Easy way to learn the notes on the bass and the circle of fifths!

[PeteFromCorby]

In standard tuning every fret on the bass is part of the circle of fiths!

eg the 7th fret is B E A D!

[ambient]

The notes ascending and descending along a string are the chromatic scale starting from wherever you start.

Edited April 1, 2014 by ambient

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='PeteFromCorby' timestamp='1396384197' post='2413058']
In standard tuning every fret on the bass is part of the circle of fiths!

eg the 7th fret is B E A D!
[/quote]
Actually those notes read in order, ascending, are spaced in fourths, simply because the bass is conventionally tuned in 4ths.

[PeteFromCorby]

if you read the circle of fifths anti-clockwise it is in fourths as per the bass!

[timmo]

What is the circle of fifths?

[Dad3353]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1396471386' post='2414154']
What is the circle of fifths?
[/quote]

Merits a full reply, but here's a Wikipedia page on the subject...

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths"]Circle of Fifths...[/url]

...Very briefly, one can use it as a means of working out relationships between chords, for progressions, or building chords. Worthy of some study, imo...

[timmo]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1396472014' post='2414168']
Merits a full reply, but here's a Wikipedia page on the subject...

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths"]Circle of Fifths...[/url]

...Very briefly, one can use it as a means of working out relationships between chords, for progressions, or building chords. Worthy of some study, imo...
[/quote]Ahh yes, i have seen that chart. Thanks for the link, i will read that in more detail when the brain can cope

[Horizontalste]

Circle is a essential tool for me when working things out, takes out the guesswork.

[Bilbo]

Is it just me?

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1396605873' post='2415567']
Is it just me?
[/quote]

?

[SteveO]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1396605873' post='2415567']
Is it just me?
[/quote]
no.



[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1396387051' post='2413104']
The notes ascending and descending along a string are the chromatic scale starting from wherever you start.
[/quote]

ha ha, I concur.

Edited April 4, 2014 by SteveO

[ambient]

I don't get what the problem is with learning the notes, why you'd want an easy way when there's not really a hard way.

Learn the notes on each string from the 1st fret to the 4th, including the open strings that's just 20 notes on a 4 string bass, and they're pretty much just the alphabet from E onwards (ok so you've a few #'s, but it's really not exactly particle physics). The note at the 5th fret is the same as the open next higher string, the notes from the 5th fret onwards are the same as the next higher strings from the 1st fret, and this keeps repeating onwards and upwards. So from the 10th fret you're talking the 2nd highest string etc.

E string - F, F#,G, G#
A string - A#, B, C, C#
D string - D#, E, F, F#
G string - G#, A, A#, B

If you look at the above you'll see that descending across the neck (moving down from the G string), the notes move in the cycle of 5ths e.g. start on A, the next note is its 5th E, the next is its 5th B etc.

If you look ascending it's the cycle of 4ths e.g. start on F and the neighbouring note on the next string is A# (same note as Bb) etc.

Edited April 5, 2014 by ambient

[ML94]

To learn the notes all you have to do is sit down and learn them. What sped the process up for me was ...

- Shout the note out loud
- Find it on all of the strings
- If there is an accidental involved, go up in #'s and come back down in b's
- Carry on doing it for a while and voila !

Another thing that helped me was playing the grooves I knew in certain positions and moving them up to the next position. I think Scott Devine's website has a lesson called 'Stuck in one area of the fretboard'. That'll do you wonders!

[Guest bassman7755]

Heres a relatively gentle way to learn all notes cold.

Given that the cycle of 5ths contains this sequence of notes: F C G D A E B and that there are 7 of them - assign each note to a day of the week e.g. monday is "F day" tuesday is "C day" etc.
On each day for one week spend a few moments playing just the note-of-the-day on every position on all string.

The following week do the same but play the note-of-today everywhere then do the same for "tomorrows" note.
The week after do todays note the plus 2 following notes.

Continue adding an extra note from the sequence each week until your practicing all notes (one at a time still) every day.

Once your doing every note every day you can start adding the accidentals which are F# C# Ab Eb Bb (again in cycle of 5ths order)

Edited April 5, 2014 by bassman7755

[PeteFromCorby]

B E A D G C F Bb Eb Ab Db F#

These are the notes of the notes of the Circle of Fifths in anti-clockwise order . The B is at 5 o' clock. The C is at 12 o' clock. The F# is at 6 o'clock.


I find it easy to remember this way round.


So it doesn,t matter wether you have 4, 5, or 6 string bass as long as its in standard tuning.

This circle revolves around the neck across the strings. So the 1st fret on 4 string is F Bb Eb Ab

The 2nd fret is F# B E A The 3rd fret is G C F Bb The 4th fret is Ab Db F# B

The 5th fret is A D G C The 6th fret is Bb Eb Ab Db The 7th fret is B E A D

The 8th fret is C F Bb Eb The 9th fret is Db F# B E The 10th fret is D G C F

The 11th fret is Eb Ab Db F#

The 12 th fret is E A D G

[PeteFromCorby]

The open strings E A D G are also part of the circle of fiths anti-clockwise


If you play them G D A E this is the circle of fiths clockwise


The 6th fret Bb Eb Ab Db this is the first four notes of order of flats

The 11 th fret in clockwise order starting on the G string F# C# G# D# the first four notes of the order of sharps.

