Value of the 5 Root Shapes?

[NewGuyonGuitar]

Can someone explain the benefits of knowing the 5 root shapes?

[jeremy_green]

This diagram is simply pointing out the geography of where the notes live. If you get this internalized it can help you with the larger eventual goal of knowing all the notes on the neck. There are many ways to do this and this type thinking is one way. Is it the best way? Well I guess it would resonate with some people. Personally I believe in trying to take a little info from as many sources as you can. Eventually one will click.

[Jed]

Jeremy nailed it. That diagram and many, many fretboard learning aids, methods and schemes are really all about the same thing. For someone that already knows the fretboard, all of these things reflect various truths about how notes and musical structures "lay out" on the fretboard. The difficulties arise when one method claims to be "The Secret" over another. Each method may speak to different people, but no one method has a monopoly on being the "best and only true solution".

That being said, since you asked the question I'm going to assume you cannot just look at the fretboard and "see" the notes. In this case, using this example of an octaves / recapitulation diagram so that you can learn to see these things more easily may be a good thing for you to consider.

Pick a note and quickly work through all the various octaves and recapitulations (alternate location for the same pitch) for that note. Repeat this exercise for all 8 natural (and eventually all 21 possible) note names (excluding double sharp and double flatted note names). Repeat daily until you can find any note name on every string as quickly as you think makes sense.

There is no such thing as too much knowledge. Really learning the fretboard takes time, effort and persistence. Of these three, persistence is by far the most critical tool.

cheers,