If you're new to the channel, I'd like to offer a warm welcome! To see how this video fits into the big picture of fretboard understanding, check out this overview video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tpC115zjKiw.html or download a FREE 12-page overview e-book: fretscience.myshopify.com/products/building-fretboard-fluency-the-big-picture-pdf-ebook Individual cheat sheets and a heavily discounted bundle are available for purchase at: fretscience.myshopify.com 🎸🧪🤘
Holy crap…someone give this man a medal or some kind of award! This is gold! Something you maybe want to point out in your videos that you kind of skip over is how your shifting up and down takes advantage of the fact that the top and bottom strings are both E strings, and will therefore always have the same “pattern” on them and that is how you can “fill in” the notes as you shift a pattern up or down. That took me a second to figure out.
Thanks! That’s definitely a good point for 6-string guitar. I’m always thinking of how the method applies to 4-, 5-, and 6-string bass and 7- and 8-string guitars, where that doesn’t work, but it’s definitely something most of us can use 🎸🧪🤘
@@fretscience Yes, this works great with the 4-string bass as there is no warp. There was a video floating around that did something like this, but with 3 shapes. It was most useful in moving up and down the neck, but not as helpul as this approach using 2 shapes and moving vertically, and as a deeper learning tool as used with the companion videos.
I have watched this multiple times. I can’t tell you how valuable this is. A perfect explanation that makes sense and opens up endless possibilities. Extremely well presented in voice, visuals and pacing. As good as it gets. Thank you very much.
I’ve been playing the guitar for 30 years, and this lesson has completely changed how I understand the geometry of the fretboard. Absolute breakthrough moment. The scale forms we memorize are “true”, but they’re derived from the underlying pattern!
It’s already changed how I approach improvisation. Instead of thinking, which form do I need to use?, I just find the first root that I want to center the melody around and use the stack+rectangle to move around it. It’s so simple, and it ends up sounding so much better. This lesson was a massively important moment in my musical journey.
I can't believe it! It's like finding the holy grail of guitar instructional videos. This is the video I was hoping for when I clicked on the last 50,000 RU-vid guitar videos! I just bought the cheat sheet pack and now I'm ready to stop "searching" and start "working". Thank you Keith!
Within the space of four videos, Fret Science has quickly won my ‘Favourite New Channel’ accolade. What truly brilliant resources you’ve provided. I’ll certainly be going to buy the PDFs. Many thanks.
Seriously, I cannot express in words how your method of teaching is infinitely better at showing us what is actually happening on the fretboard. Why do so many other "beginner" lessons fail to even explain that the notes of one string continue onto the next every 5 notes? That seems like the FIRST thing you'd want to teach! The visuals are a language that's universal. Please, please understand that, from the very bottom of this complete stranger's heart, I truly do thank you for sharing your knowledge in this manner. I know it takes work to do it!
This is so good. After 30 years of playing by ear in cover bands, I’m finally trying to actually learn the fretboard the way I should have years ago. This logical framework is brilliant, and so much better than rote memorization. The animations are excellent. I purchased every PDF you offer - keep this great stuff coming!
this is literally the best explanation i have ever seen! i have been playing since 16. i am 46 now and just trying to make my way through note identification on the guitar and understand better. i have never been taught this way and i get it now from all of your guidance on your channel. thank you so much brother. i really appreciate you and your work
Finally. I knew this framework existed but lacked the experience to work it out myself. I’ve been searching for years without fully understanding what it is I’ve been looking for. Thank you.
I suspect most teachers pass on the knowledge in the same way they learned it, which is why, for example, the CAGED methodology hasn’t been significantly updated in 50 years. Cheers! 🎸🧪🤘
@@skippy6086 you might want to check out the next video in the series. CAGED is great, but it’s not usually taught effectively…I’m trying to change that
This is the most value lesson on YT to understand the pent. scales and their shape relation. No nonsense, no blahblah en show off. Great! Thank you so much Fret Science 🙂
Brilliant! I've been studying guitar for a little over 2 years now and your approach to the shapes of the pentatonic scales is finally getting me over that hurdle of being able to visualize all of this information all over the fretboard while I'm playing. Thank you! It's just so good. On top of that, you've given me a whole new way to travel horizontally ("the other diagonal") that I've not seen or heard mentioned anywhere else. I'm really looking forward to jamming with that pattern to find out all the goodies hidden therein. Huge thank you for making this material available. You're on to something very powerful here. Please keep going and please keep sharing. You're helping to fill the world with beautiful music. A worthy endeavor indeed!
Excellent video! I memorized the 5 minor pentatonic boxes in a very “rote” way. The not-so-good news is, I use them the same way …always starting from the sixth string even if I don’t play a note. This is another cell block of the dreaded “scale jail.” This video might be the file in the cake…Subscribed!
