LESSONS INTRODUCTION

Music editor Jason Sidwell has more words of wisdom about this month’s lessons section.

Iwas watching Steve Vai interview Joe Satriani on YouTube recently and a highlight was Steve’s story of Joe sending him home because he hadn’t prepared enough for his lesson (they were both in their teens). What couldn’t Steve do? Joe had tasked him to learn all notes on the fretboard so when Joe asked for an F# note on the B string (second string) and Steve froze, Joe knew he wasn’t ready. Steve’s walk of shame home was enough to make him refocus and step up another level; what doesn’t break you will make you stronger.

For many guitarists, the unique layout of notes on the fretboard is enough for them to say ‘too hard’ to memorise or ‘I’ll sort it some day’. And if not tested in a one-to-one lesson, in a band where the keyboardist shouts out his notes to be duplicated or on a gig where reading is required, this skill can be dodged as there’s no external pressure being applied.

The truth is, the longer one plays guitar, the more restrictive and annoying it is to not know the notes on the fretboard. It’s a proper pain in the butt. And sadly no new guitar, no new effects pedal and no ‘best Hendrix, SRV, or even Vai emulative lick’ can save you; fretboard knowledge is a hardcore ‘full fat’ skill and it won’t be disguised, relegated or dismissed. When (not if) the time comes and one isn’t ‘board savvy’, there will be a literal or metaphorical walk home awaiting.

Good news though as GT has your back covered; every issue we dedicate a whole page to a fretboard diagram I initiated (see p13) where every note on every fret and string is labelled. Not only that but each note is linked to how it looks in notation. If there were a guitarist’s equivalent of the dictionary, this is it. It’s here to be constantly referred to every time you read GT and even when you’re away from it; I know many guitarists that have cut it out of the mag and stuck it to their music room’s wall, always ready for referencing.

That’s one part of your fretboard knowledge success, the other is a couple of suggestions for application. Try this first; name a note then play it on each string either once or twice, low to high strings (on a 22-fret guitar, there are two C# notes on the first string but only one D# note). This is the regimented approach and not as musical as the next suggestion; name a note then play it positionally from low frets to high. For example, an F note is on the sixth and first strings (1st fret) then occurs next on the fourth string, 3rd fret, then the second string, 6th fret finishing the approach up at the dusty end on the third string, 22nd fret. Knowing octave shapes will greatly aid this approach (sixth string, 1st fret and fourth string, 3rd fret). Select two or three notes every day then you’ll be ready later on for the metronome test; one note played every two (or even one) clicks.

Enjoy the issue as we make you as much of a fretboard Yoda as a beacon of luscious licks, magnificent modes and courageous chords. Enjoy the issue!