So you wanna learn the bass fretboard… but where do you start with so many damn notes? Here. You start here. Stop reading this and watch it.
Cuz you get lost on the fretboard the same way you’d get lost in the forest - not having a good map.
So in these nine minutes, I’ll show you the Five Fretboard Steps that’ll help you get the entire neck mapped and memorized like a pro.
If you’re doing the Beginner to Badass course, this lesson would fit after Module 6 or so - it’ll take your existing musical alphabet and fretboard knowledge and show you the next steps (if you want - totally optional til you finish the course).
Learn the Bass Fretboard PDF
I packed more resources on everything from the video into this free PDF:
What helped you the most with learning your fretboard?
The exercise from the BtoB course, where we went through each string speaking aloud the notes, was very helpful to me!
What also helped me where learning the G A B notes on the E string, which makes easy figuring out the other notes around them. (My nephew’s name being Gabriel also helped with that).
The notes on frets 5 and 7 were easy to memorise too. In the 5th fret, each note on a string is the same as the next string open string note. And the 7th fret being BEAD is easy to remember, and the notes on the 6th fret are the same, but flat.
It was also helpful playing the major C scale starting at the C on the 8th fret.
Sometimes when I have memorised a new song, I say the names of the notes while playing them. This can help both to memorise the position of the notes, and the other way around (memorising the notes of the song).
Probably each person can come up with even more ways. A friend of mine developed his own way, and showed to me, but unfortunately I forgot what it was, though it was very cool.
As I was looking at it, I kept thinking “what are those lines with the incomplete triangles called?” I’m so thankful you identified them as an arrow. I’m much less confused now.
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In all seriousness, I actually did LOL at the arrow indication.
I think probably knowing G-A-B/C-D-E on the E & A strings, frets 3/5/7, combined with the octave and unison shapes. Also knowing the 5th fret is the next open string up (i.e. E-5 == A) was really useful.
I’m definitely going to have to work on knowing the fret 3/5/7 notes for each string though
When transcribing songs, I write the letter of the notes in each measure instead of fret/string. That way when I am practicing it I can figure out which note is the right tone and efficient path to the next phrasing. That has helped me learn the fretboard as I am thinking in terms of notes instead of solely thinking of fret/string. Plus, it frees the mind to shift gears to play it another way if i realize another way feels more comfortable.
Doing the cycle of fourtrhs, initialy on each string is helping me with the fretboard. I also do the naming each not down and up weach string, as you showed us in B to B. I do that at the strt of every practice, then do each fret fro E string to G, then I di the cycle of fourths on each string. My 65 year old brian is slowly getting there.
Doing the cycle of fouths has been th e best method yet, I have the first 2 memorised, the 3rd is getting there and just starting on the 4th. Finding it a great help with chord progressions, in songs getting faster at following along. I also (very badley) sing the notes as I play them.
