

Hey I just got Plane Talk by Kirk Lorange. It's an incredible way of looking at the fretboard without getting lost. First he teaches you a few of the necessary mechanics of chord building , basic music theory , in a really easy to understand way. Then you learn a "Trick" that lets you travel up and down the fretboard without getting lost. Really! I have been playing guitar for almost 35 years now and I sort of noticed the trick but couldn't quite put my finger(s) on it .Ha! I highly recommend you get it. Theres a DVD that comes with it that crystalizes the whole teaching in an increible way. It shows you how, through the eye of the camera , coupled with animation, exactly how to put into action what you learned in the book. If you do get it I reccommend you read the book twice then watch the movie. Thats what I did and from there I went right to the guitar and started doing it(The Trick). Right away I noticed an improvment in my improvisation, it sounded more musical rather than noodleing.JohnBulard