Questions tagged [fretboard]

The fretboard is a thin, long strip of material, usually wood, containing frets that is laminated to the front of the neck of an instrument.

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Fret spacing for setar

What is the formula for calculating the frets spacing on the setar? It's not straightforward as the guitar because the Setar is based on the 17 tone modes of Persian scale: 256/243 27/25 9/8 32/27 243/...
Romain L.'s user avatar
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1 answer
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Strange fretwiring on a classical guitar

I've just bought a pre-loved classical guitar, with extra frets! They look like they were not on the original, and are half-way between the 1st and 2nd, and 3rd and 4th frets. What would be the point ...
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Has anyone tried playing a Fanned Fret guitar/bass? How did it feel vs standard? Did you stick with it? [closed]

The title says it all. I'm intrigued by fanned frets, but buying an instrument like that is a big leap. If you've tried it, I'd like to hear about your experience.
humanliberty1's user avatar
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2 answers
103 views

What happens when a fret wears down?

So I'm playing on a very old Harmony baritone ukulele. It has not been treated terribly well, and it is probably from the 50's. I'm having two problems. First, the lowest string (I play plectrum ...
nuggethead's user avatar
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How to read movable scale chart for A minor pentatonic?

I bought a guitar chart and it has this figure for moveable minor pentatonic scale: I know the number 1 box pattern of the minor pentatonic scale (Justin guitar course). I play it starting on the 5th ...
Parth's user avatar
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Why are my guitars high strings playing more than one note

I recently got a new PRS SE Custom 24 before I left the store. I had the tech adjust the truss rod and check it, because when I fretted notes on the higher strings I could hear the next note a fret ...
Aj V's user avatar
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Do you barre a chord directly on the fret itself or in between the frets? [duplicate]

I have seen guitarists barre directly on the fret and also in between in the frets. All diagrams of fret chords show to play in between frets. Which is correct? Or, does it matter? Thank you.
Tyla's user avatar
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Does TAB take into account where a capo may be placed?

When TAB is written, and a capo is needed on, say, fret 2, does the tab get written as if the barre formed by said capo is the actual fret it's on, or does that fret become the 'open' string? In other ...
Tim's user avatar
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Controlling finger reaction

This is a follow up question of Guitar Muscle memory lesson plan for fine motor skill deficit While melodies get longer, I'm confusing, and especially if finger path are crosssing itself a lot such as ...
Always Confused's user avatar
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How do I teach high positions for double bass?

I am self-taught on electric bass and I'm currently working with a double bassist who learned to play in a much more conventional sense than I did. My musical education consists of watching videos of ...
moltarze's user avatar
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First guitar with fretboard inlays?

When did guitars first get fretboard inlays? Or were they a common feature on pre-guitar stringed instruments before the the guitar was formalised to the shape we now know and love? Was there a ...
gingerbreadboy's user avatar
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What are Extra Jumbo Frets?

So I've been looking around Shechter guitars and some guitars there have X-Jumbo frets, for example https://www.schecterguitars.com/guitars/banshee-mach-7-detail From what I've gathered Jumbo frets ...
Sapper's user avatar
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4 answers
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What does the numbers mean in this guitar tab if they already gave the chords to play?

I understand E A D G B e And the meaning of the letters above. Which I can play like the c chord and em . But I don’t understand the numbers. Is it for the fret. Like where I should be playing on the ...
TTme's user avatar
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Why is this fret buzzing on my plectrum banjo?

I inherited this very used Vega VIP banjo. I don't have an age on it, and because it was "built" by combining pieces from a few different banjos it lacks a serial number. It plays well ...
nuggethead's user avatar
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Can I change the location of my guitar frets so that I play korons?

Setar is an Iranian instrument that is able to play korons (half-flats) because of its irregular fretboard: I know it's doable in guitars with bending the strings. But I wish to change my guitar's ...
Snack Exchange's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
225 views

Exercises for Faster Fretting

I am learning the bass guitar and was wondering if anybody had any good exercises for faster fretting? I can read bass clef well, but getting my hand to accurately move between neck positions fast ...
optionaljazz's user avatar
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How risky is it to have a maple fretboard refretted?

