• From: Australia
  • Registered: 2010-05-21
  • Posts: 8

Topic: notes all over the neck

Ok Hi fellow guitarists. I am really trying (without much success) to get my head around this theory stuff. Oh man this stuff is way so confusing!
I have a question about notes. At the moment I am trying to learn the notes all over the neck, I am using fretpro to try and memorise them all. But when I play each note on my guitar...say for example I am playing the note c in the different places over the neck...they all sound different, even though it's meant to be the same note. So how can this be? If it's the same note my brain tells me it should sound roughly the same, but it doesn't. Someone please explain.

  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,198

Re: notes all over the neck

Hi Fox,

Don't forget your fretboard has a range of 3 to 4 octaves so from your bass 'E' to 4th string 2nd fret 'E' is one octave. Your 1st string 'e' is the next octave, the 1st string 12th fret is the third octave and if you are lucky enough to have a 24 fret fretboard the 24th is a fourth octave. So the pitch of these notes will be different. Also the same pitched note can have a different tone when played on a different note (oops 'note' should read 'string').

Roger

Edited to correct senior moment lapse smile

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Roger Guppy's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: notes all over the neck

An easier way is to memorize the chord shapes, and where the roots are under your fingers.   This will give you "waypoints" along the neck to use as a reference.

Someday we'll win this thing...

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jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: Bellevue, Idaho
  • Registered: 2009-10-31
  • Posts: 57

Re: notes all over the neck

I think I know what your talking about.

First string open E can be played in roughly five different places on the entire fret board. Technically they are all the same not and they will all be read exactly the same(not tab. Sight reading), but that's not to say that each E in each different place is going to have the same exact tone. Especially on a cheap guitar or a guitar that has high action an its strings(distance from the strings to the frets are further away, as compared to low action where they're closer). The tone will seem to get worse and worse the further down the strings go(and further up the frets). That or the strings aren't all in tune; which is hard with a low end guitar as well.

Either that or the notes are the same except they're at different octaves.

I've been working on the same thing. I'm going over a beginner book that starts out by teaching  how to read the 1st string in first position, but then I play the song over again going down one string and up roughly 4-6 frets to find the same note until I run out of room. I could keep on going unto more detail, but I think this makes my point well enough.

no audience required.

TheOnlyTaylor's Website

  • From: Bellevue, Idaho
  • Registered: 2009-10-31
  • Posts: 57

Re: notes all over the neck

E---0------------------------------These technically are all the same notes, but its not hard to notice that the quality of the sound and overall tone
B--------5------------------------- is remarkably different from the Open E to the E on the A string on the nineteenth fret. 
G---------------9------------------
D---------------------14----------
A-------------------------------19-
e-----------------------------------

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TheOnlyTaylor's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: notes all over the neck

All the Es... 

e---0--------------------12----------
B--------5------------------17-------
G---------------9------------------
D--2-------------------14----------
A------------7--------------19-
E---0--------------12-----------------

Now for an exercise in chords, find all the E chord shapes that make use of them.

Edit: Roger points out there is an additional E on the 17th fret of the B string.

Someday we'll win this thing...

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jerome.oneil's Website

  • Registered: 2009-01-23
  • Posts: 116

Re: notes all over the neck

Think of the octaves in relationship to the piano.  You have middle C and when you go to the left the next C is a lower octave, but a C nonetheless.  Same as when you find the next C to the right, it will be a higher C.    You will hear some refer to a singer that can sing the full range of C to C, sometimes two ranges (that would probably make them an opera singer or a bass singer..lol)

On the guitar the open 6th string is a low E, but the 1st string E open is a a higher E.  When you run the scale out of a Key such as E your next octave of E will be your eighth note.   Do, re, me, fa, so, la, ti, do.   Same in all keys. 

I hope I helped a little.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qI7y9ivs5Y[/url]  lol
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEyW2SEHfzM[/url]
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0WeJjPLqyQ[/url]
[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkcYALHslEY[/url]
  • Registered: 2010-11-23
  • Posts: 1

Re: notes all over the neck

Here's a trick, the word BEAD  or  BbEbAbDb gives you 8 of the 12 answers if you go across the neck in 4ths (UP) or 5ths (down). Also notice the first 2 strings of a guitar are tuned a fret low and must be compensated for. Just stare at a guitar neck with the answers listed and you will eventually see it. Good luck!