The Fun Way To Learn the Names of the Notes On Your Guitar

Earlier this week, in my post about Plugging The Holes, I went on a tangential rant about how not knowing the names of the notes on your guitar is the biggest hole in your bucket.

Failure to plug those holes means all your guitar efforts just leak out. Boo.

I also suggested that you could learn them all in less than 10 hours, spread over a few weeks. This post shows you how.

There are dozens of ways you might do this, but this one involves creativity and fun.

You’ll need:

• a kitchen timer (or the one on your phone)
• ten minutes each day for several weeks
• a calendar or Guitar To-Do List
• an alarm set on your phone to remind you to practice each day
• a diagram of the note names, like this (print it if you can)
• a backing track to solo over, like this: Fretboard Anatomy Loop 10 (right-click or option-click to download)

 

What You’ll Need To Know About Notes First

(Don’t Skip This Part!)

The notes on this diagram without a # (sharp) or b (flat) symbol (in other words, the notes with only a letter name) are called the natural notes.

The natural notes will sound good over the backing track I’ve supplied. The other ones won’t.

On Your Mark, On Your Calendar (Or You Won’t Do It)

Learning the note names, like almost everything worth learning on guitar, is not a process you should try to complete today.

Instead, we’re going to break this up into chunks and schedule it. Add this to your GTDL or calendar. Go ahead and set the alarm to remind you while you’re at it. Taking a few seconds now to think about when and where you’ll be doing this greatly increases the likelihood that you’ll follow through with it. Do it.

Here’s the syllabus. Print it out and cross them off as you accomplish them––it feels awesome to make visible progress.

Day 1 – Memorize natural notes on the 1^st string.

Day 2 – Memorize natural notes on the 2^nd string, review 1^st string.

Day 3 – Memorize natural notes on the 3^rd string, review 1^st & 2^nd strings.

Day 4 – Memorize natural notes on the 4^th string, review 2^nd & 3^rd strings.

Day 5 – Memorize natural notes on the 5^th string, review 3^rd & 4^th strings.

Day 6 – Memorize natural notes on the 6^th string, review 4^th & 5^th strings.

Day 7 – Review 5^th, 6^th, & 1^st strings.

Day 8 – Review 6^th, 1^st, & 2^nd strings.

Day 9 – Review 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd strings.

Day 10 – Review all six strings.

Day 11- begin lesson on accidental notes.

 

The reason we’re not doing this all at once is simple: we are reprogramming your brain. This shit takes time, yo.

I want you to look at your guitar and see note names, not a combination of fret & string numbers. There is a world of information hidden in plain sight in the music you already know how to play. Reprogramming your brain this way gives you access to that information.

Let’s Get Started

It’s Day One. Identify all of the natural notes on the first string of your guitar. Go up the neck as far as it makes sense to. If you can’t reach it, don’t worry about knowing its name.

Set the timer for 3 minutes, and start playing those natural notes while saying their names out loud.

This is guaranteed to make you feel stupid. Get used to it, that’s the sensation of learning.

At first, say their names going up the neck: E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G etc.

Then try it backwards: G, F, E, D, C, B, A, G, F, E. Once that gets easy-ish, make it a little harder by naming them out of order.

Notice that as you get little better, we make it a little harder, so you struggle just a bit.

Again: that’s learning.

Now put that backing track on. If you set iTunes (or whatever) to repeat the track, it should loop seamlessly. If for some reason that’s a giant pain in the ass, you can use this long version.

 

Set your timer for 5 minutes, and play these natural notes over the track.

• Use only one finger. This is so you go slowly enough to pay attention to note names.
• Say the names of the notes as you play them. You’re not trying to look cool, so don’t worry if you feel self-conscious. (you will)
• Set that timer, and don’t let up until it’s time. When you’re forcing yourself into uncomfortable spaces like this, 60 seconds feels like 10 minutes. Using the timer will keep you honest.

Now for the last 2-3 minutes (or really, however much time you can spare today), play over the track. Use all your fingers, but don’t go faster than you can think of the note names.

Again: your goal is to stop thinking about notes as string number/fret number combinations, and start thinking of them of as their names. 

Did you get Day One done? NICE WORK. Take a moment to bask in your victory. The journey to becoming a Guitar Bad Ass is made up of hundreds and hundreds of these tiny victories. If you put this on your GTDL or printed that syllabus, cross it off. You beat the Resistance today, and you should be rightfully proud. See you tomorrow.

Day Two

Today you review the note names on the 1^st string, then learn the notes on the 2^nd string. Remember to use your timer, and to feel victorious when you’ve finished.

