Learning The Fretboard

Wow, so I’m sitting here at work contemplating a post from a guy who has had 12 weeks of in person lessons and states, “he hasn’t learned a thing.”

I just completed my first go around of Beginner to Badass and started thinking what have I learned?

Then I started visualizing every G on the fret board, without a bass in my hand or even in sight! How badass is that!

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The fret board still eludes me, I’m a slow learner though, I can find them by saying them as I touch them but I need to study it a bit more. Awesome to hear you can recall them with no visuals though!

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It can be tricky.

I did several things:

Glued this to my desk and every now and then would start saying the notes… with or without looking. Sharps going up, flats going down.

Other exercises would be “fill in the notes on the fretboard”

Fretboard Note Learning - circle of 5ths.pdf (180.7 KB)

But there are many resources around. This made sense for me. :slight_smile:

Hope it helps someone.

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Now that I’m more than 2/3rds through the BassBuzz course I’ve been collecting things to do to continue my learning once it ends. This one made it into my bookmarks recently:

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I ran across this one too. Picked one at a time for a week and it helps. Eventually I hope it sticks.

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I am filled with… something for all you “fretboard learners”. Envy? Tongue-in-cheek hatred? Jealousy? Something like that.

For some reason, it just won’t stick in my head.

Grr. Argh.

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Don’t worry… at some point you’ll have that, “A-Ha” moment and it’ll click.

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Flipping heck - 6 mins in and being generally self taught for 25 years I feel as though i’ve just ben handed a pot of gold dust.

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Yep. :100:

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Put out both hands and scoop it up!

You can always thank @markjsmith whom we all love so much!! :slight_smile:

My advice is to just keep plodding along. Start at the top (open) and go down 1st fret, 3rd fret, 5th fret, 7th fret, 9th fret, 12th fret. Practice memorizing them while doing some activity such as pedalling a recumbant bicycle or working a treadmill at the gym. Just go over and over and over every 5 minutes or so and do it religiously; even after you have them down pat. If you make mistake or have a brain fart, start over and get at it again. You will connnect the dots at some point if you put effort into it. Yes, it IS worth the time and effort.

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I had this blown up and laminated and now it’s is on the wall in my practice space.
The slow learner thing is a completely different can of worms…

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Thanks for sharing this, I’ll get it, just takes me some time to figure stuff out

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It makes a great poster, I recommend making it a decent size that’s easy to see.
It has helped me much…
The slow learner thing is true for around 98% of the population so don’t panic over it.

Two what I believe facts about playing bass are,

  • If you want it enough you’ll make it happen.
  • Bass is hard, until its not.
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Seems high. This study says 15%

I think I will, if I look at it enough I think it will help, I have a few notes memorized but a bunch more to go

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I haven’t read it, hmmm maybe it will help.
Did you go and look that up?
Does the subject have context in your life?

A few notes or even one note a day = how long will that take? hmmmmmmmm.
Not very long…
Sure its important and you’ll utilize it more later as you progress, just a note a day and less than 2 months you got it.

Train your body’s coordination’s.
Learn everything you can while you as quickly as possible smash out your first 500 hours of bass playing. Bass in hand above all else is the way.

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Yes it took me about 10 seconds of searching to find that your statement that 98% of the population are slow learners may not be entirely accurate.

Facts are important.

No I have no interest in the particular subject.

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