Learning the fretboard

[L Smith]

Okay, now you know I have been taking guitar for years. However, you don't know that I can't just jump to a note in a heartbeat on frets 6-14. Just just how does one make knowing the notes second nature to them. I have tried memorizing them, but they just don't seem to stick unless I use them daily.....Some advise please??

And while we are on this subject, what is the best way to learn to play way up on the neck on the fly....You do that so well....How did you ever learn to do that and make it look so easy?? Thanks in advance......LS

[michael]

Both good questions. I'll tackle the second one first: playing on the fly, whether high up on the fretboard or down low, is nothing more or less than the slow process of discovery. I know you are a real student of the guitar, so take your studies and apply them freely across the upper fretboard. Slow and easy does it at first. Write down what you discover to be true. Marry your discoveries to a new song (or an old one for that matter). Practice by yourself by all means, but don't be afraid to sit across from other guitarists who understand (hopefully) these concepts, and ask pertinent questions. There really isn't a shortcut. To be truly free on the guitar has to come from the discipline of study first. Scales, harmony, hand positions, proper picking techniques, and dynamics are all essential. There is no freedom to play without them. The study of the guitar, or any instrument for that matter, is a lifelong pursuit. It's not the destination but the journey that matters. I haven't stopped learning, myself. There is always another corner to turn.

As far as committing the notes to memory from frets 6-14, you actually answered your own question: use them daily! No joke. The fretboard isn't laid out linearly like the white/black keys on a piano. So, every day review a small portion of the fretboard. And I mean a SMALL portion! No more than 3 strings over 3 frets at a time. Every day. And every day, choose a different set of strings and frets. Keep in mind at the 12th fret everything starts over, so you really don't have to worry about anything other than frets 6-11. Be patient. You will get there.

I hope this helps. Write again if it doesn't. We'll put our heads together, and come up with something!