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Learning the Guitar Fretboard (Fingerboard)

Rating: 2 user(s) have rated this article Average rating: 5.0 Posted by: spoonman, on Feb 11,2010, in category For Beginners Views: this article has been read 14717 times
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Learning the fretboard, in other words fingerboard is a must for a guitar player.

Why should a guitar player learn the guitar fretboard diagram or keep a snapshot of fretboard chart on his brain?

  • You will not get lost on the fretboard,
  • At a glance, you can see all the instances of a note on the fretboard,
  • You can find or remember positions and scales easly,
  • You can easily analyze what you play,
  • It helps you when you play with others or when you improvize...etc.

Guitar fretboard with notes on it

The notes on a guitar go up a half a step at a time. In other words, they go up chromatically.

You can find a virtual fretboard diagram above to see each note on the fretboard. Dots on the fretboard help a guitar player to find his way. Each dot on the guitar fretboard represents the different frets on the guitar, look above. The first dot is on the 3rd fret, the second dot is on the 5th fret, the third dot is on the 7th fret and so on all the way up the fretboard. Most guitars have these dots, but some may not. The 12th fret and the open strings have exactly the same notes but of course from different octaves.

I recommend you to start working the guitar fretboard just on a single string. Believe me, it really helps. And also try to think or pronounce the note you are playing. I know, it is cool to play without thinking but until you become an advanced guitar player try to think what note, what scale, what chord you are playing...  It does not mean that advanced players do not think on what they play. The point is that they can think faster and easily than the others. That is maybe what makes them advanced.

Notice that, there is no sharp or flat between B and C, or E and F.

Blank fretboard

Above you can find a blank fretboard. You can use this blank fretboard to study or print and write some notes on it. Maybe it can give you some virtual idea.

Here comes another blank fretboard diagram.. Good luck !! 

Blank fretboard diagram

Click for all the guitar chords on a virtual guitar fretboard

Click for all the guitar scales and modes on a guitar virtual fretboard

 


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