Wow, just looking at the guitar can be confusing. Terrifying even! All of those dots, lines, and you have no idea where every note is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s all about how you approach the guitar. By discovering systems and patterns, the fretboard will make a lot more sense. In this lesson, Ayla Tesler-Mabe talks about how she<\/em> interprets the guitar and demystifies the fretboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing The Strings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For starters, it\u2019s probably a good idea to know the name of all six strings. The best way to memorize the string names is through a crazy catchphrase. For example, the one Ayla uses here is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cE<\/strong>ddie A<\/strong>te D<\/strong>ynamite, G<\/strong>ood B<\/strong>ye E<\/strong>ddie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first letter of each of those words represents the string, starting with the low E. Yes, there are two E strings. They are the same note just two octaves apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Fretboard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now let\u2019s take a look at the fretboard and decipher those lines. The lines on the fretboard are called frets (makes sense!) and every time you move up or down a fret, you\u2019re moving up or down by one semitone<\/strong>. In other words, if you play an A<\/strong> note, and you move up a fret, you\u2019re moving up one semitone now making the note an A#<\/strong>. If you move up another semitone, you\u2019ll now be playing a B<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharps refer to taking a note and going up by one semitone and flats are taking a note and going down a semitone. However, there is a small catch to this rule. Between the notes of B<\/strong> & C<\/strong> and E<\/strong> & F<\/strong>, there is NO sharp or flat. So B#<\/strong> & Cb<\/em><\/strong> and E#<\/strong> & Fb <\/em><\/strong>don\u2019t exist. That’s a little confusing, I know. But once you have that memorized, you\u2019ll be able to move up and down the fretboard calling out the correct notes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just start with going through all the notes on the low E string and the A string up and down the fretboard before you try and memorize all six strings. If you\u2019re curious to see what the rest of the fretboard looks like, click HERE<\/strong><\/a> to download a PDF of the fretboard chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another thing you\u2019ll notice when going through the notes is once you get to the 12th fret (indicated by the double dots on the fretboard), the note is the same as playing whatever string you\u2019re on open. So playing the low E string open is an E<\/strong> note and playing the same string on the 12th fret is also an E <\/strong>(just up an octave). Playing the A string open is an A <\/strong>note, and playing the same string on the 12th fret is also an A <\/strong>(up an octave). And so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Fret Markers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The dots on your guitar\u2019s fretboard are called fret markers and they\u2019re a great way to internalize important notes. You don\u2019t necessarily need to have them all memorized, but the more you play, the more you\u2019ll discover patterns within those fret markers to help navigate through notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of guitar players use the fret markers to memorize fret numbers. The first dot refers to the 3rd fret, the next dot is the 5th fret, then the 7th, and the 9th. The reason it\u2019s important to have this ingrained is that if you\u2019re in the middle of playing and you quickly need to go to the 10th fret, you\u2019ll automatically know where the 9th fret is and just move up one to get to the 10th. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Building Chords & Scales<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re comfortable with knowing the E <\/strong>and A<\/strong> string and their notes, you\u2019ll find building chord shapes and scale shapes simple! If you play a chord shape that doesn\u2019t use any open strings, you can move it to any key as long as you start on the right root note. The same goes for scales!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Playing a basic major scale will help unlock the fretboard even further. Click HERE<\/strong><\/a> to download the A major scale chart so you can follow along. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Intervals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The A major scale we played only has 7 notes in it – everything else after is just repeating the same notes. The numbers Ayla called out (the same numbers written in the scale chart) are referring to scale degrees, a.k.a. the first note, second note, etc. But these numbers also refer to intervals. Let\u2019s see if you can spot a pattern here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The distance between the first scale degree and second scale degree is a major 2nd interval. The distance between the first note and third scale degree is a major 3rd interval. The distance between the first note and the fourth scale degree is a major 4th interval. You get the point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is true for the entire scale. So if you play up an octave, it\u2019s still the same notes and the same distance apart! This rule has no exceptions (phew!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The C Major Scale<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To play a C major scale, all you have to do is take the same A major scale shape we learned and instead start on the root note of C. It\u2019s the same shape just a different root note!<\/p>\n\n\n\n