I just watched your riverside and crossroads videos. Pretty decent chops already. Have you thought about changing over to hybrid or finger picking? The reason I ask is because it really suits your style and genres you like. For example on Crossroads during the verse riff, it really gets a groove going if you are a bit more dynamic in it, maybe even pop the strings a little on the strong beat. It gives it more dynamics, accentuates the the beat, and can bring a simple syncopation to life. La Grange is another one were an aggressive fingerstyle really makes the song come to life.
Thank you. I know a hybrid exercise I could put a little time every week in to. @@krisspkriss My main goal for now is to truly learn the fret board after playing on it for long time.🙂
A fundamental skill I finally got a handle on that was a game changer is being able to count and then ultimately feel all of the subdivisions of a beat. There's the notion when it comes to rhythm that you either have it or you don't when it really just comes down to the fundamental ability of being able to count and then ultimately feel the beats and the different subdivisions (whole notes, half notes, half triplets, quarter notes, quarter triplets, 8th notes, 8th triplets, 16th notes, 16th triplets). Rhythm is king!
Yes! Rhythm is the most important component of music, not just guitar playing. Buy a metronome and practice with it at all times. If you don't use it, practice with the song on CZcams.
Mike. Can I ask if you have any CZcams vids you’d recommend on this. I know the fretboard pretty well but I have to admit that I find it hard to switch to triplet feel and other subdivisions other than 4 to the floor, 8th and 16th notes. Gonna make it a priority to master all that you’ve mentioned
@@intersweatyou could try superimposing language onto your rhythms. I use Mexican food for everything, but you can use anything as long as the syllables match the subdivision. For example, all of the below would drop onto a single beat. Quarters - Bean Eighths - Ta-co Triplets - Bur-ri-to Sixteenths - Que-sa-di-lla
Rhythm indeed is king. You can play the "wrong" notes on time and they will sound right. The importance of having a strong grasp on rhythmic subdivisions cannot be understated. Check out Victor Wooten's jam with Tyler Larson: czcams.com/video/PHdo1qWNWI4/video.html Personally, I got the biggest jump in my own progress when I started taking rhythm seriously.
Depending on what you're playing, maybe so. You can play bunk notes if you slide into correct notes. Try playing wrong notes on Elton John' song. Thick melting tone sustain piercing ears screaming (once upon a time in the west) you dont improvise melodie on those songs. Stick with the melody, unless you come up with better which is hard to do (unless you change timing, (also key) people will believe it's you're song. (which is fine as long as you admit ripping the idea (chords) from Ennio Morricone. Perfect timing while playing the wrong notes is wrong.
Drill, baby, Drill...they really improved my hand/eye coord. I'm 62, been tinkering since 9...intermediate all my life...starting to advance with drills, large reps over small tiny song sections, learing jazz chords, triads, CAGED....and trying to play like Ross...oh, it was John Mayer who got me back into playing guitar daily just a few years ago. Love his music...
I say bring it full circle, and slow down enough to really learn your favorite riffs solos and songs in different inversions - between inversions. I haven’t tested my mettle much playing songs in different keys from what I initially learned them in yet, but that’s next.
In reference to the OP, Absolutely. Every chromatic run is the same as a trombone or piano glissando as far as I’m concerned. The notes in a scale really have feel if you’re listening to the harmony. Using the same 3 notes with conviction allows you to use all of the other notes around them a little more freely. Practice practice practice :)
It's funny how many people think theory is complicated but when you grasp the basics and build on those, it falls into place. It's really gratifying to be able to learn your favourite piece and know what's going on or why this works. It's also cool if there's some outside notes that work and you don't know why. It just opens up another door for you to go into and explore.
@@aero7848 To me it just comes to lazyness, wich is understandable, most people play instruments as a hobby and don't won't it to feel like homework. But we've all been able to retain and process much more complex information in school and college.
Videos on theory really sucks. I tried learning all notes on fretboard by individually memorizing them on each string. Which was tedious, painful, boring and just inefficient. Took me ages to actually find a video that talks about the circle of fourths, the BEADGCF method, how easy it is to find the same note with patterns and using the distance between notes for fingerings etc. What stopped me from learning was the fact of how bad it’s taught online. Usually videos heavily talk about “move two frets down two”. And then nothing else. It’s rare for them to actually talk about multiple methods, patterns, etc. on the fretboard. There’s countless patterns and not just 1 but for some reason they talk about the least effective one.
This video has the needed brutal honesty that Brandon D'Eon tries to utilize, but you do it so much better. It's that honest, hard-love message delivered without being a douchebag. You have a gift for teaching, dude.
@as-cf7rx Brandon D'Eons content is intentionally confusing and condescending, so people who are not at least advanced-intermediate will feel bad and inadequate after watching. I think that's the way he gets people to pay those ridiculous prices.
I was one of those players that was never really pushed to learn music theory by any of my teachers in my formative years. I can vouch for how limiting that is. It wasn't until I was about 25 years into my playing that I finally convinced myself that learning some theory was the only way I was going to get any better. It's made a world of difference. I wish I'd learned it a lot sooner.
@@vidliam6880Start by learning the musical alphabet (ABCDEFG). Know how the guitar is tuned EADGBE. Recognize the distance between notes A-B-C-D-E-F. Learn at least a couple notes on the fretboard in all positions, and pay close attention to patterns. Learn the Circle of Fourths, memorize BEADGCF just like you did for open tuning. This will help you play any note going vertically on the fretboard. Look up videos for all of this. Start slow and don’t do this all overnight, take your time with each step and pay lots of attention.
Hey Ross, I also signed up for the waiting list and did not receive the mail with the confirmation link. Maybe you should check this. Would love to check out your 2.0 BGP course.
