Learn the NeckA Positional Analysis of the Guitar Fret Board

Part Two ­ Position Number Five

by Ed Shaw

"Learn the Neck" is part of the "Guitar for Geeks" series of musicinstruction. The content in this e-Book, unless otherwise noted, is theoriginal work of Ed Shaw. Rights to copy, distribute, and use have allbeen assigned to Creative Commons, with restrictions of the Fair Useclause; meaning, do what you want with it, provided source iscreditied. Contact author at inbox. com. User name is writersblock

Guitar for Geeks

I am not in favor of dumbing down education to the lowest

common denominator. My philosophy says the need in education and

music education is not material geared to the casual maj ority, but, rather,

to the serious student.

This series is titled "Guitar for Geeks. " The material is written for

the

higher end of the interest and achievement spectrum. It does no good

to have the ability if the interest is not there, and vice versa. Discussions

in this book, quite frankly, can soon grow tedious and try both the

patience and the academic skills of many a talented musician. My guess

is that maybe one out of fifty will give this a second look.

This is self published work, a different type on publishing from

mainstream work. There is no editor or publisher looking over the

writer' s shoulder, directing the work to the fattest part of the market.

Part Two is both a continuation of and a repetiton of Part One.The book will not simply lay down a formula and repeat. However,

it will stick to a few basic principles. They are:

1) The guitar fret board may be seen as having six positions, roughly

equivalent to the dots on the neck.

2) A position is effectively covers four frets, with one step moves either

in the upward or downward direction to pick up the occasional stray that

is not contained in the four frets of the position.

3) Each position has assets. The assets include but are not limited to

the following:

a. Scales. Each position lends itself to certain more compatible scales.

b. Chords. To the usual open or barre chords that we know are added three

note harmonic combinations called triads, and two note duplex chords, played

in different orders and moveable to different frets.

c) Progressions. Neck position and chord progressions are tied together

like love and marriage.

d) Bass lines. Played on the top three strings, and especially on

positions one and two.

These are the common assets we will be discussing in each position of

the neck. They may be considered the foundation. This is knowledge the

student will take to the practice studio, as he or she practices playing

simplified melodies in all six positions. Let us now move on to a discussion

of Position Five, frets nine through twelve.

Introduction to Part Two -- The Fifth Position

Third Position C Scales

Review

Readers will certainly remember these two C maj or scales in position

three from Part One of Learn the Neck, Guitar for Geeks, by Ed Shaw.

Later in this Part Two when the three scales we have discussed are

mentioned, these are the two from the third position, frets 5 - 9 or

sometimes frets 5 - 10. Positions are a little flexible. I like to

refer to them as four frets because that is the number of fingers we have

on the board.

Most guitar players doing this kind of music usually find that the middle

range is the most useful. I find most of my solo work is on strings 2,

3, 4 , and 5, the A, D, G, and B strings, saving both the high and low

ends for effect. Everyone finds their own preferences.

Bit by bit, as we work with this scale, the string and fret position

becomes second nature. For example, the yellow circles above (or below,

depending upon how we want tolook at it) are each F notes. That is

something that is pointed out later in this lesson. It goes to show how

this method gradually instills a mastery of the neck.

- 1-

The C Major Scale at Fifth Position

Here it is, the position that is the subj ect of this part of

the series. It is frets 9 - 13 with finger one, the index finger, on

fret 10. The hand has to shift up a half to play the C note, and down a

half to play the E note. In the key of C Maj or, the 10th fret C note is

every bit the home base as the 5th fret C note. It is one octave lower.

Look at what is on the 10th fret. From string 6 to string 1

are the notes D, G, C, F, A, and D again. What is more, up two frets,

under finger three, the notes are E, A, D, G. B, and E again. What that

means is that when playing the C Maj or Key, which has no flats or

sharps, all the common notes are readily available.

The same could be said for the Key of G Maj or, which has one

sharp, the key of F Maj or which has one flat and the A Minor

Pentatonic, which has no sharps or flats. On top of that,

the relative minor pentatonics for G Maj or and F Maj or which happen to

be E Minor Pentatonic ( for F maj or) and D Minor Pentotonic (for G

Maj or) have no sharps or flats, either.

A scale pattern such as this, with strong parallels, is the Holy

Grail of guitar players. These are the speed positions for soloing.

In addtion, when we study the sixth position, we will find that the

combination of positions five and six produces a powerful treble range

for solos. We will find that positions three and four, combined,

comprises the bread and butter guitar solo position, and that the

five/six combination is used when the music wants to go treble. We can

get into that at a later date.

