Learn Your Bass Fretboard Notes (Easy Starter Method)

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Welcome, I'm Josh with BassBuzz. Learning your bass fretboard notes can feel totally overwhelming. [Josh freaks out] [sirens blaring] But what if you're jamming with a guitarist, and then they say, "I'm playing a C chord [music starts] "to an F chord "to a G chord "back to F." How are you supposed to know where to find the right notes? I'm gonna give you an easy way to get started with understanding your fretboard so that you can handle situations like this and more. Let's do it! [upbeat rock music] When you're trying to learn your fretboard, a bass teacher will usually show you a chart that looks like this. And then your brain explodes, and you die. [brain explosion] Instead of hitting you with all that at once, let's skip the theory that you don't need right now and focus on the notes that really matter, the money notes. [funky ass P bass] In this lesson, we're focusing on the first four frets only, and they're called the money notes because that's what we bass players really get paid to play. [bass solo take 1] I'm not making any money right now. Yes, learning the rest of the neck matters, too, but you can play most bass lines in this area and knowing these notes means you'll be able to survive at jam sessions when people are calling out chords at you. And we're actually gonna do that together later, but first we're gonna go through four steps to get you jam ready. The English alphabet has 26 letters, but the musical alphabet only has 12 notes, so this should be easy, right? The best way the visualize the musical alphabet is on a piano keyboard. So there are 12 notes, seven on the white keys and five on the black keys. And we name the white key notes with letter names, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and then we loop around back to A, and we would just keep looping from there. So as we go up to higher sounding notes, we go forwards through the alphabet, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. And as we go down to lower sounding notes, we go reverse through the alphabet, A, G, F, E, D, C, B, A. Easy enough, right? But what do we do about these black keys? We already used up the letter names on the white keys, so we're gonna use a concept called sharps and flats to help us move those letter names around. If I go to a D on the piano, which is one of the white keys, if I wanna raise that D to the next note, I'm gonna call it D#, which looks like a little hashtag. And if I wanna lower that D to the next black key, I'm gonna call it Db, which looks like a little letter b. So sharp raises the note, flat lowers the note. Or if we go to a G on the piano, same thing. If I go up from the G, I get G#. If I go back to G and then go down, I get Gb. Sharp raises, flat lowers. Here's the part that confuses people sometimes. That means that each black key can have two names, okay? So if we go back to that note that we called Db earlier, so we go to D, we lower the D, that gives us Db, but what if we went to C, and then raised the C? Then that same key would be called C#. So that key right there can be Db or C#. If we think of it as lowering a D, it's Db. If we think of it as raising a C, it's C#. Two names, one note. So let's go through the alphabet from the beginning. So we'll start on A. Then we go up to the black key, so that's gonna be called A#. And then we go to the next white key, which is B, the next letter in the alphabet. And then what are we gonna do? There's no black key between these two notes, right? So that next note is just C. So there's no black key between B and C. So we keep going, C, raise that to C#. Now we're on D, then raise that to D#. And then we're on E, and now again, no black key. So we end up going straight to the next letter, which is F. So these two spots are very important because there are no black keys here between B and C and between E and F. Otherwise, this alphabet is symmetrical. So you can remember that there are no black keys between these particular notes because they really like each other, and they wanted to stay extra friendly, and buddied close, E to F, B to C, Extra Friendly and Buddied Close. Mnemonic device!!! Let's put that all together, and then we'll actually start checking it out on the bass. So do this with me, I'm gonna go slow so you can say your answers before I say them and you test yourself that way 'cause this is really important. So we start on A and then if we raise A to that black key it's called, A#, right? Sharps raise a note. Next white key is the next letter in the alphabet, which is B, and then what do we do? We go straight to the next letter 'cause there's no black key. So that's C, then we raise C to C#. And then next white key is D. Raise the D to D#. Next white key is E. Then what's the next key? It's another white key, so it's another letter, which is F. Then we raise the F to F#. Then we're on G, and then we raise the G. What do we get? G#, and then what's next? We loop through the alphabet, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, back to A. Okay, let's do the same thing in reverse. Now we're gonna think about lowering the notes instead of raising them. So we're up on that higher A. We're gonna lower it to that black key. What's that gonna be called? Ab, flat is when you lower a note. And then we're on the next white key, which will be G, and then we lower that to Gb. And then we're on the next letter, which is F. We're going reverse alphabetical 'cause we're going to lower notes. Now, what happens? There's no black key, so we go straight from F to E because they're Extra Friendly, F to E, E to F. And then we're on E, we lower the E. We're on Eb. And then the next white key is D. What happens if we lower D? We get Db. And then the next key down is C. And then what happens? We go straight to B because they're close buddies, Buddied Close, the mnemonic device!!! Okay, so we're on B, we lower the B. What do we get? We get a Bb. And then we're back to A where we started. Nice work. Now would be a good time to click Subscribe and then click the bell so that you get notified when new lessons come out. Now let's take what we just learned and actually apply it to the bass. To find your bass fretboard