Check out the free resources for this lesson. There, you’ll find the tabs for this exercise with the patterns and some additional tools that you can print out and use in your guitar practice.
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Table of Contents
In this 5-part series, we’re diving into a holistic method to help you comprehend the complexities of the guitar and make navigating the fretboard second nature.
Here is a brief overview of all five parts
- Horizontal diatonics
- Horizontal intervals
- Vertical intervals
- Vertical scale chunks
- Triads
To be truly effective, it is important that you do the exercises from all 5 parts in combination.
This will create a synergistic effect, setting you up for many eye-opening light bulb moments.
If you practice the upcoming exercises with me, chances are that you’ll gain a nearly complete understanding of the fretboard, mastering the fundamentals that many guitarists take years to conquer.
But here is the catch: it is really a lot of work. And I mean really a lot of work.
But the good news here are that I have organized the exercises in a modular system so that you can go through all of them in your own pace and tracking your progressdiatonic
Part 1/5: Master the horizontal dimension
The first 2 parts of this series zeroes in on mastering the horizontal dimension of the guitar and learning the note names. We’ll be playing along a single string, on every string, up and down the fretboard, and using the Circle of Fifths to transpose the exercises in every key.
Learning the Note Names Across the Fretboard
First, understand where the natural notes on each string are located.
Natural notes—A, B, C, D, E, F, and G—are basic musical notes unaffected by sharps or flats.
And you just need to know two things about the natural notes:
1st, The cycle is endless: after G, it starts over with A.
ABCDEFG ABCEDFG ABCDEFG ABCDEFG…
2nd, you need to know where the half and whole steps are located.
A half step is the distance from one fret to the next, while a whole step spans two frets. The only half steps are between B and C and between E and F.
To see the pattern, take a look at a single string and notice where the half and whole steps are and notice that the note names repeat after the 12th fret.
Can you see it?
Learn the natural notes first
The first step is that you need to learn where all the natural notes on the fretboard are located. You can do this in a very modular fashion because you can focus at one string at a time.
In order to play horizontally on a single string, it is best to do this by using a rhythmic pattern, so that it is comfortably playable in horizontal direction.
Before I show you different patterns that you can choose from, first take a look at how this is played on all six strings with a basic three note pattern.
I suggest you start with this, but it is totally OK to use a different pattern…
Tabs: Natural notes on guitar
High E-String
B-String
G-String
D-String
A-String
Low E-String
Navigating All 12 Keys Using the Circle of Fifths
Once you can play the natural notes comfortably on all six strings, make sure that you learn to play through all 12 keys.
Of course you don’t learn them all at once. Do this step by step (or key by key).
The Circle of Fifths is our roadmap for this. It will make this task much easier.
You can move rightwards, utilizing sharps, or leftwards, using flats. (Moving leftward, it’s technically the circle of fourths)
Let’s focus on sharps for now to illustrate how we use the Circle of Fifths for our purpose.
The next key after C/A minor (where all the natural notes appear) is G major.
In G major, there’s one sharp—F sharp. So, every F becomes F sharp. The only change is playing the F one fret higher on all six strings where the F is located. That’s the only change.
Once you can do this, move on to the next key, which is D major. In D major, there are two sharps: F sharp and C sharp. You now raise every C to C sharp in addition to F sharp. Practice in D major for a while, and then move on to the next key once you feel comfortable playing it.
In A major, with three sharps (F sharp, C sharp, and G sharp), you elevate the G to G sharp. And so on.
If you practice it like this, you are confronted with only one new sharp each time you switch to a new key. This prevents you from feeling overwhelmed by focusing on multiple sharps at the same time.
The same principle applies to flats as well. In F major, you flatten each B to B flat. In B♭ major, you also flatten the E to E flat. This method is straightforward once you get the hang of it.
Tabs: Different Patterns
In the following, I show you different patterns that you can use to move horizontally along a single string.
For the first two patterns, I provide detailed playing instructions on using different techniques to make this exercise more useful and interesting for you.
This way, you can prevent boredom from playing through all 12 keys.
Of course, you can apply the same playing techniques to patterns three to eight as well. And I’m sure you can come up with your own variations. Feel free to adjust this to your style. Be creative!
