www.highperformanceguitar.com

[WolfV11]

No this is not some sort of super amazing ultra mega omega gamma shred technique. This is merely a short cut I have found on the guitar and have since incorporated it into my lessons and some aspects of my playing.

This goes hand in hand with another method I have invented of looking at and thinking musically about the guitar (in which the 12 basic notes are divided into 4 different registers. I will talk more about that later)


This little trick is FANTASTIC for students and the like who can play somewhat well but don't know where their damn notes are.

A little bit of backstory on this trick
Back when I was about 13 or so I was playing in your typical teenage rock band (known at the time as Splash The Cat) and knew most of the notes on the low E string and the A string. This was due to all the powerchords I used in my bands songs and countless Metallica songs I learned at this point in time.

We are all very familiar with the octave power chords that are very popular in rock music.
(Insert the dreaded tab I hate so much)
E-------
B------
G--------3-----
D--3----------
A--------1----
E--1-----


Well one day I had a lightbulb moment after realizing that they were octaves and thus the same note (except being an octave apart, duh)

You can continue this all the way across the neck
E-----------------
B----------------4
G----------------
D--------3-------
A----------------
E--1--------------
F F F
This helps for many young guitar players (and old ones too sometimes) who dont know the notes clearly in certain areas.

This works on the A string as well
E-----------7
B-----------
G------4----
D----------
A---2------
E-----------
B B B

This also helped me to get used to the 7 string in the first few days of playing it.


Now onto the triangle pattern. This gives you a more convenient map of the notes.
E--1------(F)
B---------
G--------
D--3-----(F)
A--------
E--1-----(F)

If you play this or write it out on a chord diagram, you can see the triangle shape.
F---F
\ /
F
You can continue this up the neck, getting a three octave range and a great map to the notes on the neck.
E---------1----------5----------3-------------7-------------8-----------10------
B------------------------------------------------------------------------
G------------------------------------------------------------------------
D-----3----------7----------5------------9-------------10-----------12-----------
A------------------------------------------------------------------------
E--1---------5----------3-----------7--------------8-----------10---------------
F F F A A A G G G B B B C C C D D D

(see what i did there??? )

I have found this to work very well to help students start learning notes as opposed to just numbers.

Its also a decent string skipping exercise if you want.




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[WhyteChocolate]

Or you can just execute all of your students who can't understand that the note names on the low E frets will match the high E.
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[WolfV11]

If i had a dime for everytime I went over with students about how the Low and high E notes are always the same (given that you are in standard tuning) I could quite teaching and retire.

The bright ones get it, I have a few though that, well, lets just not go there.

One of them likes to always show up with his guitar and NO case, yes even when it is raining and snowing.

He doesn't have cheap guitars either. Hes got a few nice schecters, epiphones, and gibsons. He never gets his own book to have things written in (no matter how many times I've said it) and everytime I give him a sheet of tab, or notes, or chords, or a song, or whatever. He always leaves it on an amp somewhere in the store. Drives me nuts.
_________________
Check out all 7 tracks from my debut album Earth Light on myspace right now!!!!!
www.myspace.com/ericjacksonguitar

[WhyteChocolate]

[WolfV11]

could this be a crazy teaching story thread? sounds like it would be very popular! I've got a truckload! But all my students have been great, a little wacky from time to time, but overall great!
_________________
Check out all 7 tracks from my debut album Earth Light on myspace right now!!!!!
www.myspace.com/ericjacksonguitar

[WhyteChocolate]

[quote="WolfV11"]could this be a crazy teaching story thread?quote]

Yep!

I've got a few tales myself, and I know John has a bunch. Making the thread now...
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