Groupping of Notes Across the Guitar Strings into Fret Groups

Notes along the strings

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4. Now it is time to group the notes across the strings into fret groups. Let us group frets so that each group contains all 6 notes of all 6 strings:

Here we have 8 groups containing frets (0), (1,2), (3, 4), (5), (6, 7), (8, 9), (10), (12).

Notes within each group are arranged in the same "vertical" pattern. Look at fret 0 of C Major scale PAD. Notes on the fret are arranged in the same pattern: ( from 6th string down) between lines, or "on-space, "on-line, "on-space", "on-line", "on-line", "on-space ", or (S L S L L S). On fret 5 it is: (L S L S S L). The same on frets 10, 12. Now look at the group of frets 1 and 2: (L S L S S L), group 3 and 4: (S L S L L S). Frets in a pair "complement" each other. What is also important is that L and S alternate along the string going from group to group.

Here is the table of 8 groups built on the 0-12 frets of the C major key:

Frets: Pattern:
0 (free strings) S L S L L S
1 and 2 L S L S S L
3 and 4 S L S L L S
5 L S L S S L
6 and 7 S L S L L S
8 and 9 L S L S S L
10 S L S L L S
12 ( the same free strings notes, octave higher) L S L S S L

Since each group has the same structure, grouping of frets allows easier memorization of each group and makes building of chords easy as you will see later. Within a group, the intervals between notes are 3rds for strings 2 and 3 ( minor 3rd or major 3rd ) and 4ths ( perfect 4th and augmented 4th ) for other strings.

In other keys, patterns of the groups will stay the same since the "White Piano Keys" pattern stays the same. Only, since it is shifted, these patterns will fall onto other frets and therefore contain other notes.

All notes of all groups should be memorized well!
It will take some time.

5. Once it is done, it is useful to memorize notes in pairs of neighboring groups. Pair 0,(1-2), pair (1-2),(3-4), pair (3-4),(5) and so on. It connects groups together. You can test yourself using black notes on the next picture below.

6. Then, analyze and memorize notes along the strings. It is a study of intervals along the strings and it develops technique. Starting with free strings play two, three notes up (toward the body of the instrument) the fretboard from each note clearly visualizing the note symbols in your mind. Start with notes on fret 1, then 2, and so on. Do not play for the sake of plucking the strings - play to memorize note symbols! Your musical memory is trained along with it. Looking at the diagram is a great help. Do not look at the fretboard: fingering should come from tactile senses, not from visual.. Then go down the fretboard starting, say, from notes on the fret 12, then to 11, and so on to 0. When you are ready, test yourself with the exercise below. Here, numbers in squares designate the leftmost groups of frets. This exercise is complementary as well as other ones below. It is a test. Until you memorize the notes well, when you practice you should work with the PADs.

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Home | Top | What is PAD: Perfectly Aligning Diagrams | How the method was developed | Basic chord fingering chart | Table of PADs in the Book: chords and scales, transposition table | Musical structure of guitar starting with C major scale | Essential guitar scale pattern on the fretboard | Notes along the fingerboard: note C | Grouping of notes across the guitar strings into fret groups | Notes along the strings | Thirds intervals on the Guitar. Exercise | Guitar Triads and Tetrads (Chords), Diagonal Structure, Exercise | Chords and Inverted Chords on a Guitar Fret Group. Exercise | PAD Chord Charts | Working with other keys, C blues scale and A minor scale and key | Importance of Key Signatures | Guitar Ear, Fingering, Memory Training with Visual Musical Notes Presentation | The book | Success without memorizing | Blogs, Forums, Groups

Available PAD in the key C - Am: Help | Home | Explanation | Musical Structure of Guitar | Success without memorizing | Forums, Groups
Notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B
Triads of C major scale: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim, tetrads: Bm7b5, G7
Triads of A minor scale: E, other: A
C blues scale C7, F7, G7
Chords over C major scale: C, G, F, Em, Am, Dm, Bdim
Chords over A minor scale: Am, Dm, E, G, C, F, Bdim
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Key words: guitar, chord, scale, chart, classical, note, tablature, book, fingerboard, fretboard
Design and Copyright © 2011 Igor Polk.    Published by Yes San Francisco, LLC on 2011.01.1