I was thinking of having my guitar (with a maple fretboard) refretted, but I've been looking at images of different fret wire online, and I noticed that they have some sort of teeth to keep them in ...
har mar superguitar's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
149 views

How can I move my left hand up and down the fretboard, minimizing movements without getting lost?

Ukulele tabs show which frets and stings to play, but I still am not sure which fingers to use for each note. How does one know? For example, here is the second half of the main "Popcorn" ...
Max Heiber's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
243 views

Fretboard map - Notes and octaves

I'm currently developing a music player that displays the tab from a midi file similarly to guitar hero. This for mandolin. The midi parsed file out is something like this "notes": [ ...
Fer Toasted's user avatar
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3 answers
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Are these indentations on the frets of my Acoustic for intonation? Can I apply this to the frets of my Electric?

The questions are in the title, picture is below, but here are the (TL/DR) details. About 9 months ago, I bought an electric guitar "kit" and assembled it (fun, highly recommended). This ...
Chowzen's user avatar
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Acoustic Steel: B String is E at 6th fret

Picked up my acoustic steel string after a bit and noticed that whilst it was in tune the B string's E was up at the 6th fret. It's annoying the heck out of me. I've restrung it and same. Open B is ...
HDWilder's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
202 views

Is the upper limit on your ability to fret faster hereditary? [closed]

I'm curious what are the other drawbacks to playing guitar faster other than "Practice more". Here is the example: I can play Cliffs of Dover at about 55% speed on the fastest run's. ...
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How would you properly fret G and C on fret 3 of a bass guitar?

Looking at: 1 I have an exercise which requires me to play fret 3 G followed by fret 3 C at a tempo of 130. My natural inclination is to use finger 1 on G and then, without moving finger 1 (leave the ...
Grant Curell's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
60 views

My strings keep muting [closed]

I started learning guitar and I learned the correct finger positioning on the fretboard and my guitar is tuned. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Paul Link's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
141 views

How to read and play these beginner power chords

Few questions came up when I reached the chapter power chords of a famous well known beginner guitar book: The book teaches alternate picking on single notes when playing 8th notes. How do I pick ...
skymedium's user avatar
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2 answers
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Guitar strings too high off the fretboard

I have an issue whis this Yamaha acoustic guitar that i bought a year ago. The higher frets are really high up the frets as you can see in the picture which makes them really hard to press. Also as ...
Joee's user avatar
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5 answers
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Guitar - pinkie finger independence [duplicate]

I am doing some exercises and the instructor noted to keep my fingers as close to the strings as possible. However, i noticed that every time i go to press my second or third finger, then the pinkie ...
user1584421's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
215 views

Guitar - Pinky finger on high notes / small fret

I have a question regarding the use of the pinky on smaller frets , 10 onwards . Let's say I am learning a guitar solo, from Metallica Nothing else matters, when they alternate from fourth srting fret ...
Kiwimoisi's user avatar
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Fret Wear on 2016 PRS CE24

When changing my strings and cleaning the fretboard and frets a couple of days ago, I recognized that my frets seem to be really flat already. I have attached some images. The guitar is round about ...
Philip's user avatar
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2 answers
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Fretting out on fretboard?

Whenever I change the strings on my electric guitar, in no more than 2 weeks, this happens: From about the 11th/12th fret onwards, the E and B (and sometimes G) strings sound noticeably lower, in ...
Dhruv Erry's user avatar
6 votes
10 answers
869 views

How to ensure the fretboard hand and the plucking hand are working on same string?

Recently I bought a guitar (but I am learning it totally through internet, due to lockdown condition). If I hold the guitar in suggested posture (or like everybody do), I cannot almost see the ...
Always Confused's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
621 views

Why I feel like my guitar strings are very hard?

I bought an Acoustic guitar six months ago, and I am trying to learn with the help of YouTube videos. And in those videos, it seems like it is not hard for them to press the strings for a chord. ...
Neetin Solanki's user avatar
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1 answer
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Playing a specific high note on my highest string also plays a half step higher

When I try to play the eleventh fret on my high E string, it makes the vibrate-ey noise that happens when you don't down the string enough, even when I press really hard. It sounds like it's playing ...
Jakob Weisblat's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
314 views

White dirt in jatoba fretboard

My brand new JemJR has weird white dust inside wood. I already tried to clean it using some paper and water. It looked perfect right after cleaning it, but it returned once the fretboard was dry. ...
Angelo Tricarico's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
441 views

Possible to place a chord diagram summary before the music notation in MusicXML or MuseScore?

