New Episode: Sarah's First Lesson - IT HAS A WHAMMY BAR!!!

In this episode, Chris meets with a new student to discuss the layout and appeal of one of the most popular, yet complex instruments of our time - the guitar!

Ex.1 Find all of the C’s on the fretboard.  Up 12 frets on the same string to find the Octave, and down 5 frets on the next (highest sounding) adjacent string.  To find the same pitch on the B string move down 4 frets from where the note is found on the G string.

Ex. 2  Move a Root Position Triad across the string sets.  Notice that it is the same share on string set EAD as it is on the next ADG.  However, once we move to the next string-set DGB the note on the B string is found a half-step higher that the previous string set(s).  This continues as we move it again, to string-set GBE – the shape of the triad changes, the note that falls on the B string is a half-step higher that it was on the previous string-set.

Ex. 3 Play a C Major scale (Ionian) in each place on the neck, notice that the notes shift up a half-step as they cross from the G to B string.

Ex. 4 Try the same exercise using an A Minor Pentatonic scale.  Observe how the shape we associate with the 1^st Octave of a Minor Pentatonic shifts, and falls within the 5 standard (6 string root) Pentatonic Positions, as it crosses the G/B string threshold.

Ex. 5 Observe these common, and hugely useful Octave shapes.  These shapes will help to identify notes on the fretboard, typically by comparing the lower of the two notes with its octave.  This is a good way to build up our understanding of where the notes in the musical alphabet fall on the neck.  You should know every note on the fretboard, cold.  No less!

Try This:

Invert the idea.  That is, Instead of finding notes 5 notes away on the next highest sounding string - go up 7 frets (12-5=7), to find the octave on the next adjacent string!

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