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  • 01-25-2020, 07:37 AM
    brian_primrose
    Good morning, Bob
    Good ideas. The thing is to do it as a part of your daily practice. Despite the temptation after a while to think that you have the fretboard down, keep at it through different exercises such as two octave scales or continuous arpeggios over a set of chord changes. You probably will find that you are never finished.
    Brian
  • 01-25-2020, 02:06 AM
    Elmeaux
    Go here, Bob. Lotsa goodies!

    http://www.thunderrow.com/content.php?2179
  • 01-16-2020, 06:03 AM
    JazzBassBob
    Quote Originally Posted by hiro View Post
    Another method:

    My guitarist friend taught me this, and seems to help me.

    1. learn natural notes first . . . forget about sharps and flats because once you know the naturals, the sharps / flats are between them

    2. learn one note for all 6 strings up to the 12th fret, because after 12th it repeats

    3. order of learning is C B D F E G A, you can spend a few minutes out of your practice session on a note.

    4. Learn all the C's for each string.

    5. Once you learn all the C's then the B's because B is half step (one fret) below all the C's. If you know where C is, you know where B is.

    6. Then learn D's. D's are whole steps (2 frets) higher than a C. Since you know where all the C's are, count 2 frets higher and you got D's.

    7. The process repeats, for next set, F E G. To learn F E G start out with all the F's on each string within the 12 frets. First F on all strings, then E (one step below), then G (two steps higher from F).

    8. A is the last, as it falls between B and G. Since you know where both is, you can find A easily. A caveat, usually most people find it easier just to count two frets up from G and call it day, but others may simply find it easier to count down from the B's.

    9. Note this can be done in a few week span, spending several minutes a day to learn a new note. Once you know where all the notes are you can simply find out the flats / sharps by finding out the natural and going one-half step (fret) below. Some like B to C or E to F etc. the naturals are half steps
    This looks very helpful and thank you. I was memorizing the notes across the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th but this may make it even easier.
  • 09-12-2015, 02:23 PM
    Elmeaux
    Quote Originally Posted by chucklhead05 View Post
    Hi everyone. New player here. Thanks for the "Eddie Ate Dynamite - Gulp" mnemonic. I've been learning on my own, mostly by ear. Mt wife looks at me like I am nuts, because I am sitting here, playing air bass and counting off the frets.
    Glad to have ya with us!
  • 09-12-2015, 08:14 AM
    chucklhead05
    Hi everyone. New player here. Thanks for the "Eddie Ate Dynamite - Gulp" mnemonic. I've been learning on my own, mostly by ear. Mt wife looks at me like I am nuts, because I am sitting here, playing air bass and counting off the frets.

    Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk
  • 03-02-2015, 11:47 AM
    TobiasMan
    Quote Originally Posted by Elmeaux View Post
    There are many ways to get the fretboard under your belt. . .
    Another sure way is to lengthen your bass strap - a lot!!!
  • 03-01-2015, 07:27 AM
    brian_primrose
    Thanks for the post, Driften.
    It sounds like something I would find especially useful while travelling away from my bass.
    Brian
  • 02-28-2015, 11:30 AM
    Elmeaux
    There are many ways to get the fretboard under your belt. Now, with technology, there are many electronic aids to make it more accessible.
  • 02-28-2015, 10:54 AM
    Driften
    I am using the iPhone app Tenuto to help memorize the fretboard. It can quiz you on the bass fretboard, it can also drill you on notes on the on the bass clef. Not the best interface design but it works well. It also does many other instruments. It covers Staff Identification, keyboard identification, fretboard identification, ear training, and some calculators.

    I have just messed with fretboard and staff and am not sure how good the rest is.
  • 03-30-2014, 10:16 AM
    calcos
    Quote Originally Posted by Elmeaux View Post
    I also have a little cheat sheet of the numerical placement of each note on each string up to the twelfth fret.

    (click to embiggen)

    Attachment 702

    You just commit each set of four numbers to memory - almost as if it was a telephone number. What's the phone number for E? 0-7-2-9.

    No sharps or flats for this one - it's based on the
    KISS theory. (keep it simple, stupid)
    Yeah, this is the most helpful post in this thread for me...can I say though, that you actually only need to remember the first two numbers (E and A strings) for each note? As long as you know the octave pattern under your fingers (2 strings up, 2 frets over) you'll know where they are on D and G. I think what will be more difficult is the opposite, picking out the note given a string and fret number (what note is fret 7 on the D string?). An app might be a good way to go about doing exercises.
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