- 2 -

- 3 -

There is an urban legend, I don' t know if it is true or not, that

folk singer Bob Dylan stuck his finger with a G string tip while

restringing his guitar, and a drop of red landed on the 11th fret G

position, right between the two rails. According to the legend, that

was when a title occurred to Bob, "Blood on the Tracks. " Who knows,

might be true. What is true for sure, though, is that those rails are

well known to guitar players, and especially to blues "pattern"

players around the world.

Here it is again (above) leaving nothing out.

Position Five of the Guitar NeckShowing Pattern (left) and Notes (right)

This fifth position C Major Scale is a great place to begin your

mastery of sight reading sheet music. In playing from the staffs, the

musician slowly but surely ingrains the notes and their places on the neck.

When combined with the third position, as a starting point, the results can

be nothing short of magical. I will continue to offer insight into practice

techniques come across and trust you will discover many techniques on your

own.

Since we are discussing and working with the C maj or scale, that

will be the readers' focus in practicing the scale and learning to associate

the notes on the guitar with notes on the printed sheet. Still, always

remember that the ultimate goal will have all the positions blended into one.

So, when that scale noted by the red stars has become comfortable, then

branch out beyond it in either direction, higher or lower. The quicker eye

recognition and hand coordination becomes, the more fluid and accurate

playing will become.

Those enj oying the process and having fun with it will be the ones more

likely stay with it through the sometimes tedious learning process.

- 4 -

This is the perfect opportunity for me to point out arelationship that is so obvious once it is seen, onewonders how on earth he could have so long withoutnoticing it. This is the chord progression map referredto in Part One of this series.

On strings 4, and 5, which are the A and D strings, the root, the4th degree and the 5th degree always follow the same pattern. The3rd is directly below the Root, and the 5th is directly above it.

Those familiar with the 1 - 4 - 5 chord progressions, somethingall musicians certainly must be pay attention to, will notice thisformula on the D string in three places.

The C - F - G is the 1 - 4 -5 of the Key of C Major, of which Cnatural is the root note.The 1 - 4 - 5 of the D Major Scale is D - G - A.The 1- 4 - 5 of the B Major Scale is B - E - F#.

There are two more things to notice:

1) Since there is no string above the 6th string E String, the fivemust be found by going up a full step from the three on the 5thstring A.2) In a like manner, because of the detuned B string, while thefour is directly below the root on the B string, the five is foundone half step lower than what the formula calls for.

Note the C - F - G pattern at the upper right in the diagram.

Fourth Position C Scale: Frets 8 through 10

We will hit the fourth position hard in Part Three. These are very denseand complex patterns which, especially when combined with position three,form the basis of both our solo and rhythm guitar work. Those twopositions ( 3 & 4) are really the heart of the neck. If you reach toohigh on the neck for repetitive rhythm strums, you' ll wind up soundinglike you are playing a mandolin. Some players can get away with it (I' mthinking of Wilson Pickett, ) but most wind up annoying the audience.

This is when the player goes "up top" as the jazz men say, for thesolo, the chicken picking for country folk, or the piercing strum.It includes the double dot octave fret (12) and above. It starts therepeat of the bottom end of the neck.

- 5 -

Position Six

Looking Ahead:

- 6 -

Second Position

Last but not least, the First, or Open,

Position at frets 1 - 4. Most books

cover this in the begininng, but I wait

until the end. I consider this position

to be least useful in soloing Unless,

that is, you happen to be Creedance

Clearwater Revival. Most of us aren' t.

Position two, like position one, has

limited applications in solo or melody,

for most players. Exactly the opposite is

true for rhythm or bass work, be it rhythm

strumming, playing the first position

chords or playing, landing on, or sliding

down to any of the triads or their

inversions. The 3 - 5 -1 at the F or G

frets receive maximum attention. Often, C

backed melodies and chords want to resolve

down to the first, third, and fifth frets.