I cannot express how grateful I am for this video. This made it all click and within 30 minutes I could connect the entire neck of the guitar based on this structuring! Great videos!!😊
I have been playing guitar by ear and not having any idea of what I am doing, and being extremely limited in improvisation because I have never even started to grasp all of those intimidating and complicated patters. With this method, of course there still a lot for me to work out, but it all makes perfect sense, and that's so rewarding
@enzocypriani5055 That’s great to hear! If you want to learn to improvise, be sure to join my mailing list at fretscience.com…big announcement coming soon 🎸🧪🤘
That’s great to hear…having a good coach to answer questions and to suggest exercises to go along with the videos would be a dream combination for quick advancement. Thanks! 🎸🧪🤘
Fantastic organizational logic! I've been playing 40+ years with a degree in music and jazz studies and I gleaned a ton out of this. Great work at a production level also. Thanks...
That’s great to hear! If you’re interested, my video “Hidden in Plain Sight” takes the modal connection to the next level ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jrukJYI8ecY.html 🎸🧪🤘
This whole idea is so brilliant I can't find words to say it. I practiced modes until my fingers bled for a few years and didn't INTERNALIZE the positions solidly...a few watchings of this and I can confidently say that my pentatonic, modal, and major scale playing is 100% better...I can pay more fluently and musically than ever before...YOU JUST REMOVED MY BLIND SPOTS....I just wish you'd have taught me that when I was 16 and not 63..... :)
Innovattive attempt at increasiing the joy of sounding good, better, and best on the instrument. I have seen many and this one is definitely unique. Anything that simplifies a students conceptualisation on the dynamics of phrasing single notes into a cohesive musical moment up, down and across the neck is genius to me. The key is practice, practice, practice.
Thanks. Unique isn’t always better, but I’ve observed that this framework combined with my approach to modes, triads, CAGED, and 3nps does speed up the learning curve quite a lot on the path to improvising freely and musically.
Enlightning, mind blowing! It is so much easier to memorize and use scales. You just need to know the notes on the fretboard and you finally break out from those vertical shapes. Thank you!!!
Thanks, Keith, it is refreshing to step back a few decades to almost start over again with my guitar practice, experience and knowledge. There is a wealth of information on RU-vid, which I have found overwhelming at the very least. I do believe you have analysed your music and guitar skills over the years to offer us 'wannabes' new perspectives and quicker more efficient methods to reach our goals with our instruments, which is very refreshing. PS. I listened pretty intently to the Michael Gumley interview, all the best for a promising future. Thanks.
The video that changed my 40-year guitar life. Absolutely original and fantastic. Keith is a genius. Now for the first time in 40 years, I'm gliding up, down, and across the fretboard. I even decided to memorize the fretboard (finally!) to take even more advantage of the stack and the rectangle (and of course as the result of Keith's advice). I've memorized 4 strings (it was easier than I thought) and just 2 to go. Keith, thank you absolutely. In the future, would you be able to tell us the rules of stacking the stacks and the rectangles laterally and vertically? I've figured out that the stacks are connected diagonally at the corner point, stacks and rectangles alternatve vertically, going up the fret one fret per pair. These are in your videos and cheat sheets. Then there are more rules which have not yet been explained. I've figured out the rules for the stack and the rectangle connecting laterally (rectangle's and stack's top are aligned when rect connects to stack's left side, bottom aligned when connecting to stack's right side). Then I got completely lost on how the rectangles (by themselves) connect laterally -- I eventually figured it out (there's a 2-fret overlap) but it would be terrific to hear the master himself explain these rules. This is so useful because now I see the shapes and I can see INSTANTLY where I can play. Thank you in advance.
Thanks for your kind words! In the video and cheat sheet, I laid out the connections that I use most often. For other movements, I tend to jump from root to root. If you want to find other ways of moving around the lattice of rectangle and stacks, I’d recommend drawing out an “infinite fretboard” of 12-18 frets and ~10 strings. Ignore the “warp” and use the rules you know to fill in rectangles and stacks. Then look for relationships that you think might be useful and practice applying them on the real fretboard. It’s a little more work, but you’ll find the connections that work best for you. 🎸🧪🤘
@@fretscience Got it, Keith. I kinda did that, I think, and nearly had a stroke - but thankfully didn't. In the process, I found a couple of interesting'useful rules... I would love to be able to get around to writing it up one day for you and that could be a topic for another video for you down the line perhaps.
Subbed. Watched all of your videos. Made my purchase of your bundle to support your channel. As a 60-yr old Mechanical Engineer, I love your systematic approach to teaching music. Thank you.
