Exploring the Fretboard: 100 Exercises for Intermediate Guitar. PDF sheet music with notation, left hand fingering, and video lessons. This book offers students a set amount of ordered material and a variety of ways to investigate the fretboard. It has been designed as an exploratory primer before further and more comprehensive study.
Buy the pdf edition from my sheet music store
How to use this book – Practice the exercises only one at a time, in order, for only 2-5 minutes a day. It is essential that students say the note names out loud to help solidify the notes and fretboard knowledge.
This book is not for everyone – These are notation exercises to be practiced in small amounts. It includes single-string exercises, scales, comparative melodic fragments, and interval and triad exercises. I find these exercises fascinating to work out but some students who are looking for quicker knowledge intake and diagrams might find them tedious and difficult. But this is direct knowledge that can’t be overlooked. Other students will love this book so this is just a small warning. Not designed for binge practice, one exercise at a time for 2-3 minutes a day.
Prerequisite – Although students can start this book at any level, I recommend completing my Volume 1 and 2 method books and my Repertoire Lessons Grade 1-3 books as a prerequisite.
About this Book Video
Video Lessons
- Introduction to the Book (Video Above)
- Section 1 – Single String Orientation Exercises
- Exercises No.1-6: Single-String Chromatic Scales
- Exercise No.7: Orientation to the 5th and Octave
- Exercise No.8: Playing from the 7th to 12th Frets
- Exercises No.9-14: Playing to the Highest Notes
- Exercise No.15: Comparing 1st Position to 12th Position
- Exercise No.16: Comparing 1st Position to 13th Position
- Exercises No.17-20: Exercises on the E String
- Exercises No.21-22: Comparing 1st to 13th Position
- Exercises No.23-25: Comparing Triads, B Major, D Chromatic
- Exercises No.26-27: Comparing 1st to 13th Position and Triads
- Exercises No.28-29: Single String Scales and Triads, 3rd String
- Exercises No.30-31: Comparing 1st to 13th Position and Triads
- Exercises No.32-33: Single String Scales and Triads, 4th String
- Exercises No.34-35: Comparing 1st to 13th Position and Triads
- Exercises No.36-38: Single String Scales on 5th String
- Exercises 39-40: Comparing 1st to 13th Position and Triads
- Exercises 41-44: Single String Exercises on the 6th String
- Section 2 – Comparative Position Exercises
- Exercises No.45-53: Comparative Unison Passages and Orientation
- Exercises No.54-56: C Major to the 5th and Scales
- Exercise No.57: Six Ways to Play C Major from 1st to 5th Position
- Exercises No.58-59: Intervals to the 5th in C and Octaves
- Exercise No.60: Comparing Intervals in C Major
- Exercises No.61-65: Comparing Triads in C Major
- Exercises No.66-68: A Chromatic Scale Comparisons
- Section 3 – C Major Position Exercises
- Exercises No.69-78: Scale and Triad Connections