First Position

Always remember that from the root (first degree) or any other degreeof the scale, the option to follow the melody or shred either up ordown the string is always there. In fact, in tradtional guitarinstruction, one of the first lesson is "Notes on the E String. " Thatkind of instruction has more or less faded away, as guitar has becomethe rhythm, blues, and rock instrument of choice. Too bad, because itis such fundamental knowledge.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Position OneFrets 1 - 4

Position ThreeFrets 5 - 8

Position TwoFrets 3 - 6

Position FourFrets 7 - 10

Position FiveFrets 9 - 13

Position SixFrets 12 - 15

Here are the six neck positions we are working with in this series.Can you pick out the third position, the position we discussed atlength in Part One of this manual? I' m sure you can. Position Threehas the C note on the top, or lowest tone, E string, at the eighthfret. In that third position, we can see that the 1-3-5 have beencircled. Those are the C - E - G notes of the scale. Those with goodmemory and particular discernment, will also be able to pick out thefirst and second inversions of the C chord.

Let this picture on the left refresh your memory.Remember the caution to block out thoseC Scale notes that are not in the 1 - 3 - 5triad we a concentrating on. Is it gettingeasier to now see the pattern of the secondinversion of the C chord triad? It should beAs soon the C note on the top string isrecognized, recognition of fret eight isautomatic.

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

- 7 -

An exercise in associatingfret diagrams with neckpositions:

I can' t get away without charting and posting the fifth positionMinor pentatonic scale, not that I would want to.

The A Minor pentatonic consists of notes A - C - D - E - G - A.Note the C note is the flatted third of the A Major scale.

- 8 -

The A Minor Pentatonic at the Fifth Position

A more detailed look at the A Minorpentatonic, including a unmarked version.

- 9

-

Here is the part you have been waiting for. Your own Ed Shaw arrangement

of John Newton' s classic, at the risk of sounding irreverent, you might

even call it a Golden Oldie, penned in 1772, the timeless classic,

"Amazing Grace. " In writing this arrangement, I worked from a reprint

of John Newton' s hymn that was published in 1922 by Hall- Mack of

Philadelphiain a collection called "New Songs of Praise and Worship. "

The verse is as originally written by John Newton. The original

arrangement was by R. M. McIntosh.

First, the hymn will be posted. Following that, some information on the

art of sight reading and playing to backing tracks.

Suggestions:

1) Download the backing track and load it to aplaylist or folder on a Walkman or other MP3 player.2) Practice counting along with the track until therhythm and chord changes are clearly recognized.3) Use first position strums.4) Practice playing the melody from the lead sheetusing your knowledge of the three C major scales wehave so far discussed: two at the third position, oneat the fifth.5) Take your time and enjoy learning to play melodiesffrom the lead sheet with the help of an MP3 backing track.

- 10 -

Breaking into sight reading,a great way to learn theneck.

The Amazing Grace lead sheet is posted here.It is available on Wiki Commons at the address attached.

A computer generated rhythm and chord accompany trackis available on Soundcloud at the address attached.Both can be downloaded.

Soundcloud posted backing track is in 3/4 time.The key is C major, and tempo is 90 bpm.

Four Bar intro plays once: CC GG CC GG

Line One: CC CC FF CCLine Two: CC CC GG GGLine Three: CC CC FF CCLine Four: CC GG CC G7G7(Repeat four lines. )

https: //commons. wikimedia. org/wiki/File: Amazing_Grace_Cmaj_Lead_Sheet. pdf

https: //soundcloud. com/ed_shaw/amazing-grace-back

Source for Amazing Grace, by John Newton, 1772 isNew Songs of Praise and Worship. Hall Mack-Philadelphia 1922.Reprint is in the Public Domain.Ed Shaw Lead Sheet Assigned by Ed Shaw to Creative Commons Fair Use 2013.Creative Commons Lead Sheet search Amazing Grace Lead Sheet

- 11 -

- 12 -

When this begins to make sense, you are getting somewhere. Do you

find the fifth position? Do you see the C note on the fat E string,

the number six string at on the top? Is it at the 8th fret, where

it belongs? Can you easily locate the 12th fret? Do you see those

nice railroad tracks on frets 10th and 12th? Do you see the first

inversion C chord on frets 8th through 12th?

Do you see why it is designated the 3 - 5 - 1 ? That is E - G - C,

isn' t it? Have you started to work these inversions into your

music ? When I first discovered them, online, it was like, Holy Cow,

there are 48 more chord positions that I didn' t know about. Try

arpegiating these chords. Chord arpegiation is as old as the hills.

Bach and Mozart arpegiated chords in their sonatas and symphonies.

Are you above that? One of the most useful things about that

pattern is that you can put a finger on the bottom two strings,

slide to the desired root, and it will harmonize. Plus, one of the

(C - E - G) (F - A - C) (G - B - D) bass line is right there.

This concludes Part Two of "Learn the Neck. "See you in Part Three, the Fourth Position.