Fretboard Anatomy

  • Courses:
    • Metronome Boot Camp
    • Practice Habits
    • Practical Theory
    • Playing The Changes
    • Effortless Ear Training
    • Building A Solo Show That Works
  • Articles
  • Courses:
    • Metronome Boot Camp
    • Practice Habits
    • Practical Theory
    • Playing The Changes
    • Effortless Ear Training
    • Building A Solo Show That Works
  • Articles

The Fun Way To Learn The Note Names Email Course

August 6, 2014 by Josh Frets

NOTE

 

One of the most perennially popular posts here on FA is The Fun Way To Learn The Names of the Notes On Your Guitar.

It’s a non-boring way to deeply internalize the names of the notes, spread out over ten days.

In the past, it was all on you to schedule out the work, remember to show up each day, do the work, review it at the right time… 

In other words, the most organized people among you probably did great with it, while the rest of you probably forgot about it right around day four and never returned to it again.

Which, when you think about it, really sucks. I mean, the folks who are already really organized probably needed it the least!

So I’m excited to bring you something that I’ve been thinking about for a very long time––tiny sequential guitar lessons delivered to your inbox.

Some Context

One-on-one guitar instruction is a wonderful thing. Fixing problems as they arise, learning songs the student is interested in, answering questions, and tailoring lessons to fit the individual’s needs are the province of traditional guitar lessons, and I have no intention or desire to replace or change this. 

But individual lessons, spaced a week apart, are not well suited to learning the important bedrock material that all guitarists should know, understand and apply. Things like daily metronome use, fretboard knowledge, practical music theory, and the ability to read & write music.

These things require a shorter-but-more-frequent format. 

I want to lift that burden from teachers of the one-on-one weekly lesson, allowing them more time to focus on those things that work best in their format, while simultaneously providing them with a better-quality student.

And I want to give the self-directed guitar learners among you something that you especially need––someone to give you a frequent nudge, so you don’t make it years and years into your guitar journey only to find that you neglected something essential early on. (Trust me on that one––been there. No fun.)

All of this is to say that, whether you’re self-teaching, working with a teacher, or are yourself a teacher, I have something awesome for you.

And I get it: these fundamentals (like metronome use, knowing the note names, understanding chord construction, & building a great system for practicing) are really difficult to prioritize over things like learning new songs, writing your own tunes, jamming with your friends, or just plain going to work and taking care of family stuff.

Which is why I want to give you these things in a format that reminds you each day what to work on (via email), reviews what you’ve already learned (so you don’t forget it), and packs it into 15 minutes or less (because life).

The first of these tiny sequential guitar courses is centered around internalizing the names of the notes on the fretboard. 

In the shape-centric world most guitarists live in (TAB, scale shapes, chord grids, etc), the ability to look down at the fretboard and see note names is almost a superpower.

There’s so much information inside every song you learn that’s hiding in plain view. Knowing the note names gives you a perfect framework for organizing all of the metadata that we call “theory.” A thousand tiny epiphanies await you.

If you can spare a few minutes each day for the next ten days, I can help you deeply internalize the note names on your guitar.

Get started here.

Filed Under: guitar, Toolbox

About Josh Frets

Hey, I'm Josh. I write the best damn guitar newsletter on the whole friggin' internet. Find out more here.

Trackbacks

  1. Circle of Fifths Free Email Course - Fretboard Anatomy says:
    September 26, 2014 at 9:02 pm

    […] So you’ve learned the names of the notes on your guitar. […]

    Log in to Reply
  2. Finding The Best Order For Learning Guitar: A Checklist - Fretboard Anatomy says:
    November 8, 2014 at 2:13 pm

    […] learn the note names […]

    Log in to Reply
  3. Chord Building - Free Email Course - Fretboard Anatomy says:
    November 22, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    […] The first course uses some fun improvising to teach you to think of notes by their letter names (and not as a series of coordinates). It’s spread out over the span of ten days, broken into <15 minute chunks, delivered daily to your inbox. […]

    Log in to Reply
  4. Chords: A Family Tree - Fretboard Anatomy says:
    November 29, 2014 at 4:00 pm

    […] Learn the names of the notes. […]

    Log in to Reply
  5. How To Figure Out The Key Of A Song (Plus: A Chart With All The Chords In Each Key) - Fretboard Anatomy says:
    December 19, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    […] to ID notes on your fretboard by their actual names, […]

    Log in to Reply
  6. How To Learn Modes (By The Guy Who Hates Modes) - Fretboard Anatomy says:
    December 30, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    […] Learn the names of the notes on your fretboard. […]

    Log in to Reply
  7. Can We Please Stop Calling These Two Things Modes? says:
    January 27, 2015 at 10:52 pm

    […] it gets much easier once you’ve mastered note names, the circle of fifths, and which chords belong in each […]

    Log in to Reply

Copyright © 2023 · Parallax Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in