Learning the E9th neck

Jonathan Shacklock · From: London, UK

I'm pretty sure learning to name every note on the E9th neck is not top of everyone's to do list. However an easy way to identify notes at any open fret on any string is useful in a number of ways. I haven't really seen this method discussed so I thought I'd see how it lands.

The unisons or octaves of any given 'open fretted' note make a simple pattern on the neck. I think of it as two patterns, the lower one indicated by red arrows, is a series of steps going up or down adjacent strings in either two or three fret jumps. The upper pattern (purple arrows) is just four notes which I've assigned a route to, you could make your own route if it's easier. The arrows point back to the nearby root noes in open position on strings 4&8 and the whole pattern repeats every 12 frets.

As long as you know the note names along your E strings 4&8, you've just learned a quick way to identify any open note your bar is on.

Say your note is on string 10 open. Take two steps back along the red path and name that note on the E string. If your unidentified note is on string 3, take three steps along the purple route to the root note on string 4. With a bit of bar practice these routes become a moveable pattern that you just 'see' and the process of stepping backwards or forwards with the bar is eliminated. Even with less than ten minutes application you should be able to place your bar at any fret on any string and name the note within a couple of seconds.

Playing around these patterns with the bar is useful in it's own right for finding unison and octave licks and can potentially get you out of a position playing rut. Once you have the root note patterns fixed you can start to use it to identify all the thirds of any chord you're on, for example, or where the nearest Bb is, depending on your level of interval or theory knowledge.

Levers and pedals complicate matters needless to say, but if you know how they affect each string they shouldn't overly disrupt the pattern in your mind. Easier said than done, I admit!

This will be blatantly obvious to some people, and to other players it will be overcomplicating something they can 'just learn'. Hopefully people who are pattern or visually orientated will get something out of it. I know it's helped me think about the neck.

Let me know if it's of use, or if you have alternative ways of learning the notes.

All the best
Jonathan

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Nice graphic. And yes, learning the octaves and unisons is the stepping stone for visualizing all the intervallic relationships among the strings up and down the neck.

Steel Sidekick is an app created by forumite John Sohn. It does a very good job of graphically plotting all the notes on the fretboard (by name or interval) in given keys, and includes a tool for personalizing your guitarâ€™s copedent.

Allan Haley · From: British Columbia, Canada

Whew! Thanks for that visual. I will have to get that into my grey matter.

Bengt Erlandsen · From: Brekstad, NORWAY

For an easy visual how the intervals of strings 10 9 8 7 6 5 go, they follow your fret markers. Which (open strings)is a minor6th pentatonic scale. Press B pedal and it will become a minor pentatonic scale on the same strings Root b3 4 5 b7 Root on strings 10 - 5.

Learning where other notes are relative to the note you are playing is even more useful than naming every note on the E9 neck or whatever tuning might be on that neck. It all starts by recognizing where the octaves are. Just imagine that when you first put strings on they was all at same pitch and then we started moving things around and ended up with E9.

Learning to recognize the particular note as Root or 3rd or 5th and so on, can free your creativity even more than just knowing if you are playing C or E or G.

Spending a little time duplicating the pedal/lever changes with bar movement or bar slants helps gain insight into how the E9 neck is laid out.

Much fun there is to be found in exploring different possibilites of the E9 neck.

B.Erlandsen

Justin Emmert · From: Greensboro, NC

I've been working on the same thing Jonathan. That's a good visual approach. Thanks!

Sonny Jenkins · From: Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx

Buddy Emmons advocated this exact thing regarding C6 in some articles he did for Guitar Player Magazine many years ago. I would also add that learning,,knowing where the 5th is from each root goes a long way to know all intervals,,i.e. if you know where the root is,,,you automatically know where the 2nd and 7th are (2 frets either way),,,and knowing where the 5th is, you also know where the 4th and 6th are (2 frets either way).

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

A Boss TU-2 Tuner provides an easy way to see what note you are currently playing at any given String/Fret.
I know some guys who find that very helpful for pedal/lever-combination chord-building and identification.

Dustin Kleingartner · From: Saint Paul MN, USA

In addition to using a tuner to help you learn the fret board, there is also an app called UberChord that can be helpful. You play a chord, and it will tell you the name of the chord and the notes it is hearing you play to make the chord.
_________________
Proud parent of a good dog.

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

John McClung · From: Olympia WA, USA

Following this interesting thread. Jonathan, how are you? I enjoyed doing lessons with you. I'll email you some material on harmonized scales I've been writing for the SWSGA newsletter, I think the way I approach explaining them as applied to playing song melodies may fall in line with your logical and methodical way of thinking.

All best,
Professor Twang
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E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net

Jonathan Shacklock · From: London, UK

Hi John, thanks I would really appreciate that! Iâ€™m still working hard on cracking the code as you can tell. Confused

Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

I'm a proponent of learning the neck by playing a very familiar melody. In other words pick a melody you know well, one that you can immediately whistle or sing, and play it on the PSG. Once you know it as a single note melody try throwing in some harmony notes.
When you can sit down at your steel and immediately play a tune that's in your head without error, you have arrived.
I've done this with Christmas tunes as practice. Got me out of a rut of playing the same shit I know well.
This will benefit improvising as most lead work will follow the vocal melody.

Jacek Jakubek · From: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

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