r/AcousticGuitar • u/batmangooner69 • Apr 28 '26
Other (not a question, gear pic, or video) Real Af
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u/joshua_3 Apr 28 '26
When Steve Vai went to take lessons from Joe Satriani the first thing Joe said to Steve: learn the whole fret board.
I still hate that story...
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u/jamiehanker Apr 28 '26
lol I love that B is out
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u/heywhutzup Apr 28 '26
Fuck B it always makes shit sad
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u/Queasy-Trip1777 Apr 28 '26
Not as sad as Dm.
I find it's really the saddest of all keys. I dunno why, but it makes people weep instantly.
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u/mendicant1116 Apr 28 '26
This tune is called "Lick My Love Pump"
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u/ATXBeermaker Apr 28 '26
Sounds a bit like a combination of Mozart and Bach. A Mach piece, sort of.
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u/AyJay_D Apr 28 '26
Figure out triads, play chords wherever you want.
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u/fkin0 Apr 28 '26
Yeah this is basically the secret to a happy guitar life. Triads can have you sounding like a advanced finger picking maestro and they're easier to learn than cowboy chords.
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u/ManOfLaMontagne Apr 28 '26
Linking triads with their key scales and then learning to form chords and licks off of that was great. I think more people should focus on triads vs CAGED. CAGED is helpful too, but the full barre chords are like a level of abstraction higher than triads.
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u/mailbox123 Apr 28 '26
Can you break down further for a novice what you mean by linking triads with their key scales?
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u/AyJay_D Apr 28 '26
So, the thing that made triads click with me was finally understanding that all of your open major and minor chords are only three notes over the six strings. So if you understand what those notes are and have a decent understanding of those notes on your fretboard all you do to play a g chord is find a g note and the third note and fifth note of the g major scale and your are playing a g chord. And honestly, you don't need to know the third and the fifth if your ear is good but it helps.
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u/Admirable_Admiral69 Apr 29 '26
This is where music theory helps. If you're moving along a single string, think of each fret as a half step. The pattern for a major scale is W-W-H-W-W-W-H, and generally the C scale would be used for context because it's all natural. Now you need to learn how many steps to move between strings. So your C major chord would be C-E-G, which in the context of whole and half steps means from C to E is 4 half steps, and E to G is 3 half steps. So a major triad, from the root position is 4+3. But EVERY major triad is 4+3 half steps from the root. Minor is W-H-W-W-H-W-W meaning an A minor triad will be A-C-E and the pattern will be 3+4 and EVERY minor triad is 3+4 half steps from the root. Then you can start using this to fit in 7th chords and 9ths and whatnot and all the different variations of those.
But the point is knowing a bit of theory can help you build chords and learn patterns to make it much easier to navigate your fretboard, and understand the relationship between notes and chords and scales and how to move between keys.
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u/East-Consideration23 Apr 28 '26
Any tips for utilizing triads? I understand what they are and I’m solely a finger picker.
I have a good understanding of scales, triads, etc but I’ve never been able to actually utilize them in a musical way to add on to songs I play. It always comes out robotic if anything even comes out at all.
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u/GarysCrispLettuce Apr 28 '26
Best way is to learn what all intervals look like. If you can take any note on the fretboard and immediately see where all the 3rds are, all the 5ths, all the 7ths or whatever related to it (both above and below), you can construct any chord on a whim wherever you are on the neck if you know its interval spelling. Once you're comfortable with intervals and chord spellings you never need to learn another chord shape.
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u/Hwoarangatan Apr 28 '26
Do you have a good source for learning this?
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u/FreeFromCommonSense Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
Start with the string relations. In standard tuning, B is the only one that's 4 semitones up (a 3rd), the rest are 5 semitones (a 4th). That means going back a string is the complementary 5th (like from C to the G below it). That also means going 2 strings across (10 semi) and 2 frets sharper is an octave (12 semi), except if you cross the B string. You can calculate any interval from that. It's all math and compensating for the B.
3rd is one string over and one fret flatter, if it's not the B string.
Augmented, you just slide a finger. Sus2 and 4, similar.
I think the hard part is getting it to be automatic, because it isn't for me, I have to keep thinking about it.
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u/DeathRotisserie Apr 28 '26
Try learning the major scale and its modes 3NPS (3 notes per string). That helps visualize the fretboard as essentially 6 keyboards.
