I’m a professional guitarist, and although I applaud anyone who takes the time to discover better ways to teach and play the instrument, I find that this video seems directed at those who rely heavily on left-hand shapes and patterns to learn the instrument. Every instrument has its own peculiarities and some of the things mentioned in this video also apply to bowed strings (violin, viola, cello, and bass). The root of the problem as defined in the video is guitarists’ general lack of training in learning the fingerboard well and learning music theory, and the conclusion at the end of video seek to remedy this. The problem is less a problem with the instrument than it is with the way the instrument is usually taught and studied. However, there is something else that *is* relevant to the difficulty students have learning the guitar and playing at a high level: the guitar (as well as other plucked string instruments such as the lute) is the only instrument capable of complex textures-e.g., polyphony, melody with accompaniment-that has a *different* complex technique for each hand. Piano technique is certainly complex, but the technique for each hand is the same. The violin has different complex techniques for each hand, but it is generally a monophonic instrument. The guitar, however, requires different techniques for each hand while in service to musical textures that are often complex. This increases the possibility of tension in one hand being transferred to other hand. It takes a teacher’s skilled eye and ear to discover the source of this tension and pedagogical experience to help students reduce this tension. I should stress that I’m not talking about guitarists who have modest ambitions, but perhaps these modest ambitions would blossom into higher level aspirations if early instruction ensured the presence of the conditions necessary for high-level playing to develop.
Thank you so much for bringing this up. I can’t say I disagree with you. The complexity of learning this instrument is indeed greater than I laid out in this video. I intentionally didn’t mention the technical aspects of playing the guitar because this topic deserves its own video due to its complexity. As you mentioned, factors like body-hand tension and different techniques for each hand make it a complex subject. I also appreciate that you mentioned the monophonic nature of bowed instruments, as some folks have commented here suggesting I try the violin. I really don't want to start a competition over who is playing the more complex instrument, but still, I believe that just because bowed instruments have similar challenges, it doesn’t necessarily make the guitar easier to grasp. While other bowed instruments do face challenges similar to the guitar-like dealing with the second dimension of an invisible structure-I would still argue that the guitar is more complex. This is due to its six strings, polyphonic playing, and irregular second dimension, unlike bowed instruments, which are tuned in regular fifths. I can't agree more with you on the way the instrument is taught and studied is crucial. I remember my struggles with too much tension while playing until it finally clicked for me, thanks to a few teachers (especially vocal teachers, who are extremely aware of this) who brought it up. Thanks for sharing your perspective!
@johnpratt8502 ha ha love this ❤️. Personally, I think one has to be mentally ill playing the guitar in the first place. I am convinced it is only people with obsessive perfection disorders who do it 🙃
I'm thinking of getting a cheap keyboard to learn theory on in a way that doesn't make me feel like I'm losing my mind 😂 . The guitar is a fairly easy instrument to learn songs on by imitation but to actually understand....arrrrgghhh!!!
One advantage of guitar is that you can hold any chord shape (without open strings) and go up and down the neck while holding the same fingering, while on piano you need to use a completely different fingering to play the same.
on the other hand these different fingerings allow you to easily see what chord you're playing, it's much easier to find it's notes all over the instrument since they all look distinct, while the guitar is just ? %) gotta memorise the shapes which are not visible on the instrument itself
I don't follow you. If you hold the same chord shape on the guitar and move up and down the fretboard, you get different chords. But you do the same on the keyboard.The root, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion hand shapes stay the same as you move up and down the keyword, producing each chord as you move along. On the guitar you have the different CAGED shapes for chords, but on the piano it is basically the same shape for each root chord, the same shape for each 1st inversion, the same for each 2nd, the same for each 7th chord (with a slight adjustment of the thumb distance as you move across the E/F and B/C region). Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but the keyboard finger shapes are very regular, the guitar shapes much less so. This difference in ease is why songs composed on guitar tend to have fewer chords than those composed on piano, becuase the latter is just easier in this regard.
Excellent video. I have played guitar for almost 20 years at this point and went to music school, but I still am learning. Guitar is hard. I have explained it this way to people: imagine you have six piano keyboards lined up against each other, but each keyboard starts on a different note - and then you have to figure out how to play THAT. The advice to play a scale with only one octave is a great insight. I came to this approach somewhat naturally three or four years ago, and my improvisational ability really opened up. Limiting the scale you practice to one octave at a time, in groups of three strings, helps to reduce the complexity and confusion of trying to remember a multi octave scale pattern. Most of the time, whether improvising or learning a different piece of music, a multi octave scale being used in a real piece of music is rare. So the one octave thing is very practical. An example I have started with is a C major scale starting on the eighth fret of the sixth string running up to the tenth fret of the 4th string. Then practice the same scale but starting on fifth string third fret or fourth string tenth fret etc. And by the way, anyone who doesn’t have the patience to sit through this video doesn’t have the patience to actually learn the guitar either.
Thank you! It’s funny that I had the exact same idea with the six piano keyboards lined up, but I’ve never shared that thought with anyone... It’s good to know other guitarists have similar thoughts. I also appreciate you sharing your experience and explaining the one-octave concept-it really sums it up well. I’ll cover this in detail in part 5 of my 'Build a Strong Fretboard Understanding' series.
@@e7thstar I learned multi-octave scale patterns with my first guitar teacher and learned more of these while in college. Those were good for learning the layout of the fretboard. But to integrate your knowledge of the fretboard, practicing single octave scales worked for me, and I came to that idea much later. I think that learning and practicing both is helpful. Going from studying multi-octave scales to single octave scales is counterintuitive in the same way that the guitar itself is counterintuitive, like @becomegreatatguitar highlights in this video. But, from a practical standpoint, it makes sense to many of us.
I have played guitar, mostly classical, all my life and I remember being quite surprised when one of my teachers told me the guitar is probably the hardest instrument to learn. Until now, I had never really appreciated the two dimensional nature of the instrument and this explains it very well. One problem I think with the guitar is it is easy to learn at the early stages such that one can play songs and sing along but it makes guitarists lazy about learning music theory properly. On most other instruments people at least have the rudiments of theory and being able to read music. Someone on this thread gave a quote from Segovia saying the "guitar is easy to learn but very hard to master" - all too true.
Thank you for sharing this. I had a classical teacher who told me something very similar about learning guitar. He even had a framed picture of Segovia in his room and would reference him from time to time... I agree with what you're saying. And of course it’s completely normal in your guitar journey-and with any other instrument-to know and play some songs without a deeper understanding. Some people just don’t care about understanding these topics and just want to play, which is totally fine. But those who strive to understand music through the lens of a guitar often find it more challenging, so it's easy to be lazy because of confusion. I was definitely a lazy student because of this... Of course, this is entirely subjective and can vary for everyone...
Outstanding presentation of a complex subject. Your graphics accompanying your explanations are terrific. I'm 72, but I built a foundation in music theory in my brain at 16 years old. when I was first learning guitar and the piano keyboard. I use my theory knowledge constantly to guide my playing. Thanks for all the hard work you put into this video. Great job.
A coupe of comments are moaning about shallow stuff like video style, but I just listen to what he’s saying about how the guitar works. It explains stuff about the nature of the guitar which I feel when I play, but which i don’t have the musical vocabulary to describe. V informative video, thanks. It explains a lot🙌
I’m 4 years into my DIY guitar learning journey and a buddy pointed me towards Intervals very early on. I realise now more than ever what a gift it was: I can improvise freely in any key all over the fretboard, Modal scales are embraced rather than rejected, I’ve become a chord builder rather than a chord & shape memoriser, it helped me understand and apply Harmonics, etc. Some friends with 10+ years of experience actually ask me for tips on Modes and navigating the fretboard. If this was how guitar was taught from day one there would be much less people quitting early on, imho, and definitely less people getting stuck in the typical "intermediate ruts"… and surely much less "break out of the box" and "CAGED" courses being offered on TH-cam 😅 Fantastic video, new sub here.
This sounds amazing! I’m glad you made such great progress in such a short time. Your buddy gave you great advice, and he’s totally right about the importance of intervals. This is so crucial but still extremely neglected. Because of this, I cover how to play and conceptualize the basic intervals in my next two upcoming videos. Thanks for sharing this!
CAGED is a fantastic system and used by many of the all time greats. judging by the misuse of a bunch of terms in just this short paragraph im guessing theres a good deal of dunning kruger going on here. id advise you to become a bit of a chord and shape memorizer. its what all of us professionals do.
I love music, but when I try to explain therory to new guitar learners their eyes seem to glaze over and they stop listening. Music is hard and it takes hard work to learn music, but it is so worth the hard work. I guess many guitar players stop learning when they discover that it takes hard work and practice to advance. They watch the pros and think the pros simply have more talent. No. The real pros had more patience and determination to work hard at becoming great. It’s supposed to be hard. It’s the hard that makes it great. Rewards come from patience, commitment, and rock hard determination. Nothing less will do it.
@@tomdaoust So true, anything in life which is worthwhile takes hard work and dedication. It's not even a thing of "people don't have an attention span nowadays", that would be too easy since there have always been more guitar quitters than guitar players. I'm by no means a guitar teacher but I think it has a lot do with the fact that the first question should be "what do you want to play and why?" If someone wants to be a campfire player, awesome... teach them a few open chords, point them to a site where they can download endless simple songs and let them rip. Do they want to play Punk? Teach them the concept of power chords on the 6th and 5th frets and voilà. Scales/theory are not what these people are looking for... they just want to have fun. But if anyone told me they wanted to become a serious player I would definitely tell them they have to put the work in. I think so many teachers are stuck in their "lesson routine-for-all" and that's not helpful either. And who's to say someone who starts off simple and is having fun, building appreciation for the instrument, won't look for a deeper dive at a later point... which will never happen if they quit though.
That's right. Throw in your harmonized scale... chords ...triads then you are really cooking. The modes yes. The modes are the major scale!!! I love it. All the songs come from that.... every style.
14:30 "However, on guitar, its a total mess.". 😅 That is the most accurate statement about my understanding if triads and their inversions. I understand most things about learning guitar, but my brain turns to mush trying learn triad positions.