notes, first you need to know the names of your open strings. The standard way to tune a bass is E-A-D-G. So E is the biggest fattest string closest to your face, and then the next one over is A, and then D and then G, E-A-D-G. If you wanna remember this with another silly mnemonic device, all you have to do is remember to Eat And Drink Grapes! [grape gulping] Mmm! Let's see if you've really got that. I'm gonna play and point to the strings, and you tell me the names. Okay, how about this one? Did you say it out loud? I'm waiting! VIZZINI: I'm waiting!!! Okay, E string. How about this? That's the D, Eat And Drink. Okay, how about the smallest one that furthest away from you? G string, Eat And Drink Grapes. And what's left? Process of elimination tells you this is the A string. Okay, let's do that again but faster. Tell me as fast you can, this string, go! G string. This string, E string! This string, D String. This string, A string. Great, you're certified in your open strings knowledge now. Back to the money notes. We're gonna take a break from sharps and flats and just find the naturals, the plain letter names in our money zone, which is the first four frets. So remember on piano the smallest distance we can travel is one piano key. So if we're on A, the next closest note above that is A# and then the next closest note above that is B. Next one is C, so the smallest distance we can move is one piano key. That's the same distance that you travel by moving one fret on your bass. So if I play an open A string and I go up one fret to the first fret, I'm on an A#. If I go up another fret, that's just like moving up another piano key, and I'm on a B. And if we go again, we go straight to C because there's no black key there. So the only difference is that you can't see the white and black keys on the bass, but one fret equals one piano key of movement. We're gonna try to memorize three natural notes per string and that'll give you the starting point you need to be able to find any note in a jam session situation. So our three notes on the E string are E, F, and G. E is the open string. You already know that one. And then our F is on the first fret because they're Extra Friendly, so they're right next to each other, E and F. And then we go to the third fret for G because there is a black key between F and G. We just can't see it because they're invisible on the bass. So E, open string, F, first fret, G on the third fret. Okay, pop quiz, what's the name of the note on the third fret? It's a G, right? What about the open string? That's E. And the first fret is F. E, F, G. Okay, let's move to the A string. Now we're gonna learn A, B, and C. So our open string is A and then for B, we go to the second fret. And then for C, we go to the third fret. Those are right next to each other, Buddied Close, no black key. So A, open string, B on the second fret, C on the third fret. Okay, pop quiz, what's the second fret of the A string called? B 'cause it's one black key away. So we got A, then a black key, and then B, which is the next white key. And then where is C? Right there on the third fret right next to B. Okay, let's do a little quiz on what we got so far. So what are the three notes on the E string? We've got the open E and then our next note is F. And where is that? First fret. And then the next note is G, which is on the third fret. Okay, I know it might seem a little silly to answer these questions out loud when you're just talking at your screen, but it's really helpful, and it's important to make sure that you know these on your own without me just telling you the answers. So E, F, G, on the E string, and then what about the A string? The open string is A, we know that. Okay where is B? It's on the second fret. And then where's C? Third fret. So open E, first fret F, third fret G, open A, second fret B, third fret C. D string time! We're gonna have D, E, and F on this string. So D is the open string. And then for E, where do you think we're gonna go? Second fret 'cause we gotta skip over the black key that's between D and E. And then F will be, where do you think it's gonna be, third fret or fourth fret? It's gonna be on the third fret because those two notes are Extra Friendly, so there's no black key between them. D, E, F, open string, E on the second fret, F on the third fret. And let's move right to the G string, which is gonna be G, A, B. So G is the open string, and then A will be on the second fret, and B will be up on the fourth fret. It's our first fourth fret note. So G, second fret is A, fourth fret is B. Okay, I'm gonna test you on those now because this is the foundation of being able to find notes for a jam session or just for playing a bass line. First let's go through them in order, the way we just learned them together. So first is the E string. What are the three notes on that string? E and then F and then what? G, and those are on the open string, first fret is F, and then G is on the third fret. Next string over from E is A, Eat And Drink Grapes, so open A, and then what are the other notes on that string? A, B, and C, we're just going sequentially through the alphabet. So A is on the open string. Where is the B? Second fret. And where is the C? Third fret, so E, F, G, A, B, C. Now what are the three notes on the D string? D, E, F, just continuing through the alphabet. D is the open string. And then where's the E? Second fret. And where's the F? Third fret, nice. And last, what's the name of our last string? Eat And Drink Grapes, it's the G string. Okay, and what are our notes on the G string? G, A, and B, cycling through the alphabet. G, we finish, we loop around back to A and then B. Where's the A? Second fret, and then where's the B? Fourth fret, great. Okay, final test, I'm gonna go in random order. You're gonna call these out to me when I ask you questions. Where is the C on the A string? Third fret, A, B, C. How about an F on the E string? First fret. I'm on the fourth fret of the G string. What's the name of that note? G, A, B, yes. What about the second fret on the D string? That's an E. And let's see, how about find me a G on the E string? Third fret, awesome. Why are we stopping at three naturals per string? Why don't we do four? Well, check it out. So we go E, F, G on the E string. The