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Fretboard Logic by Bill Edwards


Dave da Dude

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I know this has been briefly discussed before (inside of other threads, I think), but I'm on my second series of "how to" books and still not satisfied.

 

I'm thinking that my main "problem" is that I have (almost) "mastered" the open chord positions, or at least at one time I had; while I don't know (or have the faintest idea of how to) play higher up in the middle (7th to 12th frets) of the fretboard, especially scales and diades / triades ("Night Train" being the only, memorized, exception).

 

Amazon dot com has the "SE" edition (Volumes 1 & 2 combined) of "Fretboard Logic" on sale. I'm thinking that this might be my best "bet" to pick up more of the style I'd like to learn / pick up(Blues, Old Rock, Classic Rock).

 

Opinions?

 

Dave

Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need".
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funk_jazz,

are you learning to read music, or learn patterns to visualize the fretboard?
Trying to learn patterns and visualize the fretboard.

 

I gave up trying to sight read music a long time ago. Not enough time/ambition/decication/etc.

 

BTW, "A Method for Guitar, 1, 2, 3 Complete", by who? Published by who?

 

Dave the Dumbfounded

Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need".
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  • 3 weeks later...

Well .... I did it.

 

My wife had Amazon coupons (from on-line surveys :cool: ) for $20. The SE I & II with s/h came to $19.95. Must have been meant to be :rolleyes:

 

Just got it yesterday. Looks great. I was starting (FINALLY) to understand the chord shapes and moving them up the fretboard on my own, but this just makes it so much more logical to my (demented :D ) mind.

 

He starts off naming five chords as the basis for the logic of the fretboard, C, A, G, E, D using the acronym (FLA) CAGED. I guess I'll have to try and learn the "right" way to play 'G' (with fingers 2, 3 & 4 as oppossed to 1,2 & 3). I almost had it about fifteen years ago, stopped the lessons (lack of determination) and slipped back into the 'old' way.

 

I'm just getting started with it. My first reading was in bed last night with the night light. It sure makes a lot of sense to me, and a lot of you guys probably know all or most of it, but having it layed out in this "logical" format helps me (and my ADD).

 

A quote that shows the type of little things that you may know (and on this one, I knew) is about learning barre chords; "The first two or three positions are the hardest, so don't waste too much time trying to fret them there at first.", Bill Edwards, "Fretboard Logic I". I must have spent hundreds, if not thousands, of hours getting the barre F, G and A down pat to do "Brown Sugar", "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Smoke On The Water" as my cousin's band did it. If you ask my wife she'd definetly say "thousands" of hours on "Smoke On The Water". That was thirty years ago and she still hates that song.

 

It's got a :thu: from me :cool:

 

Dave the Student

Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need".
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I'm not familiar with the series you ask about but I have another approach you might consider, Dave.

I think the main goal might be to be able to play chords (as inversions, obviously) as needed at various positions.

The best way to do this is the same way anyone "creates" their "methods"---you first, as a beginner, learn the notes of chords; then you learn the concepts behind chord construction (theory); then you memorize the note positions along the fretboard & finally apply that knowledge to grab the needed pitches as you play.

& don't become convinced there's a "right" way to finger chords---it will always depend on context!

 

Forgive me if I am outlining the obvious but I think that is the basis of any method &, if followed, will eliminate need to study a particular bunch of books.

A book may show a wide variety of ways to play the "same" chord but they're just a tool for memorization; if the inversions/positions aren't chosen to fit the setting, the can sound a bit clumsy.

These books may seem to offer a special "key" (& I've studied them, myself, when younger---I especially worked from Ted Greene's series) but, really, what I described above is all there is to it...& what we all wind up doing, anyhow!

Don't be fooled---these "method" books*, as well intentioned & helpful as they may be, are really all leading to the same end---the ability to just play.

 

[*Well, actually, the approach Pat Martino uses---which is a bit like what Larry Carlton does---is one different way of thinking about how to paly...but that's really a method of matching scales/melodies to chords rather than just chord playing/building.]

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I understand what you're saying, in my mind. But when I try and work it out myself, it either gets fubar, or so tedious that I lose interest.

 

I'm only trying to understand how to work my way up the fretboard for different tones and voicing.

 

I can (or at least used to be able to) work all the minors and sevenths off of the barre E, Am and A7 chords, I just want to expand that a little to live up in the middle of the fretboard a little more than my ole' Folk(sy) open chords style.

 

It seems to make sense to me and may make some things easy for me to understand faster (like not practicing on the barre chords on the first three frets at first. I'v already learned that the "hard way", but if it can help me someplace else ... ?

 

I'll let you know where I am / how I feel in a few weeks. If nothing else it has fueled the fires of my passions again.

 

Dave

Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need".
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i have used some of troy stetina's books w/cd

as well as others

as well as a year of lessons

but the thing that really did it was an interview with a harmonica player on a show called road house where he said "just keep makin noise till it starts to make sense"

i know the modes & pentatonics...my lead lines come right out of them...plus when i need a specific chord i build them out of the scale shapes as well

it works good for me

dr

have fun now!

whatever the mind of man can concieve & believe it can achieve!

study it as a science/practice it as an art!

luck...that's what happens when preparation & opportunity intersect

properly percieved every situation becomes an opportunity

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