THE GUITAR IS MUCH EASIER THAN YOUR BRAIN MAKES IT SEEM. Allow me to shed some light. Just learn one basic major scale. Once you have that down, move it up two frets, then two more, then one, then two, then two, then two, then one....and VOILA you've unlocked the fretboard. For example. Let's say you learn the scale of G major (the name of 3rd fret on the 6th strings' name is G) (6th string) 3 5 7 (5th string) 3 5 7 (4th string) 4 5 7 (3rd string) 4 5 7 (2nd string) 5 7 8 (1st string) 5 7 8 Next you'll learn (6th string) 5 7 8 (5th string) 5 7 9 (4th string) 5 7 9 (3rd string) 5 7 9 (2nd string) 7 8 10 (1st string) 7 8 10 Then (6th string) 7 8 10 (5th string) 7 9 10 (4th string) 7 9 10 (3rd string) 7 9 11 (2nd string) 8 10 12 (1st string) 8 10 12 Then (6th string) 8 10 12 (5th string) 9 10 12 (4th string) 9 10 12 (3rd string) 9 10 12 (2nd string) 10 12 13 (1st string) 10 12 14 Then (6th string) 10 12 14 (5th string) 10 12 14 (4th string) 10 12 14 (3rd string) 11 12 14 (2nd string) 12 13 15 (1st string) 12 14 15 Then (6th string) 12 14 15 (5th string) 12 14 15 (4th string) 12 14 16 (3rd string) 12 14 16 (2nd string) 13 15 17 (1st string) 14 15 17 Then (6th string) 14 15 17 (5th string) 14 15 17 (4th string) 14 16 17 (3rd string) 14 16 17 (2nd string) 15 17 19 (1st string) 15 17 19 Then (6th string) 15 17 19 (5th string) 15 17 19 (4th string) 16 17 19 (3rd string) 16 17 19 (2nd string) 17 19 20 (1st string) 17 19 20 Then (or lastly) (6th string) 17 19 20 (5th string) 17 19 21 (4th string) 17 19 21 (3rd string) 17 19 21 (2nd string) 19 20 22 (1st string) 19 20 22 Lastly (if your guitar has 24 frets) (6th string) 19 20 22 (5th string) 19 21 22 (4th string) 19 21 22 (3rd string) 19 21 23 (2nd string) 20 22 24 (1st string) 20 22 24 Hopefully by now you've realized the patterns repeat when you go up 12 frets. (The first pattern is the same as the 8th pattern. The second is the same as the 9th, etc). This means you ONLY HAVE TO LEARN 7 patterns to understand the fretboard (disclaimer- this is only for conventional music. It does not take into account "accidental notes"...a la jazz, but even then you'll do ok) The guitar will become MUCH easier to understand once your brain and your hands learn these 7 patterns. The scale i wrote down is the scale of G (or g major) so if the song's root (the chord the verse of the song starts in) starts on G, you can solo away to any of those patterns to your heart's content. Let's say the song starts on A major, then instead of starting on the 3rd fret on the 6th string, you will start on the 5th fret of the 6th string. Lastly, let's say your song doesn't start on a major chord, but a minor. NO PROBLEM. it's still the same sh*t. The relative minor (for our purposes the minor equivalent) of G is Em. Meaning that if the song starts in Em, you can use the same patterns you've just learned for the scale of G.
If I see you use this in your fretboard video I better see some credit or at least a mention. I don't know why NO ONE teaches this. The guitar is simple. Training your hands is what is hard
@@e7thstar "you only have to learn 7 patterns to understand the fretboard" LMAO is that all?? Here I was about to agree with you that this guy is making the guitar sound unnecessarily difficult, then you literally tab out the major scale across the entire fretboard and call that "basic". And even that you went out of your way to over complicate by not stopping at the 15th fret, all the over lapping notes as you moved up. If that's how you learned, and still think about, the fretboard, I really feel for you. But please don't try and inflict it on anyone else. Also, Im quite sure you don't own a patent on the Ionian mode, so asking someone to give you credit on their video if they bring up scale patterns makes you sound like a total douchebag.
i play piano and guitar and i've always felt like guitar actually deepened my theory knowledge far more than piano ever did. but when i started teaching i was so surprised how rare that is
I’m a decent guitar player and after 15 years I’m just now dialing in on caged knowledge, the modes, and really knowing my intervals on intuitively deep level. Makes me appreciate how hard guitsr really is to make sense of starting from zero
You are a guitar / teacher genius . You just unleash the myth behind the learning process, explaining in depth what the guitar is about. I just become your fan instantly . Great work indeed .
That's how microtones still sneak into Western Music Theory without fair recognition. People just casually describe it as nuances and inflections, for lack of sufficient technical vocabulary in the Western system-and even moreso against the historical backdrop of pre-Standardization to 440A, which is essentially everything music-related before the 1950s. 😛 Fretless-guitarists escaped the Matrix entirely, with both microtonal as well as non-Stabdard musical options at their disposal, without even bending or sliding, as long as they haven't limited their ear-development out of habit on fretted guitars or bad advice such as that valid note values do not vary, and so deserve every bit as much highbrow respect as violin virtuosos. To me, it sounds like the difference between a basic box of 12 crayons versus the 64 pack, if notes were colors with in-between shades. 😎 That said, a "fretless" version of an 88-key piano would have about 469 keys. 😱
As you indicate, the two dimensions mean that unisons and octives based on the same scale-note can be played in multiple locations, even at the same time--far more options than on the piano. Plus guitar fingering is way more technically complex (and physically difficult, even painful), partly for anatomical reasons--hand/finger size, shape and design.
If you want to understand the guitar, you must investigate CAGED. These 5 chord shapes can be used to play all over the fretboard. So CAGED, AGEDC, GEDCA, EDCAG, DCAGE are the 5 ways that any chord can be played in 5 places on the fretboard. - Play E7 at open and at the 12th fret, now play E7 but using the D7 shape up 2 frets; now play E7 but using the C7 shape up between frets 5-7; now play E7 but using the A7 shape between frets 7-9; and finally play E7 using the G7 shape between frets 9-12. Now to each of those 5-E7 chords, associate the E Mixolydian scale (1-2-3-4-5-6-b7 and E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D). Now you can play E7 in 5 places, and you can play the Mixolydian scale in those same 5 places. Find a YT one-chord vamp that uses just E7. Have fun playing over it in 5 different places on the neck!
@@AEZ-VEL don't listen to him. Just learn one basic major scale. Once you have that down, move it up two frets, then two more, then one, then two, then two, then two, then one....and VOILA you've unlocked the fretboard. For example. Let's say you learn the scale of G major (the name of the note on the 3rd fret on the 6th string is G) (6th string) 3 5 7 (5th string) 3 5 7 (4th string) 4 5 7 (3rd string) 4 5 7 (2nd string) 5 7 8 (1st string) 5 7 8 Next you'll learn (6th string) 5 7 8 (5th string) 5 7 9 (4th string) 5 7 9 (3rd string) 5 7 9 (2nd string) 7 8 10 (1st string) 7 8 10 Then (6th string) 7 8 10 (5th string) 7 9 10 (4th string) 7 9 10 (3rd string) 7 9 11 (2nd string) 8 10 12 (1st string) 8 10 12 Then (6th string) 8 10 12 (5th string) 9 10 12 (4th string) 9 10 12 (3rd string) 9 10 12 (2nd string) 10 12 13 (1st string) 10 12 14 Then (6th string) 10 12 14 (5th string) 10 12 14 (4th string) 10 12 14 (3rd string) 11 12 14 (2nd string) 12 13 15 (1st string) 12 14 15 Then (6th string) 12 14 15 (5th string) 12 14 15 (4th string) 12 14 16 (3rd string) 12 14 16 (2nd string) 13 15 17 (1st string) 14 15 17 Then (6th string) 14 15 17 (5th string) 14 15 17 (4th string) 14 16 17 (3rd string) 14 16 17 (2nd string) 15 17 19 (1st string) 15 17 19 Then (6th string) 15 17 19 (5th string) 15 17 19 (4th string) 16 17 19 (3rd string) 16 17 19 (2nd string) 17 19 20 (1st string) 17 19 20 Then (or lastly) (6th string) 17 19 20 (5th string) 17 19 21 (4th string) 17 19 21 (3rd string) 17 19 21 (2nd string) 19 20 22 (1st string) 19 20 22 Lastly (if your guitar has 24 frets) (6th string) 19 20 22 (5th string) 19 21 22 (4th string) 19 21 22 (3rd string) 19 21 23 (2nd string) 20 22 24 (1st string) 20 22 24 Hopefully by now you've realized the patterns repeat when you go up 12 frets. (The first pattern is the same as the 8th pattern. The second is the same as the 9th, etc). This means you ONLY HAVE TO LEARN 7 patterns to understand the fretboard (disclaimer- this is only for conventional music. It does not take into account "accidental notes"...a la jazz, but even then you'll do ok) The guitar will become MUCH easier to understand once your brain and your hands learn these 7 patterns. The scale i wrote down is the scale of G (or g major) so if the song's root (the chord the verse of the song starts in) starts on G, you can solo away to any of those patterns to your heart's content. Let's say the song starts on A major, then instead of starting on the 3rd fret on the 6th string, you will start on the 5th fret of the 6th string. Lastly, let's say your song doesn't start in a major scale, but a minor. NO PROBLEM. it's still the same sh*t. The relative minor (for our purposes the minor equivalent) of G is Em. Meaning that if the song starts in Em, you can use the same patterns you've just learned for the scale of G.
TL;DR Learn the 10 patterns i wrote There are only 7 DIFFERENT patterns They start repeating AFTER the 7th pattern The 8th pattern is the same as the first The 9th is the same as the second, etc. You're welcome. Wish you luck on your journey
I'm so grateful that I took lessons in my early teens. I played solidly for around 6 or 7 years but stopped for a long while. But because of those lessons I took I'm able to pick up the guitar every now-and-then and I can very quickly get close to my best again I'm currently focusing on acoustic and I'm a far FAR better acoustic player now than I ever was
This is a nice analysis. Guitars are also missing the physical geography of the piano (which has those raised sharps and flats on the keyboard). To add just a modest geographic indicator to my guitar, I put a strip of textured 3M tape on the palm side of the neck, right at the seventh fret, so I can easily "feel" where I am - even without always looking at the fingerboard.
