Yes , I know these devices are just a little bit hokey , but hey , sometimes we need to get a little silly in order to memorize things well . Let those two devices sink in as you memorize these natural notes at fret 0 .
Now , we move on to fret 5 . These notes may not be as well-known to you , but fortunately I ’ m about to make them a whole lot more accessible . From lowest to highest , they are : A , D , G , C , E , and A . The memory device I ’ ve come up with for these is : After Dark , Gophers Chomp Every Apple . Sure , gophers could eat apples if they wanted to , when they wanted to . So , picture a bunch of gophers chomping apples after dark .
Let ’ s reverse those notes with : A , E , C , G , D , and A . That memory device I ’ ve created is : All Elephants Consume Grass During April . Ok , so we ’ ve got animals eating plants here at the 5 th fret . That ’ s fine , but more importantly , we have some memory devices with mental handles that we can grab onto . Take time to become familiar with these two memory devices at fret 5 .
Finally , let ’ s jump up to fret 10 , where we have one more row of natural notes . It ’ s time for some fun animals that like to move in a festive fashion , as we learn two memory devices I ’ ve made up for you .
The ascending notes are : D , G , C , F , A , and D . Ready ? My wacky mind goes here . I say : Dancing Gorillas Can Frolic All Day . Sure , why not ?
And before the frolicking is done , we can go the opposite direction with : D , A , F , C , G , and D , because … wait for it … Dogs And Ferrets Can Go Dancing . And that wraps up our mnemonic devices for fret 10 .
Well , there you have it : six memory devices designed to help you memorize the natural notes in three remarkable rows , at frets 0 , 5 and 10 . I invite you to spool back through these to make sure you ’ ve got them . Say them and play them . Smile and shake your head at them .
More importantly , use them to claim essential locations on the fretboard . And before you know it , you won ’ t have to think about what you ’ re playing – you can just make great music !
Why is all of this relevant ? Well , as I mentioned
at the beginning of our time , we can quickly locate moveable chords and scales , and we can more intentionally place our capo , especially when we can leverage these marker points up the neck .
And P . S . if you ’ ve looked closely at the names of the notes I ’ ve provided for these fretboard locations , you ’ ll probably notice that some are boldface , some are plain type , italic , etc . And as you might have guessed , that ’ s because they are classified on my maps by register . So good , right ?
For more fretboard adventures , feel free to check out my July 2021 article in Worship Musician Magazine on “
Fretboard Mapping : Like a Retro Video Game ,” and stay tuned for more fretboard fun down the road with the “ Five Sweet Boxes .” What are those about ? You ’ ll see …
© GuitarSuccess4U . All rights reserved . David Harsh David is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter and performing artist . He is passionate about equipping guitarists to discover their potential . Learn more and join now at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com .