Looking into this with my team now! Can you tell me if anything has shown up in your inbox yet? Check the spam or promotions/social folders too@@maxflinter6896
For me, I found that writing out the fretboard over and over on paper was huge in learning where all the notes on the fretboard are. Once you do it over and over, you start to see the patterns and relationships. Like half steps between b,c and e,f. Up 2 strings and up 2 frets for octaves and so on. Plus correlating by intervals, like 5 below the 1, 4 above the 1, Dom 7 above the 4, 6 above the 3, etc. Other than the indifference in the b string in standard tuning, where things need to be moved up a fret. Plus, by learning the major scale and natural minor scale, alot of the other diatonic modes and other scales are only 1 to 2 note differences. I never write comments, so sorry for rambling, but it has been life changing by accepting these things and allowing an open door to explore harmony and chord to mode/scale correlation. Just my 2 cents
Ross, you presented many simple facts as to why many of us get stuck at the intermediate playing level and offer great advice for breaking through the barrier. This presentation is a true gem. Excellent work!
Some thing that really resonated with me in this video was the mental aspect of overcoming self limitations. This video help me get my head in a better space… And my practice today was so much better. Thank you Ross, thank you very much! P.s. That opening solo was killer!
This is absolutely inspirational stuff for a guy that has drifted in and out of playing for forty-odd years but each time with increasing levels of 'never gonna happen'. Thank you, Ross! 🏆
"Not finishing what you started" is another one I feel massively affects a lack of progress. This has much more to do with the abbilities on the instrument rather than musicality though. Often times I teach intermediate students that just rather give up on a certain song because there's a technical phrase they fail to master. Back in the day, I used to spend hours and hours mastering technique and for sure I've hit a plateau myself, but I know what I can comfortably play at any time. Knowing proper technique really helps when studying technical phrases. Yes, it can be really boring... But you have to persevere!
You just described the reasons for my many years of intermediate play to a tee. And you can add the habit of learning a batch of songs, and then simply playing them all the time while forgetting about continued technical learning.
Having learnt to play by ear and watching my friends play guitar (before CZcams), I am definitely in the target audience. After watching some of your videos which in turn got me to subscribe to your channel, I'm hoping I too can break out of my rut. Keep up the good work, we appreciate you. 🤘🏼
I've played bass and guitar for about 15 years. It's nice to hear your perspective, I've been working on some of these things right now. Hopefully I will break out of some of those ruts myself. 😊
I started by learning triads in the circle of fourths. Made me remember each note that was in each chord. Don’t have them down pact yet. But it’s insane how you start connecting other theory once you learn the notes.
Developing strength in your hands (and arms and shoulders) was something that made a huge difference for me. I have certain exercises I do everyday, even if I don't have time to play or practice.
Great stuff! I agree with everything. I would also add that understanding timing helped me.. I was always rushing to fill voids with sound but less can definitely be more when timed right.
I REALLY needed this video. Started at 15 and about to be 30. Other than my technique improving, my understanding has hit a plateau. Figured I'd never get better, but this has motivated me to go back to basics and try harder than I ever have to actually learn what I'm playing instead of just playing what sounds good. Also, congrats on the weight loss. I'm down 40+lbs myself. It's a great feeling. Im almost 3 years free from nicotine as well, so if I can do both of those, I reckon I can do this too! Much love, and subscribed, my dude Edit: one of the reasons I've written off theory in the past is that I play in drop tunings so I'd have to translate everything. I hate standard. Don't know if there's a way around that tbh. Most things seem catered to E standard
Just learning every stage up to the Circle Of Fifths was amazing.You have to really put the work in, pen to paper too. Now I can work out songs by ear and ascertain the key or keys of any song. One of the many side effects is, playing songs of different keys gives you chunks of seven notes to see on the fretboard each time. I find this a great way to absorb the fretboard.
Thank you so much for the advice Ross! It's great to hear some tips from someone who has come out the other side. Ive always wondered what the importance of learning the fretboard was until this video. And well done on your body transformation you should be proud of yourself
I can’t believe how this description is exactly me. Stuck on noodling over the major scale for 30 years and not really learning the fretboard well. Thanks for the inspiration. This is a great video. I also need inspiration to get off my arse and into the gym. 😂. Thankyou Ross.
You answered my question in another video. Thanks for the help. I just purchased your bullet proof course 2.0 Looking forward to what it does for my playing. Thanks again
Spot on young man. The irony is that going back to the basics makes the stuff you already play way more fun and fulfilling because now you KNOW what you're doing.
Ok! This was laid out logical and articulates the potholes that we all have fallen into while taking our journey on the path of true musicianship! Thank you!✌️❤️🎵
I couldn’t agree more with your points! As someone who is actively an intermediate guitarist trying to breakthrough to the advanced realm, I try to do all of these things. Great tips!
At month 13 and finally understanding that I really need to go backwards to keep going forward. Well said. Going backwards is a must and is actually great for challenging myself. It reminded me how good it feels to overcome a challenging situation. Like when barr cords first became possible.