Thanks! You're right. That is really another point worth mentioning. I hadn’t thought about this one, despite having practiced many times to play without looking at the fretboard.
Thank you for this free lesson. There can be intermediant guitarist that may not have studied this fretboard theory. That being said, they might already be playing on stage or in a band. Not many I’ve known practice intervals, triads & chord shapes to scales relationship, intstead, they learn songs. Excellent content for only 20 minutes.
Thank you! Glad You like this video! Yeah, I agree. There are even high-level players who don’t know much about music theory and, in fact, have never practiced it for the purpose of learning music theory. Yet, they have somehow mastered the guitar through all its difficulties by playing by ear and focusing only on real music instead of exercises. However, such skills are rare and require good ears and a high level of resilience because you essentially learn through an extreme amount of trial and error. Most folks who try this method quit too early before they achieve good results. But you’re right, not too many guitarists practice this theory & exercise stuff. This usually becomes interesting when you take this hobby more seriously or want to become a pro. But even then it's possible to not do it and be successful anyway....
@@becomegreatatguitarDo you incorporate any of that trial and error into your practice? And how often do you think many of the greats trial and error things?
I had difficulties playing the guitar, until I learned an important secret. Stop thinking about playing, and it gets better. Same thing with archery...stop trying to aim, and you're gonna hit the target every time.
As a guitar and saxophone teacher who often works with people who already play a wind instrument or piano, I can attest that this extra dimension is a challenge for most.
There is also utility to the design: the ease of transposing. Gotta play a solo in B instead of A? No problem. Just play everything a whole step higher. It's easy because visually everything stays the same. Doing the same with e.g. piano, or almost any other instrument is much, much harder.
It’s easy to learn a two chord song and that drives you to learn more. The secret is, don’t bite off more than you can chew in the beginning and get discouraged
I remember telling someone "piano is a fundamentally simpler instrument than guitar" years ago and they looked at me like I had lobsters coming out of my ears. Anyone can sit down and play a chord on piano while just playing even a single note on guitar is hard at first. Good to see I'm not the only one this was apparent to. That being said, both are hard to get "good" at, whatever that may mean to you.
I already have an understanding of music theory. Guitar is my main instrument, but not my only instrument. This video is way too basic for me specifically, but the information offered is solid. As I am also interested in the best ways to teach music, I'm going to be looking at your other videos. I like your style.
It's not that hard if you have a good instructor and follow a process. Do not rely on YT videos and random info. that will quickly overwhelm you. Truefire is a great site with great teachers and a learning path. Learn to love the process of learning- not just playing. You can learn a few simple chords and have fun for years or you can take it further. It's up to you. Theory will make you much better. Some people have muscle memory- play the same memorized riffs over and over but have no clue and limited musical abilities. Just have fun with it and enjoy learning. It's really just simple math- as he says, intervals, steps, scales, triads, formulas to make major and minor scales and modes...again, just math.
I studied piano and piano accordion for 10 years. Then I wanted to learn guitar and could not make sense how notes are assembled. Can’t wait for your videos. I am reluctant to purchase a guitar as I just don’t understand the structure. I studied music the name of notes are Do,re,mi,fa,sol,la,ci,do. The guitar note names is very difficult. I love your explanation. Thanks.
Thanks for the nice words! Great to have a piano&accordion player here :) The new video is online: th-cam.com/video/Gw6s9xiJ_w8/w-d-xo.html There I explain the note degrees, which are practically the same as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, but they are just named in numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. I think you'll grasp this instrument quickly with this background.
I also started as a musician on the piano accordion which is very difficult for different reasons. My accordion had 120 buttons for the left hand bass and chords (hard to memorize without being able to actually look at them). But the guitar is bizarre, I agree.
Bruuuh just buy the guitar and start the suffering ... It's easier to learn other instruments after playing guitar ... It's even helped me be able to write with both hands 😂😂😂...
1:24 for the key points, a few seconds later, the usual TH-cam spam, ‘if you watch to the end I will tell you…..’….yeah OK, I think I can learn the synth in the meantime.
It just takes practice and repetition. I see the fretboard as part of the piano, stacked diagonally in a way. Also, I think learning relative minor and major scales in the song you are playing, along with 2-3 pentatonic positions are a good way to start. The circle of fifths is brilliant as well. For me though, I will be more motivated to learn the keys of songs I'm jamming because then I can apply it in the song.
I found it helpful to discover the repeating patterns for scales and triads on the guitar fretboard. For example: a scale can be played using only three finger patterns across strings. And the relationship of a root note to the third or fifth note is the same between any two strings, with the exception of the 3rd and 2nd string. This last anomaly is easy enough to recognize and remember. Paying attention to repeating patterns helps a lot in tying basic music theory to the guitar.
Sure the C major key is easy on a piano. Now try D major and see two white keys turn black and then try the C# key. On a guitar the shapes stay the same regardless of the key.
Once you have hand sync and finger independence its a matter of creativity. Memorizing a song is much different than improvisation. 90% of the frustration of learning guitar is the first year. 98% of people cant get past that first year.
I've been playing for50 years.but I'm not much better than I was 49 years ago. Then it occurred to me that I have no musical talent. But I still enjoy it
This video is very thorough, and the information is correct, but it misses the point. You have to remember that every instrument was created to address a musical problem, and the guitar was created because musicians became interested in harmony, rather than melody. That is, stacking notes, playing them together, as in chords. That's why the guitar is tuned in fourths, unlike the violin family, which is tuned in fifths: so that your hand can reach several notes in the scale at the same time, to play them together. (the exception is the contra-bass, which is also tuned in fourths, because if it were tuned in fifths, it's so longe that you wouldn't be able to reach to play a scale fluently) Now, you can also play scales on a guitar, pick out melodies, but bear in mind you're getting the instrument to do something it wasn't designed for. One of the things that makes guitar a complicated instrument is reading music. On the piano, each note is found in just one place; each key corresponds to one black dot on the staff. On the guitar, some notes can be played at several places on the fretboard. To play sheet music on the guitar, you need to consider what was played before, what you're playing after, and what notes are being played together, and how you're going to reach them all. Solving these problems, and being practiced enough to do so on-the-fly is what makes the guitar interesting. One of the ideas that's served me well for playing melodies on the guitar is to remember that string crossings are never used for half-step intervals; you'd just stay on the same string and go up one fret. So make the whole-step intervals in the scale coincide with string crossings. The guitar isn't ideal as a first instrument, but it will keep you busy for the rest of your life! The piano, which much more resembles music notation, is a better place to start. But once you've had your introduction, pick up a guitar!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Morgan. I appreciate that you mentioned monophonic vs. polyphonic playing and the aspect of reading music. These are really important topics that I didn't address in the video, but they’re definitely worth exploring in more depth. Sure, I think it's save to say that from a historical point of view the guitar wasn't designed for being played as a melody instrument. But a modern approach of learning the guitar shouldn't care too much about this, because nowadays it's often the case that all you do is soloing and improvising.
Two major advantages the guitar has over the piano is you can move the same chord voicing up and down and learning a scale in different keys is a matter of learning one shape. The Major 3rd distance from the G to B string was a big hurdle for me to overcome in the beginning too.
I would recommend guitar players learn music theory from a piano keyboard then apply to a guitar fretboard. Major and Minor triads for instance make sense quicker on a keyboard.
thanks for validating the complexity of learning how to play, it definitely reassured me 🤓 I needed to hear something like this, you inspired me to keep going 🙌😊 also I loved your delivery, very engaging and easy to follow 👌
Thank you, Dafne! I'm really happy you're saying this! I really hope to be encouraging with this video, but I wasn't sure if I conveyed that clearly.😀🙌
@@becomegreatatguitar you 100% did 🤓 I agree that at some point we need to be aware and accept that this is going to be a long journey that requires patience because it won't be a linear and easy path. This way it is more likely that we stick to it, instead of thinking that we haven't made enough progress after a certain amount of time and probably start thinking that we are not learning 'fast enough' and consider quitting because of that. I think that is one of the key messages you conveyed n_n keep sharing your advice and knowledge 😊🙏
The combination of Learning CAGED, learning to sight read sheet music while playing g guitar, and practicing jamming and playing with other musicians has unlocked a lot of doors for me and within a relatively short amount of time allowed me to become a fairly independent upper intermediate player.
As a self taught player, the 2 dimensional aspect is what always made me feel guitar was easier for me to understand ironically. With piano, it always felt like there was a definitive "right" key to push. But with guitar, i feel there is a greater sense of freedom with tone and feel given that any note is accessible anywhere on the fretboard. And alternate tunings are possible to make the same shapes sound totally different. I think its total freedom compared to other instruments
Thank you! I’m used to playing chords but trying to learn it properly and memorise scales and positions. The moving up and down and across with all different ways to do it is driving me crazy.
I’ve played guitar over 50 years but I can still see chords better on the piano. Everything is just sitting there. I think people who can really play guitar well can see those chords very quickly. I think learning the basic chords and then learning the CAGED method is the best practical way to learn basic guitar and then expand to more interesting and complex chords. I didn’t really discover CAGED theory until 20 years ago. It lets you see what’s going on very clearly.
I spent 6 months learning nothing but Beethoven songs on guitar. Then tried to play nirvana and shocked myself. Then again classical is studying as much as playing
@springbloom5940 I couldn't agree more with this statement. I think the biggest beginner trap with instruments is thinking that learning songs is the main thing to do, when people should learning to get comfortable with their instruments. The amount of people who can play plenty of songs, but when you ask them to improvise or write a song they freeze is crazy. People spend years playing other people's songs only to realise they don't actually understand their instruments. Learning songs from time to time to get ideas, or analyse like jazz artists do is fine, but using that as the main bulk of practice is counter productive.
Keyboards … everyone has to study keyboards in Jazz college. (I’m a guitarist first but keyboards are the most logical and they interface with computers the best.) - I’d say get keys, a guitar, a bass and some drums and mess around with all 4.
