Hi,
To help my understanding of the fretboard, scales, note relationships etc, on MS Excel, i created a diagram and charted the notes at each fret. I then created little finger patten charts that, when learned would allow me to play major scales (i haven't gotten onto minor, or pentatonics yet). I know i haven't invented this pattern, but creating them from first principles will help me understand and commit this stuff to memory.
Anyway, i came up with about 3 or 4 finger patterns that generally span about 4 or 5 frets. Now i know there are an infinite number of way to play a major scale on the fretboard, so i saw no reason to chart every single one of them, and just did the few that i thought very the most efficient finger-wise and were the best to use.
So my question (finally got there!). Apart from an drill/practise/exercise perspective, does knowing more than one finger pattern for the same scale have any benefit, or am i just wasting my effort learning something that i don't need to?
I hope i've made my question clear, but it's so hard to really get your point across over the internet.
Thanks.
Mart.
I would say the biggest benefit, and especially the way you are going about it, is you are learning the fretboard.
Yes, you'll want to know more than one. Yes, doing it from scratch is probably wasting some time too...
There aren't an infinite number of fingering patterns possible; for the major scale, there are exactly eleven. If you've charted the whole fretboard for major scales, you'll see there's exactly one fret with NO notes in the major scale (it'll be three frets above the sixth string root). I call this the 'guitar's gap'.... be sure and credit me if you use the term, as I believe I'm the inventor of it :)
So, with 11 possible places to get a note with your first finger, you have 11 possible scale positions. If you really know your fretboard, you'll use all of them at times without even thinking about it. In order to get there, though, you'll need to learn just enough to connect the entire fretboard.
The minimum is four. They have roots on the fifth or sixth string, played with the second or fourth finger. In the key of C, that'll give you fingerings in open, second, fifth, and seventh position.
The seventh position takes in notes up to the 10th fret... there are no notes at the 11th fret... and the 12th fret is back to the first pattern again.
Many people also learn the position with the first finger on the 6th string root. That's kind of an 'extra' - it overlaps two other positions, so it's not essential. I use it to demonstrate to students that there are other positions, but I find it easiest to just teach the four - they're very closely related, and easy to learn.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Thanks Noteboat, that really helps.
So if there are 11 total finger patterns for the major scale, how many are there for the minor scale, the major pentatonic, minor pentatonic and any other scale i've not mentioned.
And also, is there a website that charts all of them (apart from the one i'm about to create!)
Thanks.
Mart.
