Austin Guitar School

Exploring the Fretboard

Learning to use all of the guitar neck for improvising can be frustrating. It is too easy and all too common for guitarists to concentrate on one simple scale pattern on just a few frets when required to play a solo. This restrictive approach causes solos to become increasingly repetitive and less fun to play. When a player becomes comfortable with additional parts of the neck, the result is greater ease of soloing and increased inspiration for both the performer and the audience.

An effective way of exploring new areas of the neck is by relearning a scale, melody, or simple phrase in a different place than you're used to. This will force you to see the same old notes from a new perspective. Trying a new approach to something that is already familiar will open up new avenues of creativity and give you additional opportunities when soloing. In short, it makes playing solos more fun!

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The three examples illustrate how a simple melody can be played in different places on the neck. I've used Eric Clapton's solo, 'Wonderful Tonight" as my example. I simplified the melody a bit by not bending any notes which will help in playing the melody in different positions on the fretboard. Each location uses different patterns and fingerings to achieve the same notes. Although all three patterns are the same notes, 'they will each produce their own unique color or voice due to different fingerings. Also, the acute ear will notice that the tone changes between these three patterns. This is because the notes played on the thicker strings will produce a lower, fuller tone.

Best of all, examples like this can give you more options when playing. The big, scary, unknown landscape of the guitar neck can become a giant playground...... did somebody say recess?

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	Exploring the Fretboard by Bruce Lawrence copyright 1999 Learning to use all of the guitar neck for improvising can be frustrating. It is too easy and all too common for guitarists to concentrate on one simple scale pattern on just a few frets when required to play a solo. This restrictive approach causes solos to become increasingly repetitive and less fun to play. When a player becomes comfortable with additional parts of the neck, the result is greater ease of soloing and increased inspiration for both the performer and the audience. An effective way of exploring new areas of the neck is by relearning a scale, melody, or simple phrase in a different place than you're used to. This will force you to see the same old notes from a new perspective. Trying a new approach to something that is already familiar will open up new avenues of creativity and give you additional opportunities when soloing. In short, it makes playing solos more fun! The three examples illustrate how a simple melody can be played in different places on the neck. I've used Eric Clapton's solo, 'Wonderful Tonight" as my example. I simplified the melody a bit by not bending any notes which will help in playing the melody in different positions on the fretboard. Each location uses different patterns and fingerings to achieve the same notes. Although all three patterns are the same notes, 'they will each produce their own unique color or voice due to different fingerings. Also, the acute ear will notice that the tone changes between these three patterns. This is because the notes played on the thicker strings will produce a lower, fuller tone. Best of all, examples like this can give you more options when playing. The big, scary, unknown landscape of the guitar neck can become a giant playground...... did somebody say recess?