Hey Ross, everything you say always makes SO much sense! You have a talent for hitting the nail squarely on the head in SO many ways. I'd like to comment on something that has, at least for now, been a great help for me. I've found that learning the intervals of all the notes in the scales, and the chords, easier for me to process, understand and practically put to use than the actual note names. For example, if I know where the "Target" notes are inside the scales and chords, like the 3rd, 5th, flat seven, 6th etc. that tells me a lot more than the actual name of the note does. I will eventually be able to associate the name of the note with the interval in all the corresponding keys as well, but for now the intervals make more sense to me. I'm still soaking up all the information, explanations and licks etc. in your very exceptionally excellent Beyond the Pentatontics course and loving every minute of it! I got your Bullet Proof course way back when it was on Udemy, but will most likely get the new one as well! Not just because I know it is going to be very very good, like everything you do, but because I really enjoy supporting and helping you wherever possible. Thanks Ross, for all your great content, sincere commitment and interest in helping SO many of us out here looking for the "Real Real!!👍😁👋🎸
Good chat. From my perspective I could noodle and find my way around a fret board but it lacked confidence and was not clean throughout. I started playing around on the piano and approached it in a more curious but regimented practice style. Seeing notes and having to reset my muscle memory has shown me how little I actually knew on the guitar, like you said, years down the road. It’s left me essentially relearning the guitar while simultaneously learning piano. It’s refreshing to switch back and forth and practice what I’ve just practiced on a different instrument. Most importantly the theory isn’t so intimidating once you slow it down bit by bit. Study, then have fun with it, then get serious again. I’ve been surprised at how many classical and modern pop music melodies I’ve accidentally discovered by just practicing scales in a more meaningful way.
You know I know these things but it's so helpful to hear them and somebody telling you hey this is what's up! What a truly inspiring message! you have given me hope & a kick in the butt with this video! Thank you
Honestly, I have tried to visualize the fretboard with varying degrees of success, but wouldn't say I have it done cold yet. Definitely waiting for your new course. Also, I kind of went opposite of you. My body is pretty toned (for an older guy) and new am really trying to get my playing in shape. No excuses. Just keep learning and improving. Thanks again Ross 😃
Visualizing the fretboard is something that happens by looking at the guitar. If you do drills every day to map out intervals and the scale degrees it will eventually stick. You don't "visualize" doing a crossover dribble, you get on the court and practice it everyday until you have it
Hi Ross, I was stuck for about 25 years but have made real progress the last 12 months! On learning the fretboard i was stuck at the low E and A, learning that ‘notes’ didn’t work for me but learning intervals really clicked…for me that’s as good, if not better, for working around the fretboard and is used by a lot of musicians I’ve spoken to so I would encourage both approaches, you may find some students prefer it.
you are right Sir. I just got my travel guitar now trying to brush up my guitar skills lost for more than 10years. you are young and yet very wise. god bless you always. Subscribed!
I think I've just been humbled and it was bloody well needed. Going to learn the notes on the g and b strings, and also learn all positions of the major pentatonic (which is of course the same as minor pentatonic in a different order).
Some sound advice there Ross, I am trying hard to better my understanding of the Fretboard after years of wasting my time, I will be honest I have given up so many times and still get frustrated with my progress, my knowledge and understanding is greatly improved but it’s putting it into my fingers lol, but I keep hoping that one day it’s going to click. I think I have slowly started to notice improvement and I can visualise certain things now, I have tried talking to friends about the importance of music theory but they scoff at the idea and say it’s a waste of time, but I started to dabble with it during the lockdown and it has helped me immensely to understand how music works, although I class myself as a bloody awful guitarist I’m hoping that the knowledge I have will eventually come through in my playing, long way to go but fingers crossed. Thanks for your knowledge and advice you give its greatly appreciated keep up the excellent work, many thanks Bob.
The travails of a self-taught guitarist w a good natural ear! I suffer from a host of bad habits, never having learned proper fingerings, etc. Only noticed a few months ago that I’m holding my pick wrong! 30 years in, I start to figure out how little I know 💯
Unbelievably Motivating, you just spoke my life story. Been playing for 30 years with not much improvement. Just assumed I’d reached my (shit) potential. I’d love to jump on this course but I don’t do laptops, is it available on dvds?
There is another reason. It’s part of the reason online teachers like yourself are so useful. If you go for face to face lessons the teacher will often take away more than they give. So you actually go backwards & get disheartned. Imagine an intermediate Jeff Beck (if there ever was one) going for face to face lessons. “You really can’t expect to play with your right hand on the trem & the vol”. With online tuition we never come out less able than when we went in.
Hope my sight reading teacher from my uni will read this one day, but 90% of my knowledge of the fretboard it's because of him and reading! Every Monday was a pure joy because of him. Thanks for the video Ross, I especially agree with the 2nd point.
What a great lesson with great advice. Looking forward to more lessons and knowledge as an intermediate player who feels stuck at times. Thx and keep up the great work
Hi I've been learning guitar for a little while, but been right down in the dumps lately not going forward some say I have but now going to really going to learn tat fret board now thanks
Great video Ross, I think there is a serious gap in content on CZcams for the exact player your describing in this video (I identify as one) and commend you for making a great video on the topic. More please! I’m off to learn the fretboard 🎸
Hi Ross, I can tell you that I identify exactly with the type of person you’ve described playing the guitar for over 20 years and plateauing. Interested in your course because you’re making some very compelling arguments. One question, in your course, do you have some effective methods to learn the notes on the fretboard without forgetting them as soon as you’re finished learning them
Hey Paul. Yes, what you've just described is a huge focal point of the course that is threaded throughout the entire curriculum. I'm confident that if you put this practice method into action you'll find that you've finally discovered a way of memorising the notes on all six strings, so that you never forget them again. I'll have more info on that soon!