[Bilbo]

Best way to learn where the notes are is to learn to read music. Then you HAVE to know where the notes are to actually PLAY the f*****s

[Thurbs]

+1

Reading music was the way I learnt where the notes were. Necessity and all that...

[PeteFromCorby]

O K I can see your not convinced about the usefulness of this.


O k the notes up and down each string is the chromatic scale and this is easy for anybody to learn.



The notes going across strings are not so easy because the have an apparent hap-hazard order.


I am just pointing out that they do have an order and that is the circle of fifths.


The circle of fifths is a very useful tool for all musicians except drummers.

It has all the key signatures and the order of sharps and flats.

Now if you don't have a circle of fifths handy all you have to do is look at your own bass

[ambient]

[quote name='PeteFromCorby' timestamp='1397139993' post='2421083']
O K I can see your not convinced about the usefulness of this.


O k the notes up and down each string is the chromatic scale and this is easy for anybody to learn.



The notes going across strings are not so easy because the have an apparent hap-hazard order.


I am just pointing out that they do have an order and that is the circle of fifths.


The circle of fifths is a very useful tool for all musicians except drummers.

It has all the key signatures and the order of sharps and flats.

Now if you don't have a circle of fifths handy all you have to do is look at your own bass
[/quote]

My post #12 .

It's not hard, they're just the notes of the alphabet from A to G with some sharps and flats.

My 2 1/2 year old nephew probably knows hundreds of words.

People can't be a###ed to learn the notes, same as scales, same as reading music and harmony and theory.

Each to their own .

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1397118629' post='2420743']
Best way to learn where the notes are is to learn to read music. Then you HAVE to know where the notes are to actually PLAY the f*****s
[/quote]

Though wouldn't it be possible then to be able to play the notes but not actually know what they were?

I can't read music (well not fast enough to play from it without first learning it, if you see what I mean), but I know the notes on my fretboard.

[wal4string]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1397118629' post='2420743']
Best way to learn where the notes are is to learn to read music. Then you HAVE to know where the notes are to actually PLAY the f*****s
[/quote]

Exactly. Well said that man.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='PeteFromCorby' timestamp='1397139993' post='2421083']
...The notes going across strings are not so easy because the have an apparent hap-hazard order...
[/quote]
It's only 'apparently hap-hazard' if you haven't learned the notes and their relationships.

[wal4string]

I never had a problem with learning the notes infact the way they are is very logical and simple to learn an remember and never hap-hazard.
It seems to me you can't see the wood from the trees. And I don't mean that in a condescending way. I will try and explain an easy way to learn.
Start by learning the first 5 notes on the E string (bottom, thick string). 5 notes moving up the neck a fret at a time. Open E, next is F, next is F# (AKA Gb), next is G, next is
G# (aka Ab), next is A, which is the exact same note as the open 3rd string on your bass.

[b]Always remember that the notes E and F, and also B and C are only ever a semitone apart (AKA a fret).[/b]

So logically, bearing in mind the last sentence. The next note moving up the neck is an A# (AKA Bb) if either on the six fret of the E string or the 1st fret of the A string.
The next note up would be a B, on the seventh fret of the E string or the 2nd fret of the A string.

The same note progression can be continued. [b]Always remember that the notes E and F, and also B and C are only ever a semitone apart (AKA a fret).[/b]

[b]Also remember the difference between high and low., [/b]When it is in relation to notes, higher notes are closer to your plucking hand and the thinner the string the higher it is.

Final tip to learning the notes on all strings.

We have already named the first 5 notes on the E string. E to A.
Learning octaves is easy. To play an octave above the bottom E string you have 3 options for the exact same note. Depending on what needs to be played musically before or after this note
will depend which of the 3 notes you choose to play. The the options are 12th fret E string, 7th fret A string or the 2nd fret D string. That may seem confusing but I am sure in time it will be clear.

It is when we start playing fretted octaves the learning begins.

An octave above the note you play on the bottom two strings of your bass is exactly 2 frets and two strings higher.

Play a fretted note on your 3rd fret ogf your bottom string (E), which is a G, then play a fretted note two strings higher and two frets higher.( an octave G), ((this is also the same note as your first string))

This is the same for all notes on the bottom two strings of your bass.

Play a C, 3rd fret on your A string then play a note two strings and two frets higher, an octave C..

Just checked what I have typed, made it seem more confusing.
It's a bit like trying to explain to a learner how to drive.

[ambient]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1397159596' post='2421379']
Though wouldn't it be possible then to be able to play the notes but not actually know what they were?

I can't read music (well not fast enough to play from it without first learning it, if you see what I mean), but I know the notes on my fretboard.
[/quote]

Why would you bother learning to read music, but not learn what the notes on the fretboard were ?

I doubt you could anyway, every book I've ever seen that instructed you in sight-reading said what the note names were, so you'd learn them that way. Maybe take some Tipex to the note names and just learn first line on the staff = 3rd fret E string, 2nd line = 2nd fret A string.

It just totally baffles me why people have such a half-hearted approach to learning basic music theory and stuff. If only they spent as much time in learning at as making excuses not to. Oh but it stifles my creatively and other reasons.

Some guy on another thread here said how when making a new bass line for a song, he pretty much plays every note on the fretboard searching for the 'right notes' !

Edited April 11, 2014 by ambient