Is it possible to place a chord diagram summary (fretboard legend) before the score music in MusicXML or MuseScore? If yes, then how? Background: The chord diagram summary (i.e. fretboard legend) ...
marc-medley's user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
8k views

On instruments that use frets, where's the best spot to press a string on, in order to minimize hand fatigue and potential for injuries?

I know this question sounds completely subjective at first sight, it even triggered the automatic "The question you're asking appears subjective and is likely to be closed" alarm, but please read ...
NPN328's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
9k views

Is it safe to use water to clean (rosewood, ebony, maple) fretboards?

It's common to see in message boards, forums, and news groups that using water to clean a fretboard can cause problems, or is otherwise advised against. It's not normally explained why, or if it only ...
NPN328's user avatar
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7 votes
4 answers
10k views

Does guitar fret spacing solely depend on the length of the string?

On a typical guitar, the fret board has certain spacing between each fret. Does the spacing of frets on a guitar solely depend on the length of the string? Meaning if I have multiple guitars of ...
DevelopingDeveloper's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

Regularly applying oil to a guitar's fingerboard: how necessary is it?

Reading this question about how to apply lemon oil to a guitar's fingerboard got me thinking, how necessary is this practice? Checking around forums, seems that some people argue that it makes no ...
NPN328's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
687 views

Guitar exercises for precision and accuracy

I started with metal guitar a little more than a year ago, and mostly learned all this classic Metallica stuff from the 80's like Master of Puppets. Now I can play it up to speed, I can even play it ...
StefanH's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
208 views

How the position of a chord's notes is determined on the guitar fret board?

It seems the position of a chord's notes on a guitar fret board should obey some rules! As an example; why, in Cm chord, the G note on lower E String is not in count? I'll be thankful if anyone can ...
elyar abad's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
935 views

Guitar beginner - What does this card show?

I am a beginner (just had 4 hours with a teacher) and I bought something where I can read the notes for the fretboard to better learn them. Also there was a card included with the following prints: ...
WarrenFaith's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
759 views

Is fingers pointing towards each other a problem when fretting a guitar

I've been practicing the guitar for a few months now and am currently learning a song that requires me to slide from the 10th and 12th fret on the A and B string down to the third and fifth frets, ...
Martin's user avatar
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4 votes
5 answers
3k views

Physics of Guitar frets and sound

I understand how Guitar works. Pitch/Frequency of sound produced depends on length of vibrating string. So we have different frets to product different notes. Fine. However I am curious to understand ...
tk1's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
2k views

Are fretless stringed instruments used mainly for melody?

Just wondering if fretless stringed instruments like a violin or oud, by fretless does it imply that they are used mainly for melody? In contrast to an instrument like a guitar, that has frets, does ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
95 views

Faulty fretboard

My acustic guitar (Fender cd-140sce) is 2-years old, played an average of 1hour a day, and appears to have developped the following problem. For several combinations of strings and positions on the ...
Rgkpdx's user avatar
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9 votes
7 answers
28k views

Is the CAGED system the main way for learning the guitar's fretboard?

Just curious if there's alternatives to the CAGED system? I've googled but most alternatives aren't nearly as popular, 3NPS is one of them. So is CAGED the main way to go about learning fretboard ...
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0 votes
2 answers
160 views

Every A note on my guitar sounds awful

I don't know why, but when I play the note A anywhere on the fretboard, it sounds horrible, especially on the 6th string. I'm not sure how to describe it but it sounds almost like if you played to the ...
Dario's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
134 views

Where in the guitar fretboard do you play the composition

I am relearning guitar by myself with the help of the web. I have studied music theory and started to sight read. When I have easy sheet music for the guitar (Ode to Joy for example), I tend to play ...
freman1952's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
582 views

Identify fretboard wood

Hello this fretboard is made of rosewood or ebony?
WarEnsemble's user avatar