This video is not only clear and with great visuals, it helped me piece together a lot of the theory I had already learned. Had quite a few "ah-ha" moments and keep coming back to review/replay it as my skills/understanding improves. This is well narrated with little repetition to get the most out of your time. FANTASTIC work and a favorite of mine! THANK YOU!
Fantastic lesson. I’ve spent so much time on major scales and was looking for a good approach to pentatonic and this just knocked it out of the park. Thank you so much 💯👍🎸
This is INCREDIBLE. So glad I found this channel. I have been playing for 20+ years and more-or-less plateaued 10ish years ago. This feels like the next step to leveling up my chops. Can't wait to dig in more and practice this!
I have to say that the production value of all of your videos is incredibly high. Im a beginner at soloing, but thanks to your it starts to sound really good more often. Cheers from Austria!
This is a true game changer way to look at it. With the minor pentatonic you instantly have your 1 b3 5 and b7 all within the rectangle stack. And to have all those plus the 4th in the square shape. Amazing. Thank you for this 🙏
Thank you so much. Your diagrams have really opened my eyes. Although I have learned many of these positions. I was not able to make the connection by understanding chord shapes up and down the fret board but was unable to make the connections as it relates to playing lead up and down the fret. Thank you for laying this out so clearly.
This is an absolutely fantastic video. Everything is properly and expertly explained, to the point where even _I_ started jamming out in minutes. Many thanks!
after watchin g hundreds of videos on guitar...finallly found the one that demystified it and blew mind mind on understandin g scale 🙏🙏🙏....thans a lot and God bless you for sharing this...ill buy your cheat sheets from gumroad soon
Thank you for putting this content out. I've always had hard time "connecting" patterns to the shapes of scales that could be easily memorized and your series is definitely a great investment to improve my skill!
That’s great to hear…definitely check out my other videos…several of them build on this in interesting ways, and you don’t need to master each piece before learning about the next one because they all work together. 🎸🧪🤘
I have a couple of guitars tuned to perfect 4th. With no 3rds tuning, I can play triads with only 3 shapes vertically or horizontally. Makes it very easy to visualize an infinite number of frets or strings with the same 3 shapes. Simplifies everything! Thanks for posting.
Your way of explaining totally clicks with me. Second video I've watched on your channel and again the simplicity to which to break things down to is just mind boggling. Outstanding work!
This video was very amazing for piecing together my previous knowledge I can navigate my entire fretboard with relative ease now! Thank-you very much for sharing your knowledge!
Thank you very much for your insight. Had memorized the pentatonic scale for a long time, but now I see all the modes so clearly and my playing is just so much more melodic, harmonic and enjoyable. Well presented. Great work. Thanks again
Wow! Over the decades I've studied and learnt the five pentatonic shapes for Major and Minor all over the neck. Anybody who has laboured over that exercise knows how difficult that is. Now I find out that all I actually needed to remember was these two simply shapes!! lol. If you are new to the guitar and are thinking of learning pentatonics, don't bother with any other RU-vid videos. Simply learn this. Trust me, you'll save yourself a lot of time and headaches! Thanks very much! :)
I am listening to your interview with Michael Gumley right now and so glad to have found you. God bless your work and I look forward to learning from you. I play at church most weekends. I have been playing for over 40 years, but often feel retarded when it comes to memorizing progressions and/or scale patterns. Thank you for being here.
@@fretscience i downloaded the audiobook for the Fast and Slow thinking. I have been listening to Tom Quayle recently. I bought his Solo program for my iPhone. I am thrilled with your concepts. God bless.
@@BrianVallotton Nice! I'm going to do a video that talks about how to apply Thinking, Fast & Slow to guitar sometime relatively soon. I like Tom Quayle's "Solo" app quite a lot for drilling intervals...definitely a useful tool.
I use two patterns as well, but they’re grouped together different. The same mindset is involved,, though. Two patterns are all you need and you always know where the scale tones are because they always come out in the same place within the patterns, of which again there are only two. And then, minor 7th arpeggios; Same thing, just leave out the 4th.
This is out of my pay grade for now, since I just got my baritone ukulele. But I have the most valuable resource on You Tube and I'll be back. Merci beaucoup.
Perpetual beginner here, but I’m going to buy your download and try this. And… wow, no matter how hard you try, there’s always someone waiting to take you down. Heh, guitarists and pilots. I can only imagine the dustup when two guitarist-pilots get together!