next natural note would be the A on the fifth fret, but that's the same note as our open A string. And same thing if we keep going. We go A, B, C, on the A string. And then we would go to D would be the next natural note, which would be on the fifth fret, but that's the same note as the open D string. And if we keep going, D, E, F on the D string. Next natural note on that string would be G on the fifth fret, but that's the same note as the open G string. The fifth fret of the E string is the same as the open A. Fifth fret of the A is the same as the open D. And fifth fret of the D is the same as the open G. So you've already got those notes in your bag, so you don't need to memorize them now unless you want an extra challenge. Time to fill in the gaps and put the rest of those money notes in your wallet. [register cha-chings] Okay, so remember on the piano keyboard how we got to the sharps and flats. We start on a letter name like G, and if we raise G, then we get to G#. And if we lower G then we get to Gb, and that's by moving one piano key in either key direction. One piano key up is G#. One piano key down is Gb. It's the exact same thing on bass. So find me a G on the E string. Where is that? Third fret, right? So we're gonna do the same thing we did on the piano. If we go up one fret, then we get a G#. If we go back to G on the third fret, and then we go down one fret, we get a Gb. And that's it, that's all you have to do. So using the naturals that you started memorizing, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, you can find any note in the first four frets using this method. What if we find a B on the A string? Where is that? Second fret. What if we want a Bb? Then we just go down a fret. We go back to B on the second fret. What if we go up from B? Then we're on C. It's not B# because those notes are Buddied Close, E to F, B to C, Extra Friendly, Buddied Close, no black keys there. Last thing we're gonna do before we jam together is I'm gonna test you on finding the sharps and flats in the money zone. First find me an A on the G string. Second fret. Now what if you want an A#? Where would you go? Up to the third fret. So A#'s on the third fret. What if we want an Ab? We go to the first fret. Another one, how about find me an F on the D string? Third fret. Now find me an F#. Where'd you go? Up a fret to the fourth fret, yeah? Back to F on the third fret, now find me an Fb. Wait, there is no Fb, Josh! That's right because E to F, F to E, B to C, C to B, there are no black keys. They're Extra Friendly, and they're Buddied Close. One more, find me a B on the A string, second fret, and now find me a Bb. First fret, nice. Okay, one more, one more. Find me a G# on the E string. Now we might not have G# memorized at this point, but we know G. Where's the G? Third fret of the E string. Now, what do we do to get to G#? We just go up a fret to the fourth fret, and that's your G#. Great, you are ready to jam. Let's do this. So I'm gonna play C, F, and G chords. It's gonna sound like this. Just listen for now. Even though the guitar player is playing chords, on bass we usually follow along just by playing one note at a time. We just need to find a C, an F, and a G, and we'll be all set to jam with this progression. Where can we find a C in our money zone? This is one of the notes we talked about. If I just go through sequentially, E, F, G, A, B, C. There's the C. I found one on the third fret of the A string. So I got C, and now I need an F. Where's an F? We just found one, first fret of the E string. But there was another F in our money zone. Do you remember where that was? E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, there it is, third fret of the D string. If you're a beginner, and you're not sure which one of these Fs you should play, just pick the lower one. That's always the safest choice as a bass player is pick the lower note. We've got our C on the third fret of the A string and our F on the first fret of the E string. Now we need a G. Where can we find a G? There are two Gs in our money zone. Do you remember where both of those are? First one is the third fret of the E string, but we also have the open G string. So we got two different Gs to pick from. Again, because we wanna play it safe, we're gonna pick the lower sounding one, which is the third fret of the E string. So altogether, our three notes, we got C on the third fret of the A string, F on the first fret of the E string, and G on the third fret of the E string. Okay, let's jam! So just play one note per bar. I'll call out the chords to you before they change, and you'll get it after a couple passes. And I'll even join you on bass over in the alternate universe to help you get started. Ready? Here we go. One, two, starting on C. Going to F. Going to G, G. Back to F, F. Going back to C, C. Back to F, F. Go to G, G. Then F. Then same thing again. Great work. Now let's do that one more time, just you and me with no bass track from the alternate dimension to help you out. Here we go, one, two, start on C. To F. To G, G. Back to F. And just repeat that. You can try your own rhythms if you want to, or you can just stay on those one note per bar plucks. Awesome job! Click Like if you enjoyed this video and subscribe if you want more free bass lessons. Are there any other tips or tricks that helped you learn the fretboard? Share them in the comments to help your fellow bass players, and I'll see you next time. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You're not ready to leave yet. First you need to click over here and subscribe to get all the latest free bass lessons coming at you. And you can also click on the video preview over there if you're ready for another one of said bass lessons right now. Party on, Wayne!
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Channel: BassBuzz
Views: 1,607,957
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Keywords: Bass fretboard notes, bass guitar notes, bass guitar notes for beginners, notes on the bass guitar, Beginner bass lessons, fretboard, bass lessons, bass guitar, bassbuzz
Id: tcok98Vk6uA
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Length: 19min 43sec (1183 seconds)
Published: Fri May 31 2019
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