I was at that intermediate level rut and it was part of the reason I put it down for several years. Now I am older, my tastes have changed, and I had to restart from the beginning. No muscle memory. I forgot most of the songs and most of the riffs. The one thing I did retain was the little bit of music theory I knew from way back when and how to make chords. So that became using theory to make my ad hock freestyle progressions sound better. Then that rolled into chord voicings and substitutions. Next thing I knew I was knee deep in smooth jazz and I never really liked jazz when I was younger. I know I could sit down with my guitar all weekend for a few weekends and probably be right back where I was during those NuMetal days... and that is exactly why I won't do it. I have been learning so much more since I was forced to rely on everything except my technical abilities. Instead I am learning new techniques and building up new chops. I might not be able to do sweeps for days, but I can do ad hoc shell chords to liven up my solos, run thirds sixths and sevenths up and down the neck, and even rearrange an old standard. Yep, while I wouldn't recommend taking a decade long break, I would recommend putting the guitar down for months or more when you are in that rut. Play something else entirely. Keyboard, tin whistle, sing. I highly recommend singing. I don't care if your natural resonance sounds like an old boar suffering from hemorrhoids. Sing in key as you play. Bonus points for singing the notes as you play.
Yeah, so true about being stuck for years on end and thinking that was about as good as playing was going to get. I think for people in this situation, myself very much included, it is hard to know when you need outside help to overcome a hurdle. Once you have some basic skills down, it's easy to go off into the musical wilderness and work on a whole array of guitar aspects, from working out all sorts of songs to gear and tone chasing... but ultimately you arrive at a point where you've plateaued and it is really hard to identify what you to work on. Many things seem too basic and you already know them, or way too hard and you'll never understand them. What it takes is for someone to point out a connection point between what you know and what you don't, and how to apply that in a way that builds progress. The rest is just practice.
I bought Paul Davids’ Next Level Playing(his intermediate course) and the first 2 modules pretty much cover this… 1 year later I still don’t know the notes of the fretboard and haven’t really progressed. 😂 I still think unless you are super dedicated, a good in person teacher is the only way to go!
Where can I learn all the fundamentals? I've been playing since 2009 and Im comfortable with my instrument but I'd like to fill in the gaps that I missed along the way. You made a lot of excellent points and I want to progress with my journey
Great to always see your perspective on the guitar journey. It's always vastly important to recognize where you are at during every part of the journey, especially since guitar is a never ending one.
I have been playing for 15 years, and I have been in a plateau for about 6 years until I went back and started learning the scale forms again and practicing staccato picking throughout all the scales. I have been practicing minor, major and pentatonic scales, and have seen immense increases in speed and accuracy just running these drills. I stand behind this video 10000% - Great insight!
Epic. I recommend Guitargate as a course. And starting on stage 2 course and skip stage 1. Even if you already know most of it. Jesus bled and rose for you because He loves you!✝✌
I've been an intermediate guitar player for 23 years - I'm so intermediate I decided to take up drums, piano, and bass. Now I'm fully intermediate at 4 things. Basically, if im in a room of musicians I'm drastically average, but I live for the days where I'm around people that can't play and they think I'm a genius 😂
Hey what’s up man. I picked up my guitar again at 25 years old, and I wanted to begin making cover songs. I recently subscribed and the quality of your videos is great. Would you ever hop in a zoom call or anything of your preference for guidance on how to set everything up? I’m bad with the technology stuff. I would be willing to pay for your time of course whatever you decide! Thanks man
Sitting in my car exhausted after taking a bio exam, got an ochem exam in 12 hours and needed a break haha. Didn’t know I’d get a motivational speech Lfg 🔥
Yo great vid. Been playing 5 years now (started in January exactly 5 years ago). I had a weird start in hindsight. I bought a fretboard workbook and started from there. So, instead of strumming my favorite songs I was learning the notes of the fretboard. There’s a yin and yang to all of this in my amateur opinion. Yes, I started learning the fretboard very early and since I have friends very musically involved I got to experience the positive reinforcement of being able to keep up with their fretboard and theory knowledge. Hell, in some cases I could tell I knew more than them (definitely didn’t vocalize it though, not trying to be that guy just trying to learn). However, my rhythm really, really suffered from this focus. I mean I was picking out some of my favorite riffs and solos from indie music, but I wasn’t strumming songs from start to finish. I understood what was being played and why but I wasn’t sounding like a performer, nor was I beginning to. All this said that the whole picture is important. Be able to perform a song, a solo note for note, and be able to explain/show the why behind it all. You’ve gotta approach it from both angles. I’m really working on my rhythm playing now, so I’m back on the acoustic mainly. I have a handful of songs I’d actually want to perform so I’m focusing on those. I can honestly say I understand the structure, chord selection and note selection of the songs, but I can also honestly say that my performance of them is mediocre at best. That said, I am getting better every day! Cleaning up my strumming and rhythm with intentional practice. Someone mentioned learning the vocal melody on guitar and I’m gonna experiment with that. I believe that will help drove home some fretboard theory as well. Ended up rambling, but just wanted to say the whole picture matters. Though I bet it’s more common to have the opposite problem of me.
Very informative, unfortunately I'm one those intermediates that have the ability to play complex guitar pieces , but have absolutely no idea of any of the theory behind it and couldn't ever make it myself. As a bedroom rockstar that's always ever been enough for me as I've had no desire to put in the time, but somehow always end up watching these videos lol
I'm 72 years old and a mediocre blues/rock guitarist. I don't want to die mediocre. Bring the pain, Ross.
i am 71 - and I feel you!
I am 72 also and the same place. My goal is to become good in my lifetime.
I just watched your riverside and crossroads videos. Pretty decent chops already. Have you thought about changing over to hybrid or finger picking? The reason I ask is because it really suits your style and genres you like. For example on Crossroads during the verse riff, it really gets a groove going if you are a bit more dynamic in it, maybe even pop the strings a little on the strong beat. It gives it more dynamics, accentuates the the beat, and can bring a simple syncopation to life. La Grange is another one were an aggressive fingerstyle really makes the song come to life.
