Learning question

[claypoolfan]

Ok my man. I'll say this before i venture any farther...get away from that position stuff, the way you describe it is wrong to begin with...why you ask? Your using a 5 fret position theory. Your first position makes sense as you have one finger per fret for 4 frets with your drone (open strings) that cant be moved; so they're there no matter what. This is where your position reasoning falls apart: You only have 4 fingers so given this 5 frets of a position...you have to change your position to reach all 5 frets, so there goes your position theory. If i remember right (having only ever heard of it) the positions follow frets...first fret/first position...2nd fret/2nd position...etc. To answer that question: a fifth above is the fifth note of any musical scale. A fifth above C in the major scale would be going up to G the 5th note. 1-Do 2-Re 3-Me 4-Fa 5-So...thats how it works on any instrument in Western Music. Using "your" position as a guide, to go to that 5th you would have to change to "your" second position. Which is unnecessary if you learn scales and modes...everything will be right under your 4 fingers. The positioning reasoning you used just overly complicated everything.

What you are saying is making alot of sense. I see how the five fret positioning I was learning with is pretty complicated. So much for the book, CD, and DVD I bought. It's teaching me to learn to read sheet music too as I learn the fretboard and I couldn't understand why it started with the G string since the first notes are near the top of the staff. It did teach me the 'first position' (just had to say it one more time) pretty well.
Now I see why I have reached a stumbling block learning by this method. I'm going to look for a book that just teaches reading music starting on the bottom of the staff.
I think I learned alot from you here and I appreciated it. Thanks. Time to start doing more scales and less book and just learn the fretboard that way.

(can't wait for that updated fretboard diagram there, Rogue.)

[claypoolfan]

We ALL need a whamola! When do you start shipping them out to us??

I'l try and get one out first thing in the morning!



I know, I'd love to have one too!

[Perfessor]

I remember drawing my own fretboard diagram that showed the strings and frets from the top down as you would when looking at it while playing. I took that diagram to school with me and studied it and went over it like I was playing. I found I could know more and more notes everyday. I understand your subconscious mind works on it overnight if you do it enough so it'll be second nature in short order.

[hawkhuff]

Ok, i'm just trying to show you NOT to relegate yourself to the position talk. You'd be the only one knowing what you meant anyways. I think, though i'm not positive, that talk of positions is only a teaching tool, not an application tool. Can anyone verify this?

I agree, it's a teaching method not a tool of description. I never heard of this method but after a little thought, it makes sense. I see a downside, unless I am missing something, it seems to compartmentalize the fretboard and I am not comfortable with that.

 

Name the notes, if that is what you mean Fran, I would agree.

[Kindness]

Positions make much more sense when referring to playing the double bass, but even there is no standard for what the positions are. Some methods have the fingerboard divided into as little as three positions. Others divide the board into a large number of positions.

 

Learning each of the notes at each occurrence on the board has been the most helpful to me in being able to apply theory to practical playing and to bridge the gap between written and performed music.

[hawkhuff]

I've been taught to see the fretboard as a whole and to learn each position as a note that you can readily produce.

[claypoolfan]

I played for most of the morning and all the advice I picked up here is really helping me. Its just much easier to remember and I know I'm retaining more. Thanks everyone.

[sludgebass69]

This thread calls for the old bassplayer joke:

A kid wants to learn bass so his dad goes out and buys him a bass and an amp and signs him up for some lessons. The 1st week the kid goes to his lesson and comes home an hour later and the dad asks him what he learned. He says he learned the 1st 5 notes on the E string. 2nd week comes and he goes to his lesson again. He comes home an hour later and the dad asks what he learned. He says he learned the 1st 5 notes on the A string.

Next week the kid goes to his lesson and he doesn't come home for several hours. When he gets home the dad asks why the lesson took so long, and the kid says, "I had a gig.":D

[Emprov]

This thread calls for the old bassplayer joke: A kid wants to learn bass so his dad goes out and buys him a bass and an amp and signs him up for some lessons. The 1st week the kid goes to his lesson and comes home an hour later and the dad asks him what he learned. He says he learned the 1st 5 notes on the E string. 2nd week comes and he goes to his lesson again. He comes home an hour later and the dad asks what he learned. He says he learned the 1st 5 notes on the A string. Next week the kid goes to his lesson and he doesn't come home for several hours. When he gets home the dad asks why the lesson took so long, and the kid says, "I had a gig.":D

 

Man, that's just sad. And amazingly accurate for some.

[hawkhuff]

Man, that's just sad. And amazingly accurate for some.

Yeah but funny.