LazyLightning
New member
Hi Folks,
As some of you that read my introduction thread know, ( since getting my new 60's CV Strat & Mustang2 v2 a month ago ) I have just started playing again after 20 years. I have made goals of learning many things I overlooked back then. Now this may be trivial to many of you, but to me it was significant.
I had always had a very hard time understanding how the fretboard worked, I knew EADGBE in open positions as well as their octaves at the 12th. What I didn't know was what was going on in between. Last week to change up between learning the 5 positions of the A minor pentatonic scale I decided to start working on learning how the fretboard was mapped out. I looked at a few videos which were so-so helpful, as well as downloaded a few pdf. charts. So I am looking at this one chart for the third night in a row, with a sweet mid 70's Dead show jamming in the background, while practicing the 3rd A minor pentatonic position ( getting the muscle memory going ) and it hits me like a brick.
I didn't realize B/C and E/F were side by side, so no matter how well I counted down the frets I was always on the wrong notes. Once that VERY simple concept set in it was as if I had unlocked some mysterious code to the Matrix:biglaugh:
This feeling was quickly replaced by a overwhelming feeling of being a functional moron for not noticing it sooner:smack:
So now I understand what each fret is all the way down to and past the 12th, as well as how the sharps work in relation to which direction you are moving on the neck.
So yes is was a breakthrough moment for me, minor considering the big picture ( but at least imho extremely important if I ever intend to move around and hit notes correctly )
I still need to learn them without having to count it out in my head, but at least it's a start.
Anyhow,
Thought I would share and hopefully bring a smile to someones day, either at my expense by laughing at me. Preferably though a smile that even an old dog can in fact learn new tricks!
Now back to scale muscle memory practice followed by some ear phoned jamming fun, as not to wake the angrier half, lol!
As some of you that read my introduction thread know, ( since getting my new 60's CV Strat & Mustang2 v2 a month ago ) I have just started playing again after 20 years. I have made goals of learning many things I overlooked back then. Now this may be trivial to many of you, but to me it was significant.
I had always had a very hard time understanding how the fretboard worked, I knew EADGBE in open positions as well as their octaves at the 12th. What I didn't know was what was going on in between. Last week to change up between learning the 5 positions of the A minor pentatonic scale I decided to start working on learning how the fretboard was mapped out. I looked at a few videos which were so-so helpful, as well as downloaded a few pdf. charts. So I am looking at this one chart for the third night in a row, with a sweet mid 70's Dead show jamming in the background, while practicing the 3rd A minor pentatonic position ( getting the muscle memory going ) and it hits me like a brick.
I didn't realize B/C and E/F were side by side, so no matter how well I counted down the frets I was always on the wrong notes. Once that VERY simple concept set in it was as if I had unlocked some mysterious code to the Matrix:biglaugh:
This feeling was quickly replaced by a overwhelming feeling of being a functional moron for not noticing it sooner:smack:
So now I understand what each fret is all the way down to and past the 12th, as well as how the sharps work in relation to which direction you are moving on the neck.
So yes is was a breakthrough moment for me, minor considering the big picture ( but at least imho extremely important if I ever intend to move around and hit notes correctly )
I still need to learn them without having to count it out in my head, but at least it's a start.
Anyhow,
Thought I would share and hopefully bring a smile to someones day, either at my expense by laughing at me. Preferably though a smile that even an old dog can in fact learn new tricks!
Now back to scale muscle memory practice followed by some ear phoned jamming fun, as not to wake the angrier half, lol!
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