Thank you. I know a hybrid exercise I could put a little time every week in to. @@krisspkriss My main goal for now is to truly learn the fret board after playing on it for long time.🙂
I see a group of people sharing their pain. 😁
A fundamental skill I finally got a handle on that was a game changer is being able to count and then ultimately feel all of the subdivisions of a beat. There's the notion when it comes to rhythm that you either have it or you don't when it really just comes down to the fundamental ability of being able to count and then ultimately feel the beats and the different subdivisions (whole notes, half notes, half triplets, quarter notes, quarter triplets, 8th notes, 8th triplets, 16th notes, 16th triplets). Rhythm is king!
Yes! Rhythm is the most important component of music, not just guitar playing. Buy a metronome and practice with it at all times. If you don't use it, practice with the song on CZcams.
Mike. Can I ask if you have any CZcams vids you’d recommend on this. I know the fretboard pretty well but I have to admit that I find it hard to switch to triplet feel and other subdivisions other than 4 to the floor, 8th and 16th notes. Gonna make it a priority to master all that you’ve mentioned
@@intersweatyou could try superimposing language onto your rhythms. I use Mexican food for everything, but you can use anything as long as the syllables match the subdivision. For example, all of the below would drop onto a single beat.
Quarters - Bean
Eighths - Ta-co
Triplets - Bur-ri-to
Sixteenths - Que-sa-di-lla
Rhythm indeed is king. You can play the "wrong" notes on time and they will sound right. The importance of having a strong grasp on rhythmic subdivisions cannot be understated. Check out Victor Wooten's jam with Tyler Larson: czcams.com/video/PHdo1qWNWI4/video.html
Personally, I got the biggest jump in my own progress when I started taking rhythm seriously.
Depending on what you're playing, maybe so. You can play bunk notes if you slide into correct notes. Try playing wrong notes on Elton John' song. Thick melting tone sustain piercing ears screaming (once upon a time in the west) you dont improvise melodie on those songs. Stick with the melody, unless you come up with better which is hard to do (unless you change timing, (also key) people will believe it's you're song. (which is fine as long as you admit ripping the idea (chords) from Ennio Morricone.
Perfect timing while playing the wrong notes is wrong.
Drill, baby, Drill...they really improved my hand/eye coord. I'm 62, been tinkering since 9...intermediate all my life...starting to advance with drills, large reps over small tiny song sections, learing jazz chords, triads, CAGED....and trying to play like Ross...oh, it was John Mayer who got me back into playing guitar daily just a few years ago. Love his music...
Once you've learned pentatonic: play the vocals of a song, not the guitar parts.
That’s a cool idea! I have found lately that humming guitar parts has taught me to stay more in key when singing
That's a great way to come up with your own voicings for songs.
Im at the stage. Still stuck though ahhaahah
I say bring it full circle, and slow down enough to really learn your favorite riffs solos and songs in different inversions - between inversions. I haven’t tested my mettle much playing songs in different keys from what I initially learned them in yet, but that’s next.
In reference to the OP, Absolutely. Every chromatic run is the same as a trombone or piano glissando as far as I’m concerned. The notes in a scale really have feel if you’re listening to the harmony. Using the same 3 notes with conviction allows you to use all of the other notes around them a little more freely.
Practice practice practice :)
It's funny how many people think theory is complicated but when you grasp the basics and build on those, it falls into place. It's really gratifying to be able to learn your favourite piece and know what's going on or why this works. It's also cool if there's some outside notes that work and you don't know why. It just opens up another door for you to go into and explore.
i think the reason why people struggle with music theory is because the musical alphabet introduces sharps and flats as a concept to name notes.
@@aero7848 I'm sorry but, sharp = a half step above, flat = a half step bellow, nothing complex here
@@aero7848 To me it just comes to lazyness, wich is understandable, most people play instruments as a hobby and don't won't it to feel like homework. But we've all been able to retain and process much more complex information in school and college.
Videos on theory really sucks. I tried learning all notes on fretboard by individually memorizing them on each string. Which was tedious, painful, boring and just inefficient. Took me ages to actually find a video that talks about the circle of fourths, the BEADGCF method, how easy it is to find the same note with patterns and using the distance between notes for fingerings etc. What stopped me from learning was the fact of how bad it’s taught online. Usually videos heavily talk about “move two frets down two”. And then nothing else. It’s rare for them to actually talk about multiple methods, patterns, etc. on the fretboard. There’s countless patterns and not just 1 but for some reason they talk about the least effective one.
@@firemonkey1015could you please direct me to this video? This sounds super helpful!
This video has the needed brutal honesty that Brandon D'Eon tries to utilize, but you do it so much better. It's that honest, hard-love message delivered without being a douchebag. You have a gift for teaching, dude.
That guy is kind of insufferable.
@as-cf7rx Brandon D'Eons content is intentionally confusing and condescending, so people who are not at least advanced-intermediate will feel bad and inadequate after watching. I think that's the way he gets people to pay those ridiculous prices.
@as-cf7rx2500 for a guitar course. What a hack, lmfao.
I was one of those players that was never really pushed to learn music theory by any of my teachers in my formative years. I can vouch for how limiting that is. It wasn't until I was about 25 years into my playing that I finally convinced myself that learning some theory was the only way I was going to get any better. It's made a world of difference. I wish I'd learned it a lot sooner.
How did you learn music theory? I am an online taught guitarist and want to know where I can start learning music theory from the down up.
@@vidliam6880 I learned how to read music in school. The rest I learned with CZcams videos. Just start with basic stuff and go step by step
@@vidliam6880Start by learning the musical alphabet (ABCDEFG). Know how the guitar is tuned EADGBE. Recognize the distance between notes A-B-C-D-E-F. Learn at least a couple notes on the fretboard in all positions, and pay close attention to patterns. Learn the Circle of Fourths, memorize BEADGCF just like you did for open tuning. This will help you play any note going vertically on the fretboard. Look up videos for all of this. Start slow and don’t do this all overnight, take your time with each step and pay lots of attention.