Time & perseverance .. doesn’t matter which instrument you choose if you don’t commit to it honestly & completely . You can cheat , but you’re not going to progress , if your instrument stays in its case , then it’s a waste of time .
I cant read music but after I learnt notes on the fret board and how to read it, playing got a lot easier. I can ask 'What key are you in?' and quickly know what scales and where on the keyboard to play to fit with that key. Also I was hamstringing myself because I wanted to be Paul Gilbert, which I never will be, and this mindset put up a brick wall to any progress. Im still crap after many years but I play my best within my limits 😊
Not everybody can learn it by themselves... actualy very few people can, almost none. But once you learn and master the secrets it becomes obvious what the instrument is about and how you could guide someone to go from zero to the point that you are. The point is: some people had this kind of teacher in their lives and learnt with their experience, while others, that could never learn, only had lazy bad teachers I've done very little research and could find that most of the guitar legends had intense regular classes with a good teach until they got to the level you pretty much knew them
Im still learning after 30;years of playing i still feel like the same noob but I find you have little adventures each one is like a new series some things you just don't get then oneday it just comes in seconds
Watching this video about the complexity of playing a guitar - makes me think of a thought I have had , that being , that I believe people who play guitar and get really good at playing are probably also good at mathmatics 🧐🤔
From my experience. Learn one scale. Then move it up two frets, then two more, then one, then two, then two, then two, then one. Never change scale. By doing this you've unlocked the whole fretboard...at least for a song using a major chord as its base....LUCKILY, each major scale has a relatively minor, which means that a song using a minor chord as its root will use the exact same patterns you've already learned. You're welcome. ...if what I wrote makes no sense, then you're fked. Forgot to add, play 3 notes per string. If you do 2, you're gimping yourself. ALSO, spend 2 years mastering alternate picking so you can actually play what you hear in your head without your right hand making you sound like crap
@@gregdemeterband Let's say you learn the scale of G major (the name of 3rd fret on the 6th strings' name is G) (6th string) 3 5 7 (5th string) 3 5 7 (4th string) 4 5 7 (3rd string) 4 5 7 (2nd string) 5 7 8 (1st string) 5 7 8 Next you'll learn (6th string) 5 7 8 (5th string) 5 7 9 (4th string) 5 7 9 (3rd string) 5 7 9 (2nd string) 7 8 10 (1st string) 7 8 10 Then (6th string) 7 8 10 (5th string) 7 9 10 (4th string) 7 9 10 (3rd string) 7 9 11 (2nd string) 8 10 12 (1st string) 8 10 12 Then (6th string) 8 10 12 (5th string) 9 10 12 (4th string) 9 10 12 (3rd string) 9 10 12 (2nd string) 10 12 13 (1st string) 10 12 14 Then (6th string) 10 12 14 (5th string) 10 12 14 (4th string) 10 12 14 (3rd string) 11 12 14 (2nd string) 12 13 15 (1st string) 12 14 15 Then (6th string) 12 14 15 (5th string) 12 14 15 (4th string) 12 14 16 (3rd string) 12 14 16 (2nd string) 13 15 17 (1st string) 14 15 17 Then (6th string) 14 15 17 (5th string) 14 15 17 (4th string) 14 16 17 (3rd string) 14 16 17 (2nd string) 15 17 19 (1st string) 15 17 19 Then (6th string) 15 17 19 (5th string) 15 17 19 (4th string) 16 17 19 (3rd string) 16 17 19 (2nd string) 17 19 20 (1st string) 17 19 20 Then (or lastly) (6th string) 17 19 20 (5th string) 17 19 21 (4th string) 17 19 21 (3rd string) 17 19 21 (2nd string) 19 20 22 (1st string) 19 20 22 Lastly (if your guitar has 24 frets) (6th string) 19 20 22 (5th string) 19 21 22 (4th string) 19 21 22 (3rd string) 19 21 23 (2nd string) 20 22 24 (1st string) 20 22 24 Hopefully by now you've realized the patterns repeat when you go up 12 frets. (The first pattern is the same as the 8th pattern. The second is the same as the 9th, etc). This means you ONLY HAVE TO LEARN 7 patterns to understand the fretboard (disclaimer- this is only for conventional music. It does not take into account "accidental notes"...a la jazz, but even then you'll do ok) The guitar will become MUCH easier to understand once your brain and your hands learn these 7 patterns. The scale i wrote down is the scale of G (or g major) so if the song's root (the chord the verse of the song starts in) starts on G, you can solo away to any of those patterns to your heart's content. Let's say the song starts on A major, then instead of starting on the 3rd fret on the 6th string, you will start on the 5th fret of the 6th string. Lastly, let's say your song doesn't start on a major chord, but a minor. NO PROBLEM. it's still the same sh*t. The relative minor (for our purposes the minor equivalent) of G is Em. Meaning that if the song starts in Em, you can use the same patterns you've just learned for the scale of G.
Of course it's regular. Just take a look at the upper half of the keyboard, where all the keys are the same size. If you play from one key to the next, you'll see that it's organized in consistent half steps.
Guitar is very difficult at the start as it’s physically challenging. Piano is easier to start with but the hand independence element is more difficult than playing guitar for me.
Yeah, the Piano has really different challenges. I find reading music on piano quite hard, because you need to read the left and right hand simultaneously in different clefs.
I had a basic guitar theory book when I was a teenager and remember thinking , oh I just put my fingers in the same patterns where the numbered dots are and I can play chords !! Thank goodness no one explained to me how hard it was supposed to be or I’d probably have never stuck with it
Claiming it's worth my time to watch to the end, but filling out the beginning with word sallad. You seem to know what you're talking about so why not put some substantial material at the beginning? It will accomplish your goal of getting the video long enough to get revenue off it. And you will get happier viewers. Win-win. As for me, I'm out of here at 1:56..
Guitar is easy to learn something that sounds ok, at the beginning. The violin is awful to sound good at the beginning. The guitar is hard to do advanced stuff. Anything like jazz improvisation or virtuosic style pieces are hard on the guitar. Left and right hand synchronisation is a must.
I know... I intentionally repeated some key points, but there’s still a lot to improve. I think Episode 100 has the potential to be a good one. I just need more practice. Until then, done is better than perfect.
![[Full Episode] The Restaurant War Thailand ศึกพ่อค้าซ่าแม่ค้าแซ่บ Episode 1 | 22 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BuzQ70v-UZQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m a professional guitarist, and although I applaud anyone who takes the time to discover better ways to teach and play the instrument, I find that this video seems directed at those who rely heavily on left-hand shapes and patterns to learn the instrument. Every instrument has its own peculiarities and some of the things mentioned in this video also apply to bowed strings (violin, viola, cello, and bass). The root of the problem as defined in the video is guitarists’ general lack of training in learning the fingerboard well and learning music theory, and the conclusion at the end of video seek to remedy this. The problem is less a problem with the instrument than it is with the way the instrument is usually taught and studied.
However, there is something else that *is* relevant to the difficulty students have learning the guitar and playing at a high level: the guitar (as well as other plucked string instruments such as the lute) is the only instrument capable of complex textures-e.g., polyphony, melody with accompaniment-that has a *different* complex technique for each hand. Piano technique is certainly complex, but the technique for each hand is the same. The violin has different complex techniques for each hand, but it is generally a monophonic instrument. The guitar, however, requires different techniques for each hand while in service to musical textures that are often complex. This increases the possibility of tension in one hand being transferred to other hand. It takes a teacher’s skilled eye and ear to discover the source of this tension and pedagogical experience to help students reduce this tension. I should stress that I’m not talking about guitarists who have modest ambitions, but perhaps these modest ambitions would blossom into higher level aspirations if early instruction ensured the presence of the conditions necessary for high-level playing to develop.
Thank you so much for bringing this up. I can’t say I disagree with you. The complexity of learning this instrument is indeed greater than I laid out in this video. I intentionally didn’t mention the technical aspects of playing the guitar because this topic deserves its own video due to its complexity. As you mentioned, factors like body-hand tension and different techniques for each hand make it a complex subject. I also appreciate that you mentioned the monophonic nature of bowed instruments, as some folks have commented here suggesting I try the violin.
I really don't want to start a competition over who is playing the more complex instrument, but still, I believe that just because bowed instruments have similar challenges, it doesn’t necessarily make the guitar easier to grasp. While other bowed instruments do face challenges similar to the guitar-like dealing with the second dimension of an invisible structure-I would still argue that the guitar is more complex. This is due to its six strings, polyphonic playing, and irregular second dimension, unlike bowed instruments, which are tuned in regular fifths.
I can't agree more with you on the way the instrument is taught and studied is crucial. I remember my struggles with too much tension while playing until it finally clicked for me, thanks to a few teachers (especially vocal teachers, who are extremely aware of this) who brought it up.
Thanks for sharing your perspective!
i swear after 23 years of playing guitar, switching to piano would do wonders for my mental health
@johnpratt8502 ha ha love this ❤️. Personally, I think one has to be mentally ill playing the guitar in the first place. I am convinced it is only people with obsessive perfection disorders who do it 🙃
@@geoffguitars😂
I'm thinking of getting a cheap keyboard to learn theory on in a way that doesn't make me feel like I'm losing my mind 😂 . The guitar is a fairly easy instrument to learn songs on by imitation but to actually understand....arrrrgghhh!!!
Sure the C major key is easy on a piano. Now the C# key. On a guitar neck, the shapes of the scales and chords stay the same.
@@UmVtCgif only you didn’t have 8 guitars 😂
It’s a lucky guess. I’m also a guitarist so I know 😉
One advantage of guitar is that you can hold any chord shape (without open strings) and go up and down the neck while holding the same fingering, while on piano you need to use a completely different fingering to play the same.
on the other hand these different fingerings allow you to easily see what chord you're playing, it's much easier to find it's notes all over the instrument since they all look distinct, while the guitar is just ? %) gotta memorise the shapes which are not visible on the instrument itself
@@zbepzee9152 based!
