Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hello GW fam. I've been griding through lessons like it is nobody's business, but I suppose I still have issue knowing the exact note I am on and what chord I'm playing.

This may have already been addressed, but I’m looking for one or a few good “self-test” exercises to help me gauge where I am with the fretboard.

In the Master Triads series, practicing root position, 1st inversion, and 2nd inversion triads from each root note seems like a great way to test fretboard knowledge. Are there any other exercises or approaches that might be even better for checking progress? Or would you recommend using that triad approach along with a few other tests?

As a side note, since doing the one string approach I have really started to internalize the notes well. My one string soloing is coming just about as natural as if I was singing. I may not know all the notes by name every time but I tend to get exactly what I want it to sound like. That has been a crazy development and I appreciate all the lessons that have helped me get there!

My experience is that trying to learn the notes of the fretboard is daunting if you're trying to learn 5 strings at once. what I did was to just focus on one string for a few days and try to really nail that one string before moving to another string.

I'm sure you'l get some other good advice here, but one string at a time worked pretty well for me. Of course, I'm sure a refresher would be in order, especially the D and G strings, but I'm not using the low E and A strings as landmarks anymore.

For me it is process that keeps getting more and more solid and so worth it and a gift that keeps on giving :).

1. Took me about 6 weeks just picking up a guitar everyday to master the notes on the fretboard. Have a guitar out all the time for me worked. Even watching movies going through notes and scales. Thinking of the fretboard as I drifted off to sleep visualizing was a great way to fall asleep fast lol.

2. Initially I used mnemonics like on the 5th fret, and made one up for 9th, then knowing the B to C and E to F. 12 fret is easy because its the same as open. Low and high strings are identical.. Learned the naturals first then sections of the guitar.

3. I didnt have the one string method at the time as I wasnt on GW then but if I had I would do that on each string (Twinkle Twinkle little star Tomo teaches or other - Now I can play the blues on one string lol)

4. Knowing roots became key to unlock triads and triads key to finding roots :). (G chord all the way up the neck - much easier knowing root and knowing that if the root is on a certain string the triad has a reoccurring shape)
-For example any root on the G string has an A shape chord. Any Root on D string E shape chord etc. Any root on the B string has a C shape for the major chords in major keys
- So knowing notes to find chords and chords to find notes :)

Good luck so worth the effort

Hi - I felt some improvement in knowing where notes were when I worked on the sight reading lessons on GW. The other one that really helped me was practicing the arpeggios but making myself say the note names when I would go through. I did that to reinforce my recognition of the intervals which make the arpeggio its type (instead of the ahape), but it also helped me remember where notes are. This one is great for that: https://tomovhxtv.vhx.tv/foundation-triads/videos/ftr-18-triad-arpeggios-level-4

Chris