It’s hard to trust someone when they immediately tell you about a service they are selling after explaining to you why it’s important
You just saved me ten minutes of my life. I salute you.
Then don’t buy. Guy is trying to help and put food on the table.
🎸 Bulletproof Guitar Player 2.0 Volume 1 AVAILABLE NOW 👉 shop.bulletproofguitarplayer.com/
Great video and a very tasty solo! Eager to check out the course.
Thanks~Dave, San Diego
Signed up for the launch discount but never got the email
Same here ^^^ looking forward to the class. Thanks Ross!
Hey Ross, I also signed up for the waiting list and did not receive the mail with the confirmation link. Maybe you should check this. Would love to check out your 2.0 BGP course.
Looking into this with my team now! Can you tell me if anything has shown up in your inbox yet? Check the spam or promotions/social folders too@@maxflinter6896
For me, I found that writing out the fretboard over and over on paper was huge in learning where all the notes on the fretboard are. Once you do it over and over, you start to see the patterns and relationships. Like half steps between b,c and e,f. Up 2 strings and up 2 frets for octaves and so on. Plus correlating by intervals, like 5 below the 1, 4 above the 1, Dom 7 above the 4, 6 above the 3, etc. Other than the indifference in the b string in standard tuning, where things need to be moved up a fret. Plus, by learning the major scale and natural minor scale, alot of the other diatonic modes and other scales are only 1 to 2 note differences. I never write comments, so sorry for rambling, but it has been life changing by accepting these things and allowing an open door to explore harmony and chord to mode/scale correlation. Just my 2 cents
Very effective method
Thank you
Ross, you presented many simple facts as to why many of us get stuck at the intermediate playing level and offer great advice for breaking through the barrier. This presentation is a true gem. Excellent work!
Some thing that really resonated with me in this video was the mental aspect of overcoming self limitations. This video help me get my head in a better space… And my practice today was so much better. Thank you Ross, thank you very much! P.s. That opening solo was killer!
This is absolutely inspirational stuff for a guy that has drifted in and out of playing for forty-odd years but each time with increasing levels of 'never gonna happen'. Thank you, Ross! 🏆
"Not finishing what you started" is another one I feel massively affects a lack of progress. This has much more to do with the abbilities on the instrument rather than musicality though. Often times I teach intermediate students that just rather give up on a certain song because there's a technical phrase they fail to master. Back in the day, I used to spend hours and hours mastering technique and for sure I've hit a plateau myself, but I know what I can comfortably play at any time. Knowing proper technique really helps when studying technical phrases. Yes, it can be really boring... But you have to persevere!
I feel personally attacked by this video how accurate it is! Love your content Ross, will keep practicing 😂
You just described the reasons for my many years of intermediate play to a tee. And you can add the habit of learning a batch of songs, and then simply playing them all the time while forgetting about continued technical learning.
Having learnt to play by ear and watching my friends play guitar (before CZcams), I am definitely in the target audience. After watching some of your videos which in turn got me to subscribe to your channel, I'm hoping I too can break out of my rut. Keep up the good work, we appreciate you. 🤘🏼
I've played bass and guitar for about 15 years. It's nice to hear your perspective, I've been working on some of these things right now. Hopefully I will break out of some of those ruts myself. 😊
I started by learning triads in the circle of fourths. Made me remember each note that was in each chord. Don’t have them down pact yet. But it’s insane how you start connecting other theory once you learn the notes.
Love your videos and your approach. Can’t wait for the new bulletproof guitar player to drop!
Pleasure to be apart of the road to 200k.
Congrats on your success and thanks for all the content!
Thank you!
Thank you 🙏🏻 this just helped me set some new goals
Developing strength in your hands (and arms and shoulders) was something that made a huge difference for me. I have certain exercises I do everyday, even if I don't have time to play or practice.
Very inspiring. Thanks for this.
Great stuff! I agree with everything. I would also add that understanding timing helped me.. I was always rushing to fill voids with sound but less can definitely be more when timed right.
Inspiring Ross. I have your other books and I'll definitely be getting this one too, thanks for your help
I REALLY needed this video. Started at 15 and about to be 30. Other than my technique improving, my understanding has hit a plateau. Figured I'd never get better, but this has motivated me to go back to basics and try harder than I ever have to actually learn what I'm playing instead of just playing what sounds good. Also, congrats on the weight loss. I'm down 40+lbs myself. It's a great feeling. Im almost 3 years free from nicotine as well, so if I can do both of those, I reckon I can do this too! Much love, and subscribed, my dude
Edit: one of the reasons I've written off theory in the past is that I play in drop tunings so I'd have to translate everything. I hate standard. Don't know if there's a way around that tbh. Most things seem catered to E standard
Just learning every stage up to the Circle Of Fifths was amazing.You have to really put the work in, pen to paper too.
Now I can work out songs by ear and ascertain the key or keys of any song.
One of the many side effects is, playing songs of different keys gives you chunks of seven notes to see on the fretboard each time.
I find this a great way to absorb the fretboard.
Thank you so much for the advice Ross! It's great to hear some tips from someone who has come out the other side. Ive always wondered what the importance of learning the fretboard was until this video. And well done on your body transformation you should be proud of yourself
I can’t believe how this description is exactly me. Stuck on noodling over the major scale for 30 years and not really learning the fretboard well. Thanks for the inspiration. This is a great video. I also need inspiration to get off my arse and into the gym. 😂. Thankyou Ross.
Glad the video was helpful 🙏
Hi Ross , was wondering how long is the course bullet proof?