Took me some time to be able to finger A minor
Buuut on the piano you can transpose a chord across 7 octaves without changing the shape
I don't follow you. If you hold the same chord shape on the guitar and move up and down the fretboard, you get different chords. But you do the same on the keyboard.The root, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion hand shapes stay the same as you move up and down the keyword, producing each chord as you move along. On the guitar you have the different CAGED shapes for chords, but on the piano it is basically the same shape for each root chord, the same shape for each 1st inversion, the same for each 2nd, the same for each 7th chord (with a slight adjustment of the thumb distance as you move across the E/F and B/C region). Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but the keyboard finger shapes are very regular, the guitar shapes much less so. This difference in ease is why songs composed on guitar tend to have fewer chords than those composed on piano, becuase the latter is just easier in this regard.
Excellent video. I have played guitar for almost 20 years at this point and went to music school, but I still am learning. Guitar is hard. I have explained it this way to people: imagine you have six piano keyboards lined up against each other, but each keyboard starts on a different note - and then you have to figure out how to play THAT.
The advice to play a scale with only one octave is a great insight. I came to this approach somewhat naturally three or four years ago, and my improvisational ability really opened up. Limiting the scale you practice to one octave at a time, in groups of three strings, helps to reduce the complexity and confusion of trying to remember a multi octave scale pattern. Most of the time, whether improvising or learning a different piece of music, a multi octave scale being used in a real piece of music is rare. So the one octave thing is very practical. An example I have started with is a C major scale starting on the eighth fret of the sixth string running up to the tenth fret of the 4th string. Then practice the same scale but starting on fifth string third fret or fourth string tenth fret etc.
And by the way, anyone who doesn’t have the patience to sit through this video doesn’t have the patience to actually learn the guitar either.
Thank you! It’s funny that I had the exact same idea with the six piano keyboards lined up, but I’ve never shared that thought with anyone... It’s good to know other guitarists have similar thoughts. I also appreciate you sharing your experience and explaining the one-octave concept-it really sums it up well. I’ll cover this in detail in part 5 of my 'Build a Strong Fretboard Understanding' series.
@@underground_man nah, just read the comment I left recently. Learning only 3 strings REALLY gimps you.
@@e7thstar I learned multi-octave scale patterns with my first guitar teacher and learned more of these while in college. Those were good for learning the layout of the fretboard. But to integrate your knowledge of the fretboard, practicing single octave scales worked for me, and I came to that idea much later. I think that learning and practicing both is helpful. Going from studying multi-octave scales to single octave scales is counterintuitive in the same way that the guitar itself is counterintuitive, like @becomegreatatguitar highlights in this video. But, from a practical standpoint, it makes sense to many of us.
@@e7thstar why? it just depends on what you play, 3 strings is enough for 95% of punk
I have played guitar, mostly classical, all my life and I remember being quite surprised when one of my teachers told me the guitar is probably the hardest instrument to learn. Until now, I had never really appreciated the two dimensional nature of the instrument and this explains it very well.
One problem I think with the guitar is it is easy to learn at the early stages such that one can play songs and sing along but it makes guitarists lazy about learning music theory properly. On most other instruments people at least have the rudiments of theory and being able to read music. Someone on this thread gave a quote from Segovia saying the "guitar is easy to learn but very hard to master" - all too true.
Thank you for sharing this. I had a classical teacher who told me something very similar about learning guitar. He even had a framed picture of Segovia in his room and would reference him from time to time... I agree with what you're saying. And of course it’s completely normal in your guitar journey-and with any other instrument-to know and play some songs without a deeper understanding. Some people just don’t care about understanding these topics and just want to play, which is totally fine. But those who strive to understand music through the lens of a guitar often find it more challenging, so it's easy to be lazy because of confusion. I was definitely a lazy student because of this... Of course, this is entirely subjective and can vary for everyone...
"On guitar, it's a total mess". Truer words were never spoken. Great video!
Thank you!
Outstanding presentation of a complex subject. Your graphics accompanying your explanations are terrific. I'm 72, but I built a foundation in music theory in my brain at 16 years old. when I was first learning guitar and the piano keyboard. I use my theory knowledge constantly to guide my playing. Thanks for all the hard work you put into this video. Great job.
Thanks for sharing this and the kind words! I totally agree. A solid foundation in music theory is so helpful.
A coupe of comments are moaning about shallow stuff like video style, but I just listen to what he’s saying about how the guitar works. It explains stuff about the nature of the guitar which I feel when I play, but which i don’t have the musical vocabulary to describe. V informative video, thanks. It explains a lot🙌
Thank you!
I’m 4 years into my DIY guitar learning journey and a buddy pointed me towards Intervals very early on. I realise now more than ever what a gift it was: I can improvise freely in any key all over the fretboard, Modal scales are embraced rather than rejected, I’ve become a chord builder rather than a chord & shape memoriser, it helped me understand and apply Harmonics, etc. Some friends with 10+ years of experience actually ask me for tips on Modes and navigating the fretboard. If this was how guitar was taught from day one there would be much less people quitting early on, imho, and definitely less people getting stuck in the typical "intermediate ruts"… and surely much less "break out of the box" and "CAGED" courses being offered on TH-cam 😅 Fantastic video, new sub here.
This sounds amazing! I’m glad you made such great progress in such a short time.
Your buddy gave you great advice, and he’s totally right about the importance of intervals.
This is so crucial but still extremely neglected.
Because of this, I cover how to play and conceptualize the basic intervals in my next two upcoming videos. Thanks for sharing this!
@@becomegreatatguitar Cool, I look forward to your next vids as I enjoy getting various perspectives of how people tackle theory.
CAGED is a fantastic system and used by many of the all time greats. judging by the misuse of a bunch of terms in just this short paragraph im guessing theres a good deal of dunning kruger going on here. id advise you to become a bit of a chord and shape memorizer. its what all of us professionals do.
I love music, but when I try to explain therory to new guitar learners their eyes seem to glaze over and they stop listening. Music is hard and it takes hard work to learn music, but it is so worth the hard work. I guess many guitar players stop learning when they discover that it takes hard work and practice to advance. They watch the pros and think the pros simply have more talent. No. The real pros had more patience and determination to work hard at becoming great. It’s supposed to be hard. It’s the hard that makes it great. Rewards come from patience, commitment, and rock hard determination. Nothing less will do it.
@@tomdaoust So true, anything in life which is worthwhile takes hard work and dedication. It's not even a thing of "people don't have an attention span nowadays", that would be too easy since there have always been more guitar quitters than guitar players. I'm by no means a guitar teacher but I think it has a lot do with the fact that the first question should be "what do you want to play and why?" If someone wants to be a campfire player, awesome... teach them a few open chords, point them to a site where they can download endless simple songs and let them rip. Do they want to play Punk? Teach them the concept of power chords on the 6th and 5th frets and voilà. Scales/theory are not what these people are looking for... they just want to have fun. But if anyone told me they wanted to become a serious player I would definitely tell them they have to put the work in. I think so many teachers are stuck in their "lesson routine-for-all" and that's not helpful either. And who's to say someone who starts off simple and is having fun, building appreciation for the instrument, won't look for a deeper dive at a later point... which will never happen if they quit though.
Insane quality of content - and all for free! Can’t believe how good the production value alone is on this video
Thank you!
@@becomegreatatguitar Yes, excellent.
Learning the music alphabet and the major scale in each key and learning that they line up with modes made my understanding expand exponentially
That's right. Throw in your harmonized scale... chords ...triads then you are really cooking.
The modes yes. The modes are the major scale!!! I love it.
All the songs come from that.... every style.
14:30 "However, on guitar, its a total mess.". 😅 That is the most accurate statement about my understanding if triads and their inversions. I understand most things about learning guitar, but my brain turns to mush trying learn triad positions.
I feel you... On bad days my brains turns to mush too when practicing triads 😅
THE GUITAR IS MUCH EASIER THAN YOUR BRAIN MAKES IT SEEM. Allow me to shed some light.
Just learn one basic major scale. Once you have that down, move it up two frets, then two more, then one, then two, then two, then two, then one....and VOILA you've unlocked the fretboard.
For example. Let's say you learn the scale of G major (the name of 3rd fret on the 6th strings' name is G)
(6th string) 3 5 7
(5th string) 3 5 7
(4th string) 4 5 7
(3rd string) 4 5 7
(2nd string) 5 7 8
(1st string) 5 7 8
Next you'll learn
(6th string) 5 7 8
(5th string) 5 7 9
(4th string) 5 7 9
(3rd string) 5 7 9
(2nd string) 7 8 10
(1st string) 7 8 10
Then
(6th string) 7 8 10
(5th string) 7 9 10
(4th string) 7 9 10
(3rd string) 7 9 11
(2nd string) 8 10 12
(1st string) 8 10 12
Then
(6th string) 8 10 12
(5th string) 9 10 12
(4th string) 9 10 12
(3rd string) 9 10 12
(2nd string) 10 12 13
(1st string) 10 12 14
Then
(6th string) 10 12 14
(5th string) 10 12 14
(4th string) 10 12 14
(3rd string) 11 12 14
(2nd string) 12 13 15
(1st string) 12 14 15
Then
(6th string) 12 14 15
(5th string) 12 14 15
(4th string) 12 14 16
(3rd string) 12 14 16
(2nd string) 13 15 17
(1st string) 14 15 17
Then
(6th string) 14 15 17
(5th string) 14 15 17
(4th string) 14 16 17
(3rd string) 14 16 17
(2nd string) 15 17 19
(1st string) 15 17 19
Then
(6th string) 15 17 19
(5th string) 15 17 19
(4th string) 16 17 19
(3rd string) 16 17 19
(2nd string) 17 19 20
(1st string) 17 19 20
Then (or lastly)
(6th string) 17 19 20
(5th string) 17 19 21
(4th string) 17 19 21
(3rd string) 17 19 21
(2nd string) 19 20 22
(1st string) 19 20 22
Lastly (if your guitar has 24 frets)
(6th string) 19 20 22
(5th string) 19 21 22
(4th string) 19 21 22
(3rd string) 19 21 23
(2nd string) 20 22 24
(1st string) 20 22 24
Hopefully by now you've realized the patterns repeat when you go up 12 frets.