Pattern 1 Variations
Pattern 2 Variations
Pattern 3 - 8
Tips on how to practice
Tip 1 Warm Up & Keep track
This exercise works perfectly as a warm up routine because you can easily work for only a few minutes or extent it to your liking. Notice the modularity of the entire method:
You have 12 keys and can practice one key at a time.
You have six strings and can practice one string at a time.
To prevent overwhelm, focus on one string and one key at a time, making progress at your own pace. You don’t need to rush this. In case this isn’t clear so far, this is a big project and a long-term strategy. It’s not likely that you can learn to play through all 12 keys on all six strings comfortably in a few days—it’s just not possible.
For this reason, I have created a sheet that you can download. There, you can easily keep track of which string and key you have already practiced.
Tip 2 Note Degrees
A great way to make this exercise even more useful is to bring the note degrees to your attention.
In case you are not familiar with this concept, here is a brief explanation. You may have seen scales described with numbers like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 or this: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. This describes the interval structure of a scale.
It’s a formula. The reference point for this formula is the major scale. This formula (1 2 3 4 5 6 7) describes the relationship of each note to the root note. The 1 is the root note, giving the scale its name.
In our case, let’s stay in the key of C. Then there is a major second, a major third, a perfect fourth, a perfect fifth, a major sixth, and a major seventh.
You can easily alter a note with a sharp or a flat to create a different scale.
Let’s say we alter the 7th degree: instead of a major seventh, we now have a minor seventh (1 2 3 4 5 6 b7). So instead of C major, we now have C Mixolydian, with the only difference being the minor seventh. But the reference is always the major scale with its numbers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7.
So how can you use this with our exercise?
Instead of mindlessly playing through the exercises, make a mental note and name each note degree when you are playing.
This way, you can go through the entire string, making mental notes of the scale degrees or saying them out loud. It might not be a very appealing exercise, but if you do this for all keys, you will become an extremely knowledgeable musician.
If you switch to a different key, then the note degrees change. For example, if you play the note C in the key of C major, then you know the note degree is the 1, so it’s the root note. But if you play the note C in the key of G major, then it’s obviously not the root note; the note C in the key of G major is now the fourth note degree.
Just take a look at this sheet if you need some help with this when changing keys.
Tip 3 Focus On Technique
This exercise also benefits your guitar technique. Once you’re comfortable finding and naming the notes, focus on playing clean, crisp notes.
Experiment with different patterns and picking styles—alternate picking, hammer-ons, pull-offs, or legato. The possibilities are nearly endless.
To give you some inspiration on how you can play the exercises differently, I have created the tabs for you. Take a closer look at patterns one and two.
I have extensively transcribed the variations that you can play. Of course, you can use the same techniques and apply them to patterns three through eight.
Tip 4 Be patient
The goal is to familiarize yourself with all 12 keys so you can play through them quickly. Initially, you’ll spend time figuring out the notes and their sharps or flats. But with consistent practice, you can complete the entire exercise in all 12 keys on all strings in about 30 minutes.
Covering just one string in all 12 keys takes under five minutes once you don’t need to think about the note names and locate the right notes.
You don’t need to learn all 12 keys when just starting out. When you begin practicing this exercise, your first priority should be to know the natural notes inside and out. That’s the most important goal. Then you can move on and conquer one key after the other. This will take time, and that’s OK.
Start with the essential keys—B♭ to E major—and expand to the full Circle of Fifths later.
Conclusion
OK, make sure you check out the additional resources and worksheets I have made for you and start practicing these exercises.
Because in the next part, we will delve deeper into this concept, and it is required that you know at least the natural notes on the fretboard.
Here is Part two: How to build a strong fretboard understanding 2/5 – Horizontal Intervals.
In that part, you’ll gain a concrete and visual understanding of intervals. And intervals are extremely important. Just as the note names. Without a proper understanding of intervals you’ll never grasp anything in music theory. Be sure to check it out!
If you have any questions or suggestions, let me know in the comments.
Until then, have fun and stay tuned.
Gregor your explanations about the guitar and music are like a bolt of lightning for me. Thanks and I look forward to more of your videos!
Thank you, David! Great to hear that. Part 2 is already in the making.