r/guitarlessons • u/SatisfactionThen6148 • Nov 17 '25
Lesson How i memorized the notes of the fretboard
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u/CompleteBuilding1156 Nov 17 '25
I initially attempted to learn the fretboard in a similar way, and it is important to understand intervals/where the octaves are, as you point out. But there is no substitute for rote memorization. https://www.guitarorb.com/guitar-notes
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u/SatisfactionThen6148 Nov 17 '25
This is good for learning a string at a time. I memorized the e string first and used this method to find the other notes as I memorized the next string and so on. If you don't have them all memorized, there will come a time when you need to find a note on a string you don't know. That's what this is for!
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u/Aggravating_Row_8699 Nov 18 '25
Someone made an Anki deck for guitar. I’m a huge fan of Anki. Spaced repetition is probably the best way to go about rote memorization. Most of the med students I work with swear by it and I used it a few years back when I was learning music theory.
OP’s method is a great jumping off point though. Learning those patterns on the fretboard is priceless.
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u/SatisfactionThen6148 Nov 18 '25
Aa a language learner I've used spaced repetition and it's absolutely effective. Although I've always preferred just picking up the guitar
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u/AmazingRefrigerator4 Nov 17 '25
I agree because when you are playing you dont have time to think about what string you are on, and count up X frets from there, etc.
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u/Ecstatic-Engineer-23 Nov 17 '25
Instructional with solid points, though I thought I might give a little 'constructive feedback' for filming if you intend to keep on making useful content like this for everybody to enjoy;
1. The video is inverted, which is a source of confusion for new learners, so maybe mirror it back again.
2. Landscape instead of portrait so we can actually see the guitar would be preferred instead of this vertical letterbox that only allows us to see the video on 60% of our screens.
3. The ring light is reflecting directly off of your glasses and is distracting. See if you can put it up high and point it towards you so that the reflections spill on the floor instead of into the camera so we can see your beautiful eyes.
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u/bonus_duk2 Nov 21 '25
It's in portrait because he's posting on tiktok and reels i'm pretty sure so portrait is ideal
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u/EntropyClub Nov 17 '25
I like to use the C shape’s index and ring finger to transfer from A string to B string and from D string to High E string also. Same path of thinking. Just another shape to mess with. :)
Great Video! :)
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u/LucasEraFan Nov 18 '25
This is great. I'm going to do this with every scale I know and just move patterns and melodies around.
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u/Millerpainkiller Nov 18 '25
Also the c major scale has no sharps/flats. Same for A minor scale (or A Aeolian of the Major scale). If you know that shape you know you are always on a whole note.
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u/no-thats-my-ranch Nov 18 '25
Another good one for 2nd string is to fret an open C chord shape, anywhere you want. The note you’re fretting on the 5th string is a lower octave of the 2nd string.
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u/Prayerforcleansing Nov 18 '25
This is an excellent lesson! Thank you for making this video and please make more!
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u/jessietee Nov 19 '25
Best tip I ever learned for this was the
G-A-B
C-D-E
F-G-A
Across the EAD strings, G on the third fret of the E, A on the 5th, B on the 7th, drop down to the A and the 3rd fret is the C etc etc.
This one tip alone helped me so much!
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u/Qualabel Nov 17 '25
Please do something about the lighting (unless comical is the look you're after)
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u/robothobbes Nov 17 '25
Great lesson. Can you play a part of a song using this lesson?
Also, is there a way to adjust your lighting or is that on purpose?
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u/SatisfactionThen6148 Nov 17 '25
Yeah I can adjust it thanks
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u/robothobbes Nov 17 '25
No biggie. I'm gonna try and add this technique to my soloing practice, which is very beginner. Looking forward to the next lesson.
Love the guitar and mtv logo (as a child of that era)!
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u/guide71 Nov 18 '25
This method using octave shapes is a great way to visualize the fretboard layout. I found practicing with a metronome really sped up the memorization process.
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u/Jodah2 Nov 20 '25
What did you just say? Sorry, can’t get past the eyes. 👀 info is lost. Your fancy selfie light reflections are too distracting. 🙃
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u/Appropriate-Act3028 Nov 21 '25
That's basically how I learned it. Once you figure out that playing guitar is all about pattern recognition it makes playing really easy. Every shape can be repeated and played almost anywhere. I unintentionally learned the CAGED system the same way, basic chord shapes and a capo.
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u/emanokelola Nov 22 '25
Loving these videos bro. Very helpful. Also love that you're wearing a durag while teaching because I'm wearing a durag while learning and practicing haha.
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u/Crypton_2021 Nov 23 '25
Bro, seriously... this is really good stuff. Do you have your own YouTube channel? If not, you should really consider setting one up. Your style of teaching is super impressive. You really have a gift for taking complex topics and presenting them in a simple, easy-to-grasp way.
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Nov 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SatisfactionThen6148 Nov 18 '25
This hack definitely helps you switch chords. Been playing for 8 years and I never have issues switching. It's not always a trick u can use but when you can use it use it. Thanks for the exercise tho I'll check it out!
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u/Yalandil Nov 17 '25
Good video, maybe as a tipp only use one finger to show the fret you press on, if you hold your full hand over the fretboard then you might confuse people on which fret you currently press on.