(The first pattern is the same as the 8th pattern. The second is the same as the 9th, etc). This means you ONLY HAVE TO LEARN 7 patterns to understand the fretboard (disclaimer- this is only for conventional music. It does not take into account "accidental notes"...a la jazz, but even then you'll do ok)
The guitar will become MUCH easier to understand once your brain and your hands learn these 7 patterns.
The scale i wrote down is the scale of G (or g major) so if the song's root (the chord the verse of the song starts in) starts on G, you can solo away to any of those patterns to your heart's content.
Let's say the song starts on A major, then instead of starting on the 3rd fret on the 6th string, you will start on the 5th fret of the 6th string.
Lastly, let's say your song doesn't start on a major chord, but a minor. NO PROBLEM. it's still the same sh*t. The relative minor (for our purposes the minor equivalent) of G is Em. Meaning that if the song starts in Em, you can use the same patterns you've just learned for the scale of G.
If I see you use this in your fretboard video I better see some credit or at least a mention. I don't know why NO ONE teaches this. The guitar is simple. Training your hands is what is hard
Thanks for your effort! I really appreciate it!
@@e7thstar "you only have to learn 7 patterns to understand the fretboard" LMAO is that all?? Here I was about to agree with you that this guy is making the guitar sound unnecessarily difficult, then you literally tab out the major scale across the entire fretboard and call that "basic". And even that you went out of your way to over complicate by not stopping at the 15th fret, all the over lapping notes as you moved up. If that's how you learned, and still think about, the fretboard, I really feel for you. But please don't try and inflict it on anyone else.
Also, Im quite sure you don't own a patent on the Ionian mode, so asking someone to give you credit on their video if they bring up scale patterns makes you sound like a total douchebag.
this video had to be an extraordinary amount of work. Very well done!
Thanks! Indeed, it was. After about 30 hours, I lost track of the hours I've spent on this video... maybe 40-50 hours in total...I can't say for sure.
i play piano and guitar and i've always felt like guitar actually deepened my theory knowledge far more than piano ever did. but when i started teaching i was so surprised how rare that is
Interesting...! But sure, strings can illustrate some aspects of music theory differently and perhaps better than keys...
I’m a decent guitar player and after 15 years I’m just now dialing in on caged knowledge, the modes, and really knowing my intervals on intuitively deep level.
Makes me appreciate how hard guitsr really is to make sense of starting from zero
You are a guitar / teacher genius . You just unleash the myth behind the learning process, explaining in depth what the guitar is about. I just become your fan instantly . Great work indeed .
Thank you! Nice to hear that!
Plus when you bend strings you pass through areas that are not among the 12 note scale, that are between the notes of the 12 note scale.
Sounds like the guitar could use a rebooting of applicable note theory.
That's how microtones still sneak into Western Music Theory without fair recognition. People just casually describe it as nuances and inflections, for lack of sufficient technical vocabulary in the Western system-and even moreso against the historical backdrop of pre-Standardization to 440A, which is essentially everything music-related before the 1950s. 😛 Fretless-guitarists escaped the Matrix entirely, with both microtonal as well as non-Stabdard musical options at their disposal, without even bending or sliding, as long as they haven't limited their ear-development out of habit on fretted guitars or bad advice such as that valid note values do not vary, and so deserve every bit as much highbrow respect as violin virtuosos. To me, it sounds like the difference between a basic box of 12 crayons versus the 64 pack, if notes were colors with in-between shades. 😎 That said, a "fretless" version of an 88-key piano would have about 469 keys. 😱
As you indicate, the two dimensions mean that unisons and octives based on the same scale-note can be played in multiple locations, even at the same time--far more options than on the piano. Plus guitar fingering is way more technically complex (and physically difficult, even painful), partly for anatomical reasons--hand/finger size, shape and design.
Learning Guitar is insanely FUN. That's all you need. Find friends and jam together, doesnt matter which instrument they play. Play music
If you want to understand the guitar, you must investigate CAGED. These 5 chord shapes can be used to play all over the fretboard. So CAGED, AGEDC, GEDCA, EDCAG, DCAGE are the 5 ways that any chord can be played in 5 places on the fretboard. - Play E7 at open and at the 12th fret, now play E7 but using the D7 shape up 2 frets; now play E7 but using the C7 shape up between frets 5-7; now play E7 but using the A7 shape between frets 7-9; and finally play E7 using the G7 shape between frets 9-12.
Now to each of those 5-E7 chords, associate the E Mixolydian scale (1-2-3-4-5-6-b7 and E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D).
Now you can play E7 in 5 places, and you can play the Mixolydian scale in those same 5 places.
Find a YT one-chord vamp that uses just E7. Have fun playing over it in 5 different places on the neck!
Thanks for sharing this. That's good advice!
No
I'll come back when I finally have the mental capacity to take this all in
@@AEZ-VEL don't listen to him. Just learn one basic major scale. Once you have that down, move it up two frets, then two more, then one, then two, then two, then two, then one....and VOILA you've unlocked the fretboard.
For example. Let's say you learn the scale of G major (the name of the note on the 3rd fret on the 6th string is G)
(6th string) 3 5 7
(5th string) 3 5 7
(4th string) 4 5 7
(3rd string) 4 5 7
(2nd string) 5 7 8
(1st string) 5 7 8
Next you'll learn
(6th string) 5 7 8
(5th string) 5 7 9
(4th string) 5 7 9
(3rd string) 5 7 9
(2nd string) 7 8 10
(1st string) 7 8 10
Then
(6th string) 7 8 10
(5th string) 7 9 10
(4th string) 7 9 10
(3rd string) 7 9 11
(2nd string) 8 10 12
(1st string) 8 10 12
Then
(6th string) 8 10 12
(5th string) 9 10 12
(4th string) 9 10 12
(3rd string) 9 10 12
(2nd string) 10 12 13
(1st string) 10 12 14
Then
(6th string) 10 12 14
(5th string) 10 12 14
(4th string) 10 12 14
(3rd string) 11 12 14
(2nd string) 12 13 15
(1st string) 12 14 15
Then
(6th string) 12 14 15
(5th string) 12 14 15
(4th string) 12 14 16
(3rd string) 12 14 16
(2nd string) 13 15 17
(1st string) 14 15 17
Then
(6th string) 14 15 17
(5th string) 14 15 17
(4th string) 14 16 17
(3rd string) 14 16 17
(2nd string) 15 17 19
(1st string) 15 17 19
Then
(6th string) 15 17 19
(5th string) 15 17 19
(4th string) 16 17 19
(3rd string) 16 17 19
(2nd string) 17 19 20
(1st string) 17 19 20
Then (or lastly)
(6th string) 17 19 20
(5th string) 17 19 21
(4th string) 17 19 21
(3rd string) 17 19 21
(2nd string) 19 20 22
(1st string) 19 20 22
Lastly (if your guitar has 24 frets)
(6th string) 19 20 22
(5th string) 19 21 22
(4th string) 19 21 22
(3rd string) 19 21 23
(2nd string) 20 22 24
(1st string) 20 22 24
Hopefully by now you've realized the patterns repeat when you go up 12 frets.
(The first pattern is the same as the 8th pattern. The second is the same as the 9th, etc). This means you ONLY HAVE TO LEARN 7 patterns to understand the fretboard (disclaimer- this is only for conventional music. It does not take into account "accidental notes"...a la jazz, but even then you'll do ok)
The guitar will become MUCH easier to understand once your brain and your hands learn these 7 patterns.
The scale i wrote down is the scale of G (or g major) so if the song's root (the chord the verse of the song starts in) starts on G, you can solo away to any of those patterns to your heart's content.
Let's say the song starts on A major, then instead of starting on the 3rd fret on the 6th string, you will start on the 5th fret of the 6th string.
Lastly, let's say your song doesn't start in a major scale, but a minor. NO PROBLEM. it's still the same sh*t. The relative minor (for our purposes the minor equivalent) of G is Em. Meaning that if the song starts in Em, you can use the same patterns you've just learned for the scale of G.
TL;DR
Learn the 10 patterns i wrote
There are only 7 DIFFERENT patterns
They start repeating AFTER the 7th pattern
The 8th pattern is the same as the first
The 9th is the same as the second, etc.
You're welcome. Wish you luck on your journey
I'm so grateful that I took lessons in my early teens. I played solidly for around 6 or 7 years but stopped for a long while. But because of those lessons I took I'm able to pick up the guitar every now-and-then and I can very quickly get close to my best again
I'm currently focusing on acoustic and I'm a far FAR better acoustic player now than I ever was
This is a nice analysis. Guitars are also missing the physical geography of the piano (which has those raised sharps and flats on the keyboard). To add just a modest geographic indicator to my guitar, I put a strip of textured 3M tape on the palm side of the neck, right at the seventh fret, so I can easily "feel" where I am - even without always looking at the fingerboard.
Thanks! You're right. That is really another point worth mentioning. I hadn’t thought about this one, despite having practiced many times to play without looking at the fretboard.
I did the same thing, but with a dot of white out
Thank you for this free lesson. There can be intermediant guitarist that may not have studied this fretboard theory. That being said, they might already be playing on stage or in a band. Not many I’ve known practice intervals, triads & chord shapes to scales relationship, intstead, they learn songs.
Excellent content for only 20 minutes.
Thank you! Glad You like this video! Yeah, I agree. There are even high-level players who don’t know much about music theory and, in fact, have never practiced it for the purpose of learning music theory. Yet, they have somehow mastered the guitar through all its difficulties by playing by ear and focusing only on real music instead of exercises. However, such skills are rare and require good ears and a high level of resilience because you essentially learn through an extreme amount of trial and error. Most folks who try this method quit too early before they achieve good results. But you’re right, not too many guitarists practice this theory & exercise stuff. This usually becomes interesting when you take this hobby more seriously or want to become a pro. But even then it's possible to not do it and be successful anyway....
@@becomegreatatguitarDo you incorporate any of that trial and error into your practice? And how often do you think many of the greats trial and error things?
I had difficulties playing the guitar, until I learned an important secret. Stop thinking about playing, and it gets better. Same thing with archery...stop trying to aim, and you're gonna hit the target every time.