The video lessons come to around 4.5-5 hours long@@satchrules101
You answered my question in another video. Thanks for the help.
I just purchased your bullet proof course 2.0
Looking forward to what it does for my playing.
Thanks again
Thanks Ross. Really made me reevaluate my practice time 🙏🏻🙏🏻
Spot on young man. The irony is that going back to the basics makes the stuff you already play way more fun and fulfilling because now you KNOW what you're doing.
Great video, Ross. I think you really nailed exactly what my deficiencies are right now. Also, kudos on getting into such great shape!
Ok! This was laid out logical and articulates the potholes that we all have fallen into while taking our journey on the path of true musicianship!
Thank you!✌️❤️🎵
I couldn’t agree more with your points! As someone who is actively an intermediate guitarist trying to breakthrough to the advanced realm, I try to do all of these things. Great tips!
Thank you my friend!
🎸That’s me man! Loving your channel. Thank you!!
your playing reminds me of my guitar teacher who taught me for 4 years. that intro was so good. keep it up.
At month 13 and finally understanding that I really need to go backwards to keep going forward. Well said. Going backwards is a must and is actually great for challenging myself. It reminded me how good it feels to overcome a challenging situation. Like when barr cords first became possible.
Your playing at the beginning was worth the price of admission here. Got the book, love your lessons. Congrats on the fitness success.
Thank you Michael!
Hey Ross, everything you say always makes SO much sense! You have a talent for hitting the nail squarely on the head in SO many ways. I'd like to comment on something that has, at least for now, been a great help for me. I've found that learning the intervals of all the notes in the scales, and the chords, easier for me to process, understand and practically put to use than the actual note names. For example, if I know where the "Target" notes are inside the scales and chords, like the 3rd, 5th, flat seven, 6th etc. that tells me a lot more than the actual name of the note does. I will eventually be able to associate the name of the note with the interval in all the corresponding keys as well, but for now the intervals make more sense to me. I'm still soaking up all the information, explanations and licks etc. in your very exceptionally excellent Beyond the Pentatontics course and loving every minute of it! I got your Bullet Proof course way back when it was on Udemy, but will most likely get the new one as well! Not just because I know it is going to be very very good, like everything you do, but because I really enjoy supporting and helping you wherever possible. Thanks Ross, for all your great content, sincere commitment and interest in helping SO many of us out here looking for the "Real Real!!👍😁👋🎸
Thanks so much Cliff!
Good chat. From my perspective I could noodle and find my way around a fret board but it lacked confidence and was not clean throughout. I started playing around on the piano and approached it in a more curious but regimented practice style. Seeing notes and having to reset my muscle memory has shown me how little I actually knew on the guitar, like you said, years down the road. It’s left me essentially relearning the guitar while simultaneously learning piano. It’s refreshing to switch back and forth and practice what I’ve just practiced on a different instrument.
Most importantly the theory isn’t so intimidating once you slow it down bit by bit. Study, then have fun with it, then get serious again. I’ve been surprised at how many classical and modern pop music melodies I’ve accidentally discovered by just practicing scales in a more meaningful way.
Great tips! That 2nd one hits different. 🤘🦖
You know I know these things but it's so helpful to hear them and somebody telling you hey this is what's up! What a truly inspiring message! you have given me hope & a kick in the butt with this video! Thank you
Long time follower here. Start a band so I can buy a ticket and see you Rock live. You make everything look effortless!!
Dude ngl that intro solo got me HYPED to listen to the rest of this video. You got a subscribe outta me for that one. 🔥🔥🔥
Great video , this is all me , you are a fantastic teacher !!
Honestly, I have tried to visualize the fretboard with varying degrees of success, but wouldn't say I have it done cold yet. Definitely waiting for your new course. Also, I kind of went opposite of you. My body is pretty toned (for an older guy) and new am really trying to get my playing in shape. No excuses. Just keep learning and improving. Thanks again Ross 😃
Visualizing the fretboard is something that happens by looking at the guitar. If you do drills every day to map out intervals and the scale degrees it will eventually stick. You don't "visualize" doing a crossover dribble, you get on the court and practice it everyday until you have it
Heck yeah dude. Love this video. And an early congrats on the 200k subs. You deserve it man! 🤘🤘🤘
Thank you Jeff!
Hi Ross, I was stuck for about 25 years but have made real progress the last 12 months! On learning the fretboard i was stuck at the low E and A, learning that ‘notes’ didn’t work for me but learning intervals really clicked…for me that’s as good, if not better, for working around the fretboard and is used by a lot of musicians I’ve spoken to so I would encourage both approaches, you may find some students prefer it.
you are right Sir. I just got my travel guitar now trying to brush up my guitar skills lost for more than 10years. you are young and yet very wise. god bless you always. Subscribed!
I think I've just been humbled and it was bloody well needed. Going to learn the notes on the g and b strings, and also learn all positions of the major pentatonic (which is of course the same as minor pentatonic in a different order).
Lovely octave sound and great playing
Truer words have never been spoken - very inspirational for me as a older player/learner.
Glad to hear this!
Experimenting with alternative picking helped me a lot
I bought your Beyond Pentatonic Blues book and have been having lots of fun learning and playing from it! A really great package.
Glad to hear that thank you!
Great video, you put a smile on my face! Subscribed!
Thank you!
Thanks Ross great video.
That opening was absurdly good!🤟🤟🤟
Great advice as always Ross! Hope you pass the 200k subs soon
Thanks Bill!
