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Topic: relative or absolute chord position knowledge |
Tom Gorr
From:
Three Hills, Alberta
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Posted 13 Mar 2014 9:43 pm |
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How many of you think of your positions in terms of a home base fret, then for instance +3 for A+F, +5 for e lowers, +7 for A+B (etc.)
Vs.
A is at 5th fret open and at 8th fret with A+F, 12 fret with A+B, and know all the chord names of lever combinations at any fret by memory?
I've been trying to force myself to know absolute positions, because I believe its the best way...but a lot to memorize to recall it in an instant without backcalculating using the relative approach.
Last edited by Tom Gorr on 14 Mar 2014 8:36 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Peter Nylund
From:
Finland
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Posted 13 Mar 2014 10:19 pm
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Mostly I think in numbers (Nashville Number System) which gives you the freedom to play in any key without problems and I think I'm into this home base fret + the inversions thinking. But notice that there are a lot more positions than the +3, +5 and +7 grips. For example there are nice 7 chords both -1 fret and +1 and + 2 frets from home base fret. There is also a nice major and 6th inversion at + 4 frets. All depending on what other notes the melody or run needs.
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I know my playing is a bit pitchy, but at least my tone sucks |
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Sonny Jenkins
From:
Texas Masonic Retirement Center,,,Arlington Tx
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Posted 14 Mar 2014 6:11 am
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| I think in terms of "relative",,,,whether majors, minors, dim or whatever,,,,,if new things are discovered, I relate those to whatever,,,,everything is relative! |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 14 Mar 2014 12:58 pm
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Tom raises a very interesting question. Knowing every note (and its changes) on the instrument is an ideal, but daunting. Relative thinking is necessary to get by.
When I started learning the bass as a kid, I started off by first finding the key and then moving around it by ear. I didn't know what all the notes were, but whatever I worked out I could easily shift to another key. Over a year or two the fretboard gradually came together like a jigsaw puzzle until I could "see" all the notes and read bass lines from sheet music and in time I became known as a good sight reader. Now the bass is a whole heap simpler than the steel, but I believe that if I keep my curiosity level up, I shall eventually collect all the pieces of what is a three-dimensional jigsaw, with not just the basic notes but their raises and lowers too.
In the meantime, everything in my head is in E - the bar does the transposition.
_________________
Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Christopher Woitach
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2014 6:46 am
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Great topic!
I use the relative approach to see single note patterns and chord shapes, but I can't help but think of the notes as absolute. I play Bb6 S-12, and have that neck pretty well together in absolute terms, but when I play on an 8 string C6/A7 non pedal sometimes, it makes my brain hurt unless I let go of absolute.....
I think that relative is crucial, especially for chords
_________________
Christopher Woitach
cw@affmusic.com
www.affmusic.com |
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