As a guitar and saxophone teacher who often works with people who already play a wind instrument or piano, I can attest that this extra dimension is a challenge for most.
Thanks for sharing this!!!
Man the online guitar community is toxic as fuck
This has me cracking up. It really is lol
There is also utility to the design: the ease of transposing. Gotta play a solo in B instead of A? No problem. Just play everything a whole step higher. It's easy because visually everything stays the same.
Doing the same with e.g. piano, or almost any other instrument is much, much harder.
Yup
It’s easy to learn a two chord song and that drives you to learn more. The secret is, don’t bite off more than you can chew in the beginning and get discouraged
I remember telling someone "piano is a fundamentally simpler instrument than guitar" years ago and they looked at me like I had lobsters coming out of my ears. Anyone can sit down and play a chord on piano while just playing even a single note on guitar is hard at first. Good to see I'm not the only one this was apparent to.
That being said, both are hard to get "good" at, whatever that may mean to you.
recommenting for reupload, great video. The guitar IS confusing. this is a great video to explain this.
Thanks for recommenting! I really appreciate this!
Haha! Not as confusing as women. 😅
Great video! Looking forward to the series 👍
Thank you! I'm already in the making of it!
Thank you for this video. You did an excellent job!
Thank you too!
You raised some aspects of guitar i've never thought about. The hardest thing about piano for me, is being able to choose 10 notes at once!
Cool! Yeah, the piano has definitely different challenges.
I already have an understanding of music theory. Guitar is my main instrument, but not my only instrument. This video is way too basic for me specifically, but the information offered is solid. As I am also interested in the best ways to teach music, I'm going to be looking at your other videos. I like your style.
Thanks!
It's not that hard if you have a good instructor and follow a process. Do not rely on YT videos and random info. that will quickly overwhelm you. Truefire is a great site with great teachers and a learning path. Learn to love the process of learning- not just playing. You can learn a few simple chords and have fun for years or you can take it further. It's up to you. Theory will make you much better. Some people have muscle memory- play the same memorized riffs over and over but have no clue and limited musical abilities. Just have fun with it and enjoy learning. It's really just simple math- as he says, intervals, steps, scales, triads, formulas to make major and minor scales and modes...again, just math.
Ive been struggling with learning guitar for years. Your video inspired me to try again.
"However on guitar, it's a total mess..." This is such a great video for a keys player who wants to pickup guitar!
Its crazy how much music is built off the diatonad and we are so familiar with its sound while its so tricky to explain to the uninitiated.
"however, on guitar, it's a total mess." well, that about sums it up.
I studied piano and piano accordion for 10 years. Then I wanted to learn guitar and could not make sense how notes are assembled. Can’t wait for your videos. I am reluctant to purchase a guitar as I just don’t understand the structure. I studied music the name of notes are Do,re,mi,fa,sol,la,ci,do. The guitar note names is very difficult. I love your explanation. Thanks.
Thanks for the nice words! Great to have a piano&accordion player here :) The new video is online: th-cam.com/video/Gw6s9xiJ_w8/w-d-xo.html
There I explain the note degrees, which are practically the same as Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, but they are just named in numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. I think you'll grasp this instrument quickly with this background.
@@becomegreatatguitar thank you. With instructor like you. I feel confident I will.
I also started as a musician on the piano accordion which is very difficult for different reasons. My accordion had 120 buttons for the left hand bass and chords (hard to memorize without being able to actually look at them). But the guitar is bizarre, I agree.
@@RogueReplicant mine was 120 too German built VeltMistr
Bruuuh just buy the guitar and start the suffering ... It's easier to learn other instruments after playing guitar ... It's even helped me be able to write with both hands 😂😂😂...
I agree, I play trumpet and piano and struggle with guitar. I'm a visual learner, being able to see what I'm doing while playing is everything to me.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm a visual learner too....but also heavily a kinesthetic learner.
1:24 for the key points, a few seconds later, the usual TH-cam spam, ‘if you watch to the end I will tell you…..’….yeah OK, I think I can learn the synth in the meantime.
It just takes practice and repetition. I see the fretboard as part of the piano, stacked diagonally in a way. Also, I think learning relative minor and major scales in the song you are playing, along with 2-3 pentatonic positions are a good way to start. The circle of fifths is brilliant as well. For me though, I will be more motivated to learn the keys of songs I'm jamming because then I can apply it in the song.
I found it helpful to discover the repeating patterns for scales and triads on the guitar fretboard.
For example: a scale can be played using only three finger patterns across strings.
And the relationship of a root note to the third or fifth note is the same between any two strings, with the exception of the 3rd and 2nd string.
This last anomaly is easy enough to recognize and remember.
Paying attention to repeating patterns helps a lot in tying basic music theory to the guitar.
Absolutely! Recognizing patterns in scales, triads and other concepts is part of learning and understanding your instrument.
Sure the C major key is easy on a piano. Now try D major and see two white keys turn black and then try the C# key. On a guitar the shapes stay the same regardless of the key.
Once you have hand sync and finger independence its a matter of creativity.
Memorizing a song is much different than improvisation.
90% of the frustration of learning guitar is the first year. 98% of people cant get past that first year.
I've been playing for50 years.but I'm not much better than I was 49 years ago. Then it occurred to me that I have no musical talent. But I still enjoy it
@douglasparise3986 you probably do have the ability and talent, but you require the mindset
This video is very thorough, and the information is correct, but it misses the point. You have to remember that every instrument was created to address a musical problem, and the guitar was created because musicians became interested in harmony, rather than melody. That is, stacking notes, playing them together, as in chords. That's why the guitar is tuned in fourths, unlike the violin family, which is tuned in fifths: so that your hand can reach several notes in the scale at the same time, to play them together. (the exception is the contra-bass, which is also tuned in fourths, because if it were tuned in fifths, it's so longe that you wouldn't be able to reach to play a scale fluently) Now, you can also play scales on a guitar, pick out melodies, but bear in mind you're getting the instrument to do something it wasn't designed for.
One of the things that makes guitar a complicated instrument is reading music. On the piano, each note is found in just one place; each key corresponds to one black dot on the staff. On the guitar, some notes can be played at several places on the fretboard. To play sheet music on the guitar, you need to consider what was played before, what you're playing after, and what notes are being played together, and how you're going to reach them all. Solving these problems, and being practiced enough to do so on-the-fly is what makes the guitar interesting.
One of the ideas that's served me well for playing melodies on the guitar is to remember that string crossings are never used for half-step intervals; you'd just stay on the same string and go up one fret. So make the whole-step intervals in the scale coincide with string crossings.
The guitar isn't ideal as a first instrument, but it will keep you busy for the rest of your life! The piano, which much more resembles music notation, is a better place to start. But once you've had your introduction, pick up a guitar!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Morgan. I appreciate that you mentioned monophonic vs. polyphonic playing and the aspect of reading music. These are really important topics that I didn't address in the video, but they’re definitely worth exploring in more depth. Sure, I think it's save to say that from a historical point of view the guitar wasn't designed for being played as a melody instrument. But a modern approach of learning the guitar shouldn't care too much about this, because nowadays it's often the case that all you do is soloing and improvising.
Two major advantages the guitar has over the piano is you can move the same chord voicing up and down and learning a scale in different keys is a matter of learning one shape. The Major 3rd distance from the G to B string was a big hurdle for me to overcome in the beginning too.
I would recommend guitar players learn music theory from a piano keyboard then apply to a guitar fretboard. Major and Minor triads for instance make sense quicker on a keyboard.
Learning to play guitar is like learning to play golf. You can never win. You can just keep learning and growing.
amazing production value my brother. I see a bright future ahead of you.
Thank you! Glad you like it!
I’m a beginning guitar music theory student … and this video opened my eyes as to why guitar is hard to grasp.
I'm glad it helped.
thanks for validating the complexity of learning how to play, it definitely reassured me 🤓 I needed to hear something like this, you inspired me to keep going 🙌😊
also I loved your delivery, very engaging and easy to follow 👌
Thank you, Dafne! I'm really happy you're saying this! I really hope to be encouraging with this video, but I wasn't sure if I conveyed that clearly.😀🙌
@@becomegreatatguitar you 100% did 🤓 I agree that at some point we need to be aware and accept that this is going to be a long journey that requires patience because it won't be a linear and easy path. This way it is more likely that we stick to it, instead of thinking that we haven't made enough progress after a certain amount of time and probably start thinking that we are not learning 'fast enough' and consider quitting because of that. I think that is one of the key messages you conveyed n_n keep sharing your advice and knowledge 😊🙏
This was an amazing video! Very well structured, thanks a lot!
Thank you!
The combination of Learning CAGED, learning to sight read sheet music while playing g guitar, and practicing jamming and playing with other musicians has unlocked a lot of doors for me and within a relatively short amount of time allowed me to become a fairly independent upper intermediate player.
Thanks for sharing this! I think this really shows the power of combinations. It's never just one thing that moves you forward...
Absolutely. Even in very small doses these things will rapidly improve one’s playing skills.
As a self taught player, the 2 dimensional aspect is what always made me feel guitar was easier for me to understand ironically.
With piano, it always felt like there was a definitive "right" key to push. But with guitar, i feel there is a greater sense of freedom with tone and feel given that any note is accessible anywhere on the fretboard. And alternate tunings are possible to make the same shapes sound totally different. I think its total freedom compared to other instruments
I'm self taught and agree, no boundaries.
Yeah, there are definitely many unique & positive aspects in the guitar's design too!
this is what makes it difficult compared to most instruments
Excellent exposition. Logical and clear.
Many thanks!
Great video! As someone that learn trumpet, then piano and music theory before learning guitar I now know why I suck so much as a guitarist.
Thank you! Yeah, it's so helpful to play not just the guitar. This way you get a different perspective on music. It's really important.
Excellent video
Thank you!
Most people learn to play song, minority learn to master the guitar
Thank you! I’m used to playing chords but trying to learn it properly and memorise scales and positions. The moving up and down and across with all different ways to do it is driving me crazy.
You're welcome! With time and practice it will get less confusing.
