For me, the simplest way of understanding the fretboard is through the use of octave shapes. Using this method you are forced to see the logic of the way the notes are arranged on the guitar in a way that isn’t always as apparent with other methods, like the commonly used CAGED system. (I like and use the CAGED system too, but it’s not the only, or necessarily the best way of understanding the fretboard.) This pair of lessons will require you to do a bit of work and thinking on your own, but all that mental exertion will pay off, I hope, by giving you an increased freedom to express yourself all over the guitar.
I’ve written out the 7 shapes I discuss in the video below. However it’s important to realise that there are really just two different shapes here (the 4 ‘forward’ shapes and the 3 ‘backwards’ shapes) transferred to different pairs of strings. I’ve just shown the shapes for the note A, but it would be worth spending some time finding these shapes for all the other notes as well. If your knowledge of note locations on the fretboard isn’t too hot, then you might like to check out this video I made discussing ways of memorising the notes on the guitar.
Got all of that? Then onwards to the next instalment…
Unlocking The Fretboard Using Octave Shapes, Part 2
Other lessons you might like to check out…
This lesson assumes you have at least a little bit of an understanding of the note names on the guitar. If that’s a total mystery to you, then you might like to check out this video I made on learning the fretboard. It’s a really important and often overlooked skill.