How to visualize the fretboard & play anywhere on the neck

This guide talks about how to visualize the fretboard, playing on any string, in any position, and in any key.

How it works

By associating the note-name to the fret, for every fret (until the 12th fret), you'll 'see' the notes 'light up' for all positions & all keys.

These exercises come from a Canadian guitarist named Ralf Buschmeyer. They require that you: (1) sing/speak the note names as you play the notes, (2) do this while playing in-time with a metronome, (3) with your eyes closed.

They cover 4 common/basic routes for moving & thinking about the neck:

• Exercise 1: groups of 3 notes, vertically, up-and-down the neck
• Exercise 2: arpeggios jumps, vertically, up-and-down the neck
• Exercise 3: groups of 3 notes, horizontally, up-and-down the neck
• Exercise 4: triads, horizontally, up-and-down the neck

Course chapters

Each chapter/key-centre is like a 'level'; if you finish the C-major exercises, it's like reaching "Level 1 of fretboard memorization". Buschmeyer mentions that by learning these exercises in 4 keys, spaced minor-3rds apart, it covers enough ground to then be able to do all these in all 12 keys.

C major

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3
• Exercise 4

Eb major

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3
• Exercise 4

F# major

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3
• Exercise 4

A major

• Exercise 1
• Exercise 2
• Exercise 3
• Exercise 4

Estimated time

16 weeks