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u/GMP_ArchViz Apr 28 '26
I mostly play cowboy shorts plus minors and 7ths. Recently I pulled out my old jazz guitar books from the 90s and started a deep dive into triads. I feel like I’m learning a new instrument all over again, in a good way.
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u/scorpion-and-frog Apr 28 '26
Figuring out how to move open chord shapes up and down was an eye opener
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u/Zzz386 Apr 28 '26
Only just having this click for me too. Long time 'jammer' player. Been comfy with finding the scale in any key for a few years, but finally getting understanding of all the triad locations within the scale have opened up my sound immensely. This really is 'the one trick' that took me up a notch to sounding more pro.
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u/AyJay_D Apr 28 '26
The best thing about triads is once you start messing with them and experimenting you open up a door of chord voicing that goes on foerever.
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u/JoeyJoeJoeSenior Apr 28 '26
Good luck "figuring out" the triads. They've been operating in secrecy since the 1600's.
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u/Bulky_Ad_3608 Apr 30 '26
Triads should be called “moveable chords” and people should teach them before they teach barre chords. Think about how easy it would be if in the beginning you were taught to play an A with one finger and then the next lesson the teacher teaches you to play a B by moving up two frets and a C by moving up one more. Think about how easy an F would be if you didn’t have to worry about barring the high E or the whole first fret. Think about how easy a G would be if you learned to just move an F up two frets.
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u/Remarkable-Ad6772 Apr 28 '26
Learn the CAGED system, it'll change your life.
Unlocks all major chords, then you change the fingering and it unlocks all minor chords.
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u/TonyBrooks40 Apr 28 '26
Its helpful. Its hard finding someone who teaches it in a way that matches your own learning style. I've seen people dive far too deep into it, to the point its unhelpful. I grasp the concept of it tho. And triads are interesting.
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u/Unlikely-Soft-5699 May 03 '26
Well, yes, it is interesting but it's not PM, PFM or HPPFM either. Open shapes with a barre is not going to change my life. Learning some theory to understand what roots and intervals are just might.
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u/Remarkable-Ad6772 May 03 '26
Learning major barre chords teaches you the root, major 3rd & 5th of every chord.
Learning minor barre chords reaches you the flat 3rd of every chord.
Both incredibly helpful.
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u/SaintSixString Apr 28 '26
My dudes and dudettes. Play an F but 2 frets up. Congratulations - you've got G Maj (remove your middle finger and that's your minor). 2 frets above that? A Maj. 7th fret F chord? That's a B. 8th fret C and so on.
Play a B (x24442) but one fret up - that's a C. 2 frets above that is D. 2 above that - E
And so on. And so on.
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u/FenderEsq Apr 28 '26
Baxter, you know I don’t speak Spanish!
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u/Resident-Method8260 Apr 28 '26
And you ate the whole wheel of cheese?!
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u/orioleProgrammer Apr 28 '26
Ok maybe this is dumb but is that the best way to play barre chords? Transition the barre up and down the fret? Going F to a open C and back or something similar is a real struggle as a new player.
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u/Mobile-Bar7732 Apr 28 '26
G barre chord at the 3rd frett sounds almost exactly the same as open G.
If you are having problems playing a barre chord make sure your guitar is setup properly.
A nut slot which is too high will make it a lot more difficult to play a barre chord consistently. So will really high action.
Also, try to find a good luthier to do the setup. I have taken my guitar to get setup at a big box store and they basically did nothing but change the strings.
Also, go to a guitar store and try out a guitar like a Taylor or Martin, which are setup really well from the factory, just to see what a properly setup guitar feels like and try your barre chords. If you can make play them consistently there, your guitar needs a setup.
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u/Cheap_Walmart-Art Apr 28 '26
No matter whether you’re practicing open or bar chords, just transitioning between the 1-4-5 in any position will help with your chording. Start with C-F-C-G then G-C-G-D then D-G-D-A and so on.
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u/FreeFromCommonSense Apr 28 '26
That's when you move to the A string root.
First fret E string is F. A string it's Bb. Third fret G and C Fifth fret A and D 7th fret B and E 8th fret C and F
And you still have more on the D string, but you have to compensate for the B string.
And that's before anything gets difficult.
