Members squealie Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Just sitting here staring at one of my guitars... It occurs to me that the fret markers seem kind of random. If you move the 9th fret marker to 10, it lays out a minor pent. Several other 'close but not quite' patterns can be found by laying out a major scale across the board. Who thought this contraption up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benricci Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 They're just there to help you find your place and quickly visualize intervals, not necessarily to outline any specific shapes or scale patterns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squealie Posted February 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 They're just there to help you find your place and quickly visualize intervals, not necessarily to outline any specific shapes or scale patterns. Um, yeah. I get that part. My point is, is that they are ARBITRARILY (seemingly) laid out. And the system must be old. Old old. Where did it come from? Thanks for forcing me to overstate the obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members caveman Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 It came from ancient luthiers, bent on forever imposing their will on the known guitar world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members faberbz Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 They're just markers, not meant to be fingering guides. Is the whole odd-numbered fret and 12th thing confusing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 It's not true of all guitars - gipsy jazz guitars, for instance, have the fret marker at the 10th fret, not the 9th, and none at the 3rd. Obviously classical guitar do not have marker at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frets99 Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 It came from ancient luthiers, bent on forever imposing their will on the known guitar world. {censored}em if they can't take a joke!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Toff Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 I dont know, I think theyre pretty well designed. Its alot easier to find your place with it as 9-12-15 than it would be if it was every 2 frets, as then everything would just jumble up. Besides, old people dont know scales, tsht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members squealie Posted February 3, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 It's not true of all guitars - gipsy jazz guitars, for instance, have the fret marker at the 10th fret, not the 9th, and none at the 3rd. Interesting! This I did not know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dparr Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 To me, the fret markers on the Chapman Stick make much more sense than the guitar. They are on the 2nd, 7th, 12th and 17th positions. All one 5th apart. A very logical system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 It's not true of all guitars - gipsy jazz guitars, for instance, have the fret marker at the 10th fret, not the 9th, and none at the 3rd. Obviously classical guitar do not have marker at all. Interesting! A buddy of mine just brought home his dads old archtop. I forget the brand but apparently he got it in Isreal a long long time ago. Well, we were giving it a once over and noticed the fret markers were a different layout; marked at the 10th and none at 3. We hypothesized why but came up with nothing. Must be modeled after some of the gypsy jazz guitars. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Mr Brown 49, does that guitar have a floating wooden bridge, kept in place by the string tension? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Mr Brown 49, does that guitar have a floating wooden bridge, kept in place by the string tension? Sure does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Indeed is a gipsy jazz guitar then. Is it an oval or D shape soundhole? Sounds nice that! Am struggling to find pics to illustrate this thread - damn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Indeed is a gipsy jazz guitar then. Am struggling to find pics to illstrate this thread - damn. I'm just happy to know where it came from. He'll be thrilled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Here we go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Many thanks, Sir. Funnily enough, it could come from anywhere. Pascal (from this forum) educated me, so all credit due to him. Anyway, pascal has two of those Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members headless Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Do the fretboard marker (on the majority of electric guitars) have anything to do with this graphic:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/34/Guitar_harmonic_nodes.svg/600px-Guitar_harmonic_nodes.svg.png ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Do the fretboard marker (on the majority of electric guitars) have anything to do with this graphic:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/34/Guitar_harmonic_nodes.svg/600px-Guitar_harmonic_nodes.svg.png? They do seem to match up. That's a chart of the harmonics right? Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlexMC Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 They do seem to match up. That's a chart of the harmonics right? Interesting. That IS an interesting chart. I guess we play natural harmonics on the left hand side nodes, and pinch harmonics on the nodes on the right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxorox Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 I have an old parlor guitar made in Riga that has markers only at 5, 7, and 12. The 9/10 marker is odd. 10 is common on older instruments, and I think traditionaly built European guits, It is standard on banjoes and mandolins. Thoughts on the positions- If you play a straight E chord, move it up to bar at the marked frets, you get 3-G, 5-A, 7-B, 9-C#, 10-D. So 10 kinda makes more sense. Anyway, regarding the markers as a nut or base line it's a help in orienting yourself as to where chord patterns andscals can be repeated in other keys. As to why, it seems it's a clear and practical system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 That chart bounces up and down everywhere - not to sure it would have to do with the harmonics so much as the main scales used in most of western music, C & G major, E minor/G major pentatonic. Where as the doting on the gipsy jazz guitar fits nicely with a A harmonic minor. So, I'd think they've just placed the markers to mke it easy with the most common type of music played. My head hurst now...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pine Apple Slim Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 banjos typically have the 10th marked instead of the 9th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 Are banjos tuned like guitars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stratocaster202 Posted February 3, 2010 Members Share Posted February 3, 2010 My classical only has a marker on the 7th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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