• 1 minute: review the names of the natural notes on the 1^st string. Play them out of order and say their names out loud.
• 3 minutes: play & say (out loud) the natural notes on the 2^nd string. Ascending, descending, out of order.
• 5 minutes: solo over the track on the 2^nd string. Use only one finger, say the note names out loud.
• 2 minutes (or more): solo with all your fingers, but don’t go faster than you can think of the note names.
• Feel victorious! You won today.

 

Day Three

Today you review the note names on the 2^nd string, then learn the notes on the 3^rd string. Remember to use your timer, and to feel victorious when you’ve finished.

• 1 minute: review the names of the natural notes on the 2^nd string. Play them out of order and say their names out loud.
• 3 minutes: play & say (out loud) the natural notes on the 3^rd string. Ascending, descending, out of order.
• 5 minutes: solo over the track on the 3^rd string. Use only one finger, say the note names out loud.
• 2 minutes (or more): solo with all your fingers, but don’t go faster than you can think of the note names. Concentrate on the string you learned today, but don’t be afraid to incorporate the previous strings you’ve learned.
• Feel like a champion. You’re on the road to Badassery.

 

Day Four

Today you review the note names on the 3^rd string, then learn the notes on the 4^th string. Remember to use your timer, and to feel victorious when you’ve finished.

 

• 1 minute: review the names of the natural notes on the 3^rd string. Play them out of order and say their names out loud.
• 3 minutes: play & say (out loud) the natural notes on the 4^th string. Ascending, descending, out of order.
• 5 minutes: solo over the track on the 4^th string. Use only one finger, say the note names out loud.
• 2 minutes (or more): solo with all your fingers, but don’t go faster than you can think of the note names. Concentrate on the string you learned today, but don’t be afraid to incorporate the previous strings you’ve learned.
• Feel like a winner. You are one.

 

Day Five

Today you review the note names on the 4^th string, then learn the notes on the 5^th string. Remember to use your timer, and to feel victorious when you’ve finished.

 

• 1 minute: review the names of the natural notes on the 4^th string. Play them out of order and say their names out loud.
• 3 minutes: play & say (out loud) the natural notes on the 5^th string. Ascending, descending, out of order.
• 5 minutes: solo over the track on the 5^th string. Use only one finger, say the note names out loud.
• 2 minutes (or more): solo with all your fingers, but don’t go faster than you can think of the note names. Concentrate on the string you learned today, but don’t be afraid to incorporate the previous strings you’ve learned.
• Pat yourself on the back. You deserve it.

 

Day Six

Today you review the note names on the 5^th string, then learn the notes on the 6^th string. They’re the same as the notes on the 1^st string!

Remember to use your timer, and to feel victorious when you’ve finished.

 

• 1 minute: review the names of the natural notes on the 5^th string. Play them out of order and say their names out loud.
• 3 minutes: play & say (out loud) the natural notes on the 6^th string. Ascending, descending, out of order.
• 5 minutes: solo over the track on the 6^th string. Use only one finger, say the note names out loud.
• 2 minutes (or more): solo with all your fingers, but don’t go faster than you can think of the note names. Concentrate on the string you learned today, but don’t be afraid to incorporate the previous strings you’ve learned.
• Celebrate. Even if it’s only for three seconds, celebrate.

 

Day Seven

• 1 minute each: review the natural note names on the 5^th, 6^th, & 1^st strings. Say those out loud. 
• 2 minutes each: solo on the 5^th, 6^th, & 1^st strings.
• 1 minute (or more): solo on all strings, no faster than you can think of the note names.
• Feel the win.

 

Day Eight

• 1 minute each: review the natural note names on the 6^th, 1^st & 2^nd strings. Say those out loud. 
• 2 minutes each: solo on the 6^th, 1^st & 2^nd strings.
• 1 minute (or more): solo on all strings, no faster than you can think of the note names.
• Be proud of yourself for showing up to do the difficult important stuff.

 

Day Nine

• 1 minute each: review the natural note names on the 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd strings. Say those out loud. 
• 2 minutes each: solo on the 1^st, 2^nd & 3^rd strings.
• 1 minute (or more): solo on all strings, no faster than you can think of the note names.
• Enjoy the sensation of progress.

Day Ten

• 1 minute each: review the natural note names on all six strings.
• 4 minutes (or more): Take a victory lap on the whole neck!
• Appreciate the fact that there’s nothing mysterious about making progress on guitar: you just have to show up every day and move the needle forward one tiny bit at a time.
• Oh, and while you’re at it, feel real damned good about the fact that you’re now smarter about guitar than 98% of guitarists.

 

What’s Next

On Day Eleven, you’ll start working on the next phase, those pesky accidental notes.

 

 

You’re on a roll now, keep it going.

If you fall off the practice train, just pick yourself up and start again.

No worries.

It happens to all of us, myself most definitely included.

This is how it’s done my friend.

Let’s do this thing.