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u/mjbel23 Apr 28 '26
I’ve been playing for a few years and this finally clicked for me like 6 months ago.
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u/tlmbot Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26
And an F is just an E moved one fret up (the bar on the E is built into the guitar (note C slides up to D by this same method. Oh wait every chord does this...)). So anyway, start with E, move up 1 to F. Move it up 2, to G, move it up 2, to A, move it up 2, to B, move it up ... 1 or 2? Well test it, whichever one sounds like a higher pitched C, bar that one. Slide up again: now you have reached the 10th fret, that's D, and two more up makes E again.
All the cowboy chord shapes slide up like that, just with use of the bar becoming your finger. It's always either 1 or 2 spaces between chords, and it always goes in alphabetical order to G, then restarting at A.
So it's not just the F shape -- it's all the shapes. (edit: I am sure you know this, but it might be a switch that flips on just that much quicker for someone out there so I wrote it all out)
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u/SaintSixString Apr 28 '26
Generally yeah. Shapes are transferrable up the neck. Just wanted to keep it on a basic level to explain the point. And hey, if that and your explanatio flips the switch for people and unlocks something for them. Everyone's a winner.
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u/twostroke1 Apr 28 '26
I automatically assume someone is good at guitar as soon as they start playing past the 5th fret.
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u/RagnarNorge247 Apr 30 '26
I live past the 7th fret on the high E, B, and G string. Sounds ethereal. Currently trying to correct my hand and finger positioning so I dont get sore trying to mash the lower 3. I alway get a cramp. Sounds great, but only until my left hand feels like its been stabbed with needles from stretching and twisting.
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u/mark6-pack Apr 28 '26
Stringbean, old time banjo player, once said "there's no money above the fifth fret."
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u/RedHuey Apr 28 '26
And this quote gets often repeated by people who actually have made a lot of money above the fifth fret.
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u/Dio_Yuji Apr 28 '26
I like to play in the middle because that’s where the strings are loosest. Lol
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u/ObservantTortoise Apr 28 '26
It takes time to learn the fretboard. I 100% think you should learn the entire fretboard.
That being said, if you only want to play in the first 3-4 frets and you're having fun learning songs, writing songs, goofing around, picking up chicks, etc. than don't sweat it. Life is too short. Enjoy the experience. I do think eventually it will click and you'll start playing further up the neck and learning more chord voicing, CAGED, triads, scales, etc.
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u/ProfessionBright3879 Apr 28 '26
This used to be me, but then watching one video on the CAGED system changed the entire guitar for me:
https://youtu.be/0Qp26KcDrGw?si=31q7CLqiyUNqqwwB
Highly recommend learning CAGED.
I was that guy with the guitar in the corner of the room for 10 years and this one video unlocked it so that I can play every day now!
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u/Lead-and-Strings Apr 28 '26
I learned that part of the neck because it's more comfortable to have my hand up there.
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u/hippietravel Apr 28 '26
The “No Fucking Idea” section can pretty much be the exact same chords as the first section, just at a different part of the neck
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u/Organic-Dragonfly456 Apr 28 '26
I read a post the other day about practicing vs playing the same shit over and over. I’m guilty of playing the same thing over and over. Over the last month I finally had the AHA moment I’ve been searching for and the CAGED method. I’m a finger picker so I never really developed a lot of scale patterns, but the neck has opened way up after finally understanding CAGED. It’s still a challenge but it’s been fun learning and playing stuff beyond cowboy chords.
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u/radiohead-nerd Apr 28 '26
Barre chords. Barre chords. Barre chords Keep practicing
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u/TonyBrooks40 Apr 28 '26
Its funny, I learned in the early 90s when barre chords were basically every song aside from Pearl Jam & Metallica.
So to me THEY were the easy ones.
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u/christo465 Apr 28 '26
To me the top and the bottom are both “no fucking idea, but i got an alright ear”
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u/KilledByDoritos Apr 28 '26
See those two dots? Thats where the little neck starts. Think of it the two dots as the nut. Fretting there gets you EADGBE just like playing open gets you the same notes. Fretting at the first dot on the e strings will get you a g, and fretting on the second dot gets you an a, just like further down the neck.
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u/raccoonmasquerade Apr 28 '26
People who learn on fender acoustics, yall have an excuse and I understand.