I’ve played guitar over 50 years but I can still see chords better on the piano. Everything is just sitting there. I think people who can really play guitar well can see those chords very quickly. I think learning the basic chords and then learning the CAGED method is the best practical way to learn basic guitar and then expand to more interesting and complex chords. I didn’t really discover CAGED theory until 20 years ago. It lets you see what’s going on very clearly.
CAGED is helpful for many players, indeed. I think that chords easier to visualize on piano too. Maybe that’s common…
Learn the songs you want to play over time and eventually you'll learn all you need to know
No, then you'll learn to play songs, not the guitar
I just want to play the songs I like. So I fully agree with the comment.
I spent 6 months learning nothing but Beethoven songs on guitar. Then tried to play nirvana and shocked myself. Then again classical is studying as much as playing
My guitar playing started improving learning to play songs!
@springbloom5940 I couldn't agree more with this statement. I think the biggest beginner trap with instruments is thinking that learning songs is the main thing to do, when people should learning to get comfortable with their instruments. The amount of people who can play plenty of songs, but when you ask them to improvise or write a song they freeze is crazy. People spend years playing other people's songs only to realise they don't actually understand their instruments. Learning songs from time to time to get ideas, or analyse like jazz artists do is fine, but using that as the main bulk of practice is counter productive.
What should be the best interface (instrument )to play Music?
The one you already play or love the most
Keyboards … everyone has to study keyboards in Jazz college.
(I’m a guitarist first but keyboards are the most logical and they interface with computers the best.) - I’d say get keys, a guitar, a bass and some drums and mess around with all 4.
@@m.vonhollen6673thanks for the advice !
Time & perseverance .. doesn’t matter which instrument you choose if you don’t commit to it honestly & completely . You can cheat , but you’re not going to progress , if your instrument stays in its case , then it’s a waste of time .
❤ great stuff thanks
Thanks!
Very informative. Thanks
You're welcome!
I cant read music but after I learnt notes on the fret board and how to read it, playing got a lot easier. I can ask 'What key are you in?' and quickly know what scales and where on the keyboard to play to fit with that key. Also I was hamstringing myself because I wanted to be Paul Gilbert, which I never will be, and this mindset put up a brick wall to any progress. Im still crap after many years but I play my best within my limits 😊
To me, learning guitar is easy. It is small so it is convenient to play almost everywhere. :-)
Not everybody can learn it by themselves... actualy very few people can, almost none. But once you learn and master the secrets it becomes obvious what the instrument is about and how you could guide someone to go from zero to the point that you are. The point is: some people had this kind of teacher in their lives and learnt with their experience, while others, that could never learn, only had lazy bad teachers
I've done very little research and could find that most of the guitar legends had intense regular classes with a good teach until they got to the level you pretty much knew them
Im still learning after 30;years of playing i still feel like the same noob but I find you have little adventures each one is like a new series some things you just don't get then oneday it just comes in seconds
Just got a sub. You are a great communicator and teacher. Top quality video.
Thanks and welcome, Matthew!
bro nah u deserve so many more subscribers
Thanks!
Worth the viewing time.
I started playing guitar as 10 yeat old kid. I can't imagine trying to learn as an adult.
Watching this video about the complexity of playing a guitar - makes me think of a thought I have had , that being , that I believe people who play guitar and get really good at playing are probably also good at mathmatics 🧐🤔
I was not good at it...I remember that my math teacher said to me something like this: "Musicians are usually good at math..."😅
This great! looking forward to more vids 🎩🎩🎩
What a fantastic video have a wonderful day also last night was my younger brother birthday ❤😊
Thank you! Have a wonderful day too! And happy birthday to your brother!
Good vid.
Excellent. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just play what you feel, once you learn where everything is... There's NO THINKING about it! It just comes, like magic!
Umm, no. This is bad advice. How do I know? It’s what I did for 30 years. Gets you nowhere.
From my experience. Learn one scale. Then move it up two frets, then two more, then one, then two, then two, then two, then one. Never change scale. By doing this you've unlocked the whole fretboard...at least for a song using a major chord as its base....LUCKILY, each major scale has a relatively minor, which means that a song using a minor chord as its root will use the exact same patterns you've already learned.
You're welcome.
...if what I wrote makes no sense, then you're fked.
Forgot to add, play 3 notes per string. If you do 2, you're gimping yourself. ALSO, spend 2 years mastering alternate picking so you can actually play what you hear in your head without your right hand making you sound like crap
M8 i had a great laugh at the 'your fkd' part. Thank you @@e7thstar
@@flamen89 i decided to come back and help out the lost souls
@@gregdemeterband Let's say you learn the scale of G major (the name of 3rd fret on the 6th strings' name is G)
(6th string) 3 5 7
(5th string) 3 5 7
(4th string) 4 5 7
(3rd string) 4 5 7
(2nd string) 5 7 8
(1st string) 5 7 8
Next you'll learn
(6th string) 5 7 8
(5th string) 5 7 9
(4th string) 5 7 9
(3rd string) 5 7 9
(2nd string) 7 8 10
(1st string) 7 8 10
Then
(6th string) 7 8 10
(5th string) 7 9 10
(4th string) 7 9 10
(3rd string) 7 9 11
(2nd string) 8 10 12
(1st string) 8 10 12
Then
(6th string) 8 10 12
(5th string) 9 10 12
(4th string) 9 10 12
(3rd string) 9 10 12
(2nd string) 10 12 13
(1st string) 10 12 14
Then
(6th string) 10 12 14
(5th string) 10 12 14
(4th string) 10 12 14
(3rd string) 11 12 14
(2nd string) 12 13 15
(1st string) 12 14 15
Then
(6th string) 12 14 15
(5th string) 12 14 15
(4th string) 12 14 16
(3rd string) 12 14 16
(2nd string) 13 15 17
(1st string) 14 15 17
Then
(6th string) 14 15 17
(5th string) 14 15 17
(4th string) 14 16 17
(3rd string) 14 16 17
(2nd string) 15 17 19
(1st string) 15 17 19
Then
(6th string) 15 17 19
(5th string) 15 17 19
(4th string) 16 17 19
(3rd string) 16 17 19
(2nd string) 17 19 20
(1st string) 17 19 20
Then (or lastly)
(6th string) 17 19 20
(5th string) 17 19 21
(4th string) 17 19 21
(3rd string) 17 19 21
(2nd string) 19 20 22
(1st string) 19 20 22
Lastly (if your guitar has 24 frets)
(6th string) 19 20 22
(5th string) 19 21 22
(4th string) 19 21 22
(3rd string) 19 21 23
(2nd string) 20 22 24
(1st string) 20 22 24
Hopefully by now you've realized the patterns repeat when you go up 12 frets.
(The first pattern is the same as the 8th pattern. The second is the same as the 9th, etc). This means you ONLY HAVE TO LEARN 7 patterns to understand the fretboard (disclaimer- this is only for conventional music. It does not take into account "accidental notes"...a la jazz, but even then you'll do ok)
The guitar will become MUCH easier to understand once your brain and your hands learn these 7 patterns.
The scale i wrote down is the scale of G (or g major) so if the song's root (the chord the verse of the song starts in) starts on G, you can solo away to any of those patterns to your heart's content.
Let's say the song starts on A major, then instead of starting on the 3rd fret on the 6th string, you will start on the 5th fret of the 6th string.
Lastly, let's say your song doesn't start on a major chord, but a minor. NO PROBLEM. it's still the same sh*t. The relative minor (for our purposes the minor equivalent) of G is Em. Meaning that if the song starts in Em, you can use the same patterns you've just learned for the scale of G.
Dude, you should do standup comedy. 😃
So helpful thank you
You're welcome! Thanks!
Doesn't this apply to every string instrument?
Curious if you’re a fan of Rick Beato, another great guitar player
I have to admit, I rarely watch other guitar TH-camrs, but I enjoy Rick's videos-especially his interviews.
I was thinking about learning the guitar but after watching this video I gave up.
Let’s not forget that hitting a piano key is something cats can do while humans can’t even get guitar strings to ring without building callouses 😅
LOL😂
Well said..
Why are there black keys and why are there half steps in a scale? It’s also not so regular on the piano.
Of course it's regular. Just take a look at the upper half of the keyboard, where all the keys are the same size. If you play from one key to the next, you'll see that it's organized in consistent half steps.
@@becomegreatatguitar then why doesn't it look like this.
th-cam.com/video/EV6s1N8M48o/w-d-xo.html 😀😇
I'm a drummer and have attempted 4 times to learn guitar.
Guitar fret board is a nightmare. I switched to keyboard and Jesus Christ, what the fuck was I thinking trying to learn the guitar.
I like this vid; I don't know why.
Guitar is very difficult at the start as it’s physically challenging. Piano is easier to start with but the hand independence element is more difficult than playing guitar for me.
Yeah, the Piano has really different challenges. I find reading music on piano quite hard, because you need to read the left and right hand simultaneously in different clefs.
I had a basic guitar theory book when I was a teenager and remember thinking , oh I just put my fingers in the same patterns where the numbered dots are and I can play chords !!
Thank goodness no one explained to me how hard it was supposed to be or I’d probably have never stuck with it
I'm so overwhelmed 😅
It's ok. That's part of the journey.
@@becomegreatatguitar thank you ❤️
why did i started to play this mess of instrument :D
I think many guitarists have had this thought at least once in their lifetime :D
😂❤
Claiming it's worth my time to watch to the end, but filling out the beginning with word sallad. You seem to know what you're talking about so why not put some substantial material at the beginning? It will accomplish your goal of getting the video long enough to get revenue off it. And you will get happier viewers. Win-win.
As for me, I'm out of here at 1:56..
I may have a solution to all your problems !
Simply make all your strings identical, then you don't have to worry about the 2nd dimension.
Guitar is easy to learn something that sounds ok, at the beginning. The violin is awful to sound good at the beginning. The guitar is hard to do advanced stuff. Anything like jazz improvisation or virtuosic style pieces are hard on the guitar. Left and right hand synchronisation is a must.
The script feels repetitive
I know... I intentionally repeated some key points, but there’s still a lot to improve. I think Episode 100 has the potential to be a good one. I just need more practice. Until then, done is better than perfect.