Finding that note

Author: Graham Sims

It's important you spend some time getting to know your instrument. You should be able to name all the notes on the fretboard without hesitation or actual effort. There are many fretboard exercises designed for this purpose and some are more effective then others. This one gives you guaranteed results if you dedicate a little time to it every day.

All you need is a guitar and a metronome. Selected a note you wish to locate and set your metronome to 50. With every click of the metronome locate your selected note on the 6th string in all its positions, using open strings if relevant. Without missing a beat proceed onto the 5th string and find the note, again in every possible position. Continue on all the remaining strings and don't forget to use all 12 notes.

Remember, always play in time with the click. If 50 is too fast then slow it down. If it's too slow then speed it up. Don't bother kidding yourself though. If your not in time with the metronome then slow things down. You will speed up with a few weeks practice.

If you are starting out then download our fretboard here. It will ensure your playing the correct notes.