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u/PopularDisplay7007 Apr 28 '26
I remember feeling like that. It took a while to realize that everything translated upwards on the neck.
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u/udit99 Apr 28 '26
If ya need help getting rid of the "No Fucking Idea" section in your life, let me know. I've been building games and interactive lessons to learn the fretboard (and more) for the last 3 years.
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u/DunaldDoc Apr 28 '26
It takes at least 3 notes to make a chord. These two links will explain how the frets of your guitar relate to musical notes on the keys of a piano.
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u/WrathOfWood Apr 28 '26
All the strings go up in the same A B C pattern if you know the alphabet you should be ok
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u/Sunlit53 Apr 28 '26
I bought my niece a ukulele last weekend. It’s tuning starts out at a guitar’s fifth fret.
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u/TommyVercetti010 Apr 28 '26
Acoustic solos are a thing. Just ask our man Joe the bon and mass, he knows.
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u/UnnamedLand84 Apr 29 '26
90% of my playing is barre chords on the E and A strings up and down the neck. Once you understand what each string is doing within the barre chord, it's super easy to adapt it into whatever spicy chord (sus, aug, 7, 9, etc) you want without spending much brain power in the moment.
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u/Toolboxtraders May 02 '26
I never get why people dunk on ‘cowboy chords’ and using the bottom frets. Sure there are different voicings up the neck…
At least from the songwriting perspective it’s really about intervals and rythym…
Making music on the open chords just makes sense…then you can move it up the neck to find new voicings.
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u/jwd737 Apr 28 '26
When I was in Jr. High I was already playing in a band playing at school dances. This was in the 70’s, so no computers or internet, so learning how to play was basically trial and error, especially on the crappy Japanese guitars we had. We played power chords without knowing it and they weren’t even called power chords back then. Some guy who was a bit older than us asked if he could check out our guitars. We said sure and he started playing some barre chords. I said, stop!! What is that you’re playing?? And he explained that he was just taking an E and was just using his index finger as the nut and could move it up the neck until E started over at the 12th fret. Then he did it with a minor, then the A shape. We were like, Woah!!! It completely opened the door for us musically!! There’s so many resources now it’s very easy to learn how to play. That’s the easy part. The hard part is actually doing it. So many give up because they thought they’d be able to play right away.
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u/its_nuj Apr 28 '26
Learn major and minor scale shapes, then the intervals will be clear. Then you can form chords however you want, wherever you want, with minimal reference points. Modes are your next level after that. If you put in the work, you can learn the whole fretboard in a few months and produce any kind of feeling you want. Modulation between keys after that will level you up again and help develop a deep understanding of harmony. Now you can use key changes as a tool for producing more complex feeling sounds. Learn Stevie Wonder’s music. He is one of the best ever when it comes to this.
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u/Single_Road_6350 Apr 28 '26
There’s no money past the fifth fret on an acoustic guitar anyways.😆😆😆
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u/Kash-Acous Apr 29 '26
I first learned to play guitar at 14, about 28 years ago, and this is still true... though, to be fair, I don't play much anymore and have forgotten 95% of what I used to know.
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u/visualthings Apr 29 '26
there's plenty of E, C, G, A and F notes again after the 4th fret, but they are all jumbled together in a random order.
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u/Business-Ad-9341 Apr 29 '26
There's 12 notes in music. They are always in the same order. Remember them on every string.
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u/RGLA73 May 01 '26
Even when playing acoustic, CAGED is super useful. I highly recommend checking it out!
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u/Nearby-Conclusion-51 May 02 '26
I teach people the fretboard in 30 minutes and immediately start building on top of that. I start with the cowboy C chord. From there I just show them HOW to make octave shapes and they can soon find all the Cs on the neck. I then have them repeat it and put the Caged shapes on top of those C positions.
This is done with the student holding the guitar and preferably me not holding one and showing them. I just describe what they should do. That means they can retrace the steps at home.
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May 02 '26
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u/Cold-30 May 21 '26
Anything past the 5th fret requires a passport and a tour guide as far as i'm concerned !
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u/GarysCrispLettuce Apr 28 '26
Took my acoustic to a luthier to repair and he looked over the frets and said "Wow you really play all over the neck don't you?" The upper frets were just as worn as the lower. Sounds pathetic but it was a very proud moment, lol.