Do you know what note you're on?

[Roland Rock]

I've thought about this a few times, and a post in another thread aroused my curiosity as to how others think.

When playing, to what extent do you know what the note is under your finger at any one time?

For me, I will obviously know the root note of any chord I'm playing. After that, my brain turns to the note's relationship to the root.

For example, I may be playing over Fm7, and the notes I'm playing are the F, and then the 3, 5 and 7 of the Fm7 scale. I may not know (without having to stop and think) the names of all of the notes.

I'm interested to see how other people think about it.

[charic]

If I think about it briefly then sure, otherwise it's instinct

[xilddx]

Only the roots But I'm never thinking of note names and note or interval relationships when I play.

[Fat Rich]

I don't even know what day of the week it is.

Learning the note names is super important if you want to get any theory down, if you're hunting around trying to work out what note you're playing or where a note is on the board you'll struggle with theory and reading.

However if you work everything out by ear, or from tabs / youtube then maybe it's less important. There are plenty of good players whose fingers now find the right note but don't know what they're playing.

[LiamPodmore]

I'm rarely ever thinking about the notes when i play. The stuff i do is all simple so it's just muscle memory, and leaves my brain to ponder what to buy from the bar after the set or how i'm going to get home. I could probably name them if i wanted to, but i don't need to so i rarely think about it, just play.

Liam

[Lynottfan]

when I was learning to read properly my teacher used to test me, and I would be calling out the notes as I played them, as the years have gone by I have become a bit lazy, and whilst I can still read I am a lot slower than I was, the skill is still there, but now I just tend to play and not really think about it.

[andydye]

On a bass I've played a lot I know exactly what notes I'm playing, with my newish acg 6 string I've got an extra string and that's really thrown me thus far, I'm gradually getting used to it, it'll take me a while but when I get there I'll be me again!

[the boy]

When I'm playing open string notes, then yes, but apart from that I haven't a clue. Sometimes even open notes on a 5 string throw me. Lol

[thumperbob 2002]

Most of the time but for definite I know the relation of the note to the root, 3rd 5th 6th,7th etc.

[BigRedX]

Only when I need to tell someone else what I'm playing.

The rest of the time I go simply by what sounds right to me.

[xgsjx]

When I'm playing keys, I am aware of every note I play. When I'm playing bass, I can tell you the notes, but I'm not always aware which ones I'm playing when doing a run.
When I'm playing guitar, I lose it on the B string.

[Wil]

I can work it out, but I'll need about 30 seconds to do so... I even forget the open strings on occasion, you'd think I'd have that down after 17 odd years, but apparently not.

[Dr.Dave]

Space Invaders. Patterns - my fingers follow those. I'll maybe sit down and work out something that pleases me but after that - during the gig - my fingers remember the patterns and I just improvise around that.

I know the names of all the notes up to the 5th fret , well- on the E and A and probebly the D and G strings anyway , without thinking but I'd have to think about the rest if you asked me.

[thunderbird13]

I have a real problem in playing in that I can close my eyes now and name every note on the fretboard and yet put me in a band situation and I struggle to name the open strings ( honestly ) .Its not about nerves its more that once I get ino playing that part of my brain slows down and I rely upon shapes and what sounds good

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='thunderbird13' timestamp='1363688966' post='2015750']
I have a real problem in playing in that I can close my eyes now and name every note on the fretboard and yet put me in a band situation and I struggle to name the open strings ( honestly ) .Its not about nerves its more that once I get ino playing that part of my brain slows down and I rely upon shapes and what sounds good
[/quote]

Which is not necessarily a bad thing ;-)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AZn9ghG9nRw

[Bilbo]

All the time.

[fumps]

Never

[Marvin]

Only the root, the rest is shapes.

[Dave Vader]

I generally know both the notes and the intervals I am playing. If it's a sudden transposing of the whole song (happens a lot when you play for a 16 year old with a penchant for sticking the capo in a different place every song) then it has to be all intervals or it will go very wrong.

[Lozz196]

I know what notes I`m playing, but never know what scale, or if it`s a major or minor key, I just play the notes that sound right.

[Conan]

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1363687821' post='2015711']
There are plenty of whores and clowns whose fingers now find the right note but don't know what they're playing.
[/quote]

Fixed.

[discreet]

Yes, if necessary - but I don't think about it when I'm playing. There's no point.
You don't think about how words are spelt when you're speaking, do you? Or doo yoo?

Edited March 19, 2013 by discreet

[Dad3353]

Notes..? Notes..? What are these 'notes' of which you speak..?

I'm a drummer, so the notion of reading/transcribing et al takes a slightly different turn. One realises quickly enough that the written aspect, and associated theory, is a radically different part of music from playing. Could Schubert play the trombone..? I'm not so sure, but his trombone parts are masterly. Does the person playing have to even know what these 'notes' are called (and it's arbitrary, anyway; an 'A' for some is a 'La' for others...).
Not to denigrate the importance of written music or theory, of course, but it's not directly related to playing. I could, naturally, name them (all...), but it would very rarely occur to me to do so.

[ahpook]

[quote name='Dr.Dave' timestamp='1363688847' post='2015745']
...Patterns - my fingers follow those.
[/quote]

plus the one.

[Norris]

I'm glad it's not just me. I could name all the notes given time, but when you're playing, singing and jigging about, it's all patterns off the root.

I can read music and did lots of music grades in my youth (piano, trombone, etc.), but have never really had to read for playing bass. That's probably why I'd need to work out the notes above the 5th fret.