Keith MASSIVE THANK YOU from accross the Atlantic + purchased sheet (the best 5$ i have spent) + thumbs up + subscribed I first bought the sheet as a thank you but then realise that this is absolute essential to assimilate the video as it fully complements. I always need paper in my hand to assimilate a concept - I will strongly recommend for everyone taking this concept further to get the sheets Been playing pentatonics for years but have little time to practice and was always getting minors and majors jumbled up - the biggest thing to hit me is that a rectangle can be made minor or major depending on root and same with stack - WoW and WoW - i can just play & combine anything to anything - its literally like LEGO and i love LEGO. still digesting this God Bless ....
This is a true reference for me - every time I look at it since my first discovery I pick something new. These few minutes of a You Tube video are compacted with knowledge- each sentence has a new message Respect - thank u 🙏🏽
Thanks, Chris! With this one, my goal was to jam as much useful information as I could into 10 minutes, without making it too complex…I’m afraid I may have squeezed in a little too much 🤣
I'm saving this video because it pictures exactly what I eventually came up with on my own, to organize the fretboard and the sounds/intervals. Handy tip for others: the "rectangle" always makes the sound of the signature riff of "Layla" (da-da-dadee-a-da-da). *And* the first note in the rectangle is the 3 (of the major key) which I remember because the stack finger positions are three frets apart. The "stack" makes the sound of the Jimmy Page fast riff in the middle of "Dazed and Confused" (not the slow riff at the beginning, mind you). And its first note is the 2 (of the major key) which I remember because of the two-fret moves. This video could be even more stratospheric if its creator had just added *example sounds* for everyone to hear why these shapes do what they do for your playing! Oh well, I missed my chance to make it myself. Well done FS.
For the first time I've understood how the CAGED system, the Minor Pentatonic scale, hammer-ons, etc. can be connected on the fretboard and it all makes sense to me. One view of the video and it has opened the flood gates for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you 🙏 🙏 🙏
Very helpful, only wish I had sounds (some playing) so I can connect the head knowledge to the music. Knowing how all the notes sound in relation to the root seems super helpful while learning these. At least for a beginner with little ear training.
I agree, and I’ve started including more live demonstrations in my newer videos, but it’s also essential to do this with your own guitar. In addition to connecting shapes to sounds, it also ties in the physical movement. Glad you found it helpful! 🎸🧪🤘
1:29 THE RECTANGLE AND THE STACK 1:37 PATTERN FOR INFINITE STRINGS TUNED IN FOURTHS 1:49 TONAL CENTERS FOR MAJOR AND MINOR PENTATONIC 2:27 THE FIVE PENTATONIC FORMS DIAGRAMS 🧿3:02 Examples for A minor 3:20 FORM 5 3:31 1st finger on 3rd string root 3:41 3rd finher on 1st string root 3:51 FORM 1 4:00 4:02 FORM 2 4:11 4:12 FORM 3 4:22 4:26 FORM 4 4:35 4:51 5:09 HOW TO MAKE IT MUSICAL : 1. Know scale degrees 5:10 MINOR IN MAJOR CONTEXT 2. Target chord tones 5:12 flat 3rds 5:25 5ths 5:31 flat 7th 5:37 MAJOR 5:39 3rds 5:44 5ths 3. Know where to bend 5:48 4. Add grease 6:39
I've always tuned to straight 4ths. Thus, I don't need to shift for the top two strings. I also keep the entire diatonic scale in my mind as I play so I have all the notes available to me when I need them. Playing modes is nothing more than emphasizing a particular note in the diatonic scale as being the root. It's all so easy.
We can make it fairly “simple”, but the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of guitar players having a-ha moments from watching these videos might disagree about how easy it is. I’m glad you found an approach that works for you. 🤘
I subscribed and bought the lesson materials. Incredibly useful content here that will help me in giving guitar lessons as well as my own mastery of the fretboard.
It’s extra gratifying to get this kind of feedback from an experienced teacher and player…thanks! 🎸🧪🤘 PS: please send your students to the channel. 😉 In all seriousness, it’ll help you focus with them on the more fun aspects of making music!
Super helpful video! Mapping the fretboard with shapes makes so much sense, especially because I’m a bassist and don’t have to deal with the “warp.” Also, how is the first time I’ve ever heard of the hexatonic scale!? I love the 2nd/9th interval and try to incorporate it wherever I can.
Day 4 (or 5?) of drinking the Fret Science cool aid... I'm not only now targeting notes in my pentatonics, but for the first time in my life I'm organically and effortlessly playing over CHORD CHANGES! I tell you I can hardly believe my own ears. To quote He-Man... I HAVE THE POWER!!!!
@vivekanandaroy8682 I'm glad it connected with you! Once you have this down, I highly recommend you check out the "Hidden in plain sight" video if you're at all interested in the modes: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jrukJYI8ecY.html