Some sound advice there Ross, I am trying hard to better my understanding of the Fretboard after years of wasting my time, I will be honest I have given up so many times and still get frustrated with my progress, my knowledge and understanding is greatly improved but it’s putting it into my fingers lol, but I keep hoping that one day it’s going to click. I think I have slowly started to notice improvement and I can visualise certain things now, I have tried talking to friends about the importance of music theory but they scoff at the idea and say it’s a waste of time, but I started to dabble with it during the lockdown and it has helped me immensely to understand how music works, although I class myself as a bloody awful guitarist I’m hoping that the knowledge I have will eventually come through in my playing, long way to go but fingers crossed. Thanks for your knowledge and advice you give its greatly appreciated keep up the excellent work, many thanks Bob.
maybe one of THE top ten CZcams videos on learning guitar ever ... thanks for this ..
Wow I'm flattered. Thank you
The travails of a self-taught guitarist w a good natural ear! I suffer from a host of bad habits, never having learned proper fingerings, etc. Only noticed a few months ago that I’m holding my pick wrong!
30 years in, I start to figure out how little I know 💯
That overdrive tone. so clean 😇😇😇
Nicely said Mr. Campbell. Bravo~
Amazing work and advice Ross. Dude, if I didn’t know this stuff already I’d be signing up!
Thank you Ry!
Unbelievably Motivating, you just spoke my life story. Been playing for 30 years with not much improvement. Just assumed I’d reached my (shit) potential. I’d love to jump on this course but I don’t do laptops, is it available on dvds?
Well said, all of this applies to me, now whether I find the time and drive to get better while in college, that’s to be determined
That intro solo is jawdroppingly good.
If not for the bends, I would've thought it's played on a synth.
Thank you!
There is another reason. It’s part of the reason online teachers like yourself are so useful. If you go for face to face lessons the teacher will often take away more than they give. So you actually go backwards & get disheartned. Imagine an intermediate Jeff Beck (if there ever was one) going for face to face lessons. “You really can’t expect to play with your right hand on the trem & the vol”.
With online tuition we never come out less able than when we went in.
Hope my sight reading teacher from my uni will read this one day, but 90% of my knowledge of the fretboard it's because of him and reading! Every Monday was a pure joy because of him. Thanks for the video Ross, I especially agree with the 2nd point.
What a great lesson with great advice. Looking forward to more lessons and knowledge as an intermediate player who feels stuck at times. Thx and keep up the great work
Hi I've been learning guitar for a little while, but been right down in the dumps lately not going forward some say I have but now going to really going to learn tat fret board now thanks
Can’t wait! Let’s go!!!
You, my man, have some depth to you. New sub and fellow human eagerly standing by to witness your assent!
🙏🙏
Blimming heck, what great playing!
Dang Ross! That was some sweet, fluid fingerness you got going on! Especially liked that stretched walk up!
Thank you!
Great video Ross, I think there is a serious gap in content on CZcams for the exact player your describing in this video (I identify as one) and commend you for making a great video on the topic. More please!
I’m off to learn the fretboard 🎸
Your'e one of my favorite guitarists!
Hi Ross, I can tell you that I identify exactly with the type of person you’ve described playing the guitar for over 20 years and plateauing. Interested in your course because you’re making some very compelling arguments. One question, in your course, do you have some effective methods to learn the notes on the fretboard without forgetting them as soon as you’re finished learning them
Hey Paul. Yes, what you've just described is a huge focal point of the course that is threaded throughout the entire curriculum.
I'm confident that if you put this practice method into action you'll find that you've finally discovered a way of memorising the notes on all six strings, so that you never forget them again.
I'll have more info on that soon!
I was at that intermediate level rut and it was part of the reason I put it down for several years. Now I am older, my tastes have changed, and I had to restart from the beginning. No muscle memory. I forgot most of the songs and most of the riffs. The one thing I did retain was the little bit of music theory I knew from way back when and how to make chords. So that became using theory to make my ad hock freestyle progressions sound better. Then that rolled into chord voicings and substitutions. Next thing I knew I was knee deep in smooth jazz and I never really liked jazz when I was younger.
I know I could sit down with my guitar all weekend for a few weekends and probably be right back where I was during those NuMetal days... and that is exactly why I won't do it. I have been learning so much more since I was forced to rely on everything except my technical abilities. Instead I am learning new techniques and building up new chops. I might not be able to do sweeps for days, but I can do ad hoc shell chords to liven up my solos, run thirds sixths and sevenths up and down the neck, and even rearrange an old standard.
Yep, while I wouldn't recommend taking a decade long break, I would recommend putting the guitar down for months or more when you are in that rut. Play something else entirely. Keyboard, tin whistle, sing. I highly recommend singing. I don't care if your natural resonance sounds like an old boar suffering from hemorrhoids. Sing in key as you play. Bonus points for singing the notes as you play.
Yeah, so true about being stuck for years on end and thinking that was about as good as playing was going to get.
I think for people in this situation, myself very much included, it is hard to know when you need outside help to overcome a hurdle. Once you have some basic skills down, it's easy to go off into the musical wilderness and work on a whole array of guitar aspects, from working out all sorts of songs to gear and tone chasing... but ultimately you arrive at a point where you've plateaued and it is really hard to identify what you to work on. Many things seem too basic and you already know them, or way too hard and you'll never understand them.
What it takes is for someone to point out a connection point between what you know and what you don't, and how to apply that in a way that builds progress. The rest is just practice.
Thanks!
I bought Paul Davids’ Next Level Playing(his intermediate course) and the first 2 modules pretty much cover this… 1 year later I still don’t know the notes of the fretboard and haven’t really progressed. 😂
I still think unless you are super dedicated, a good in person teacher is the only way to go!
That was a great intro!! I subscribed at about 1 minute into the first video I saw from you - that never happens. :)
I was trying something different so I'm glad to hear this!
Where can I learn all the fundamentals? I've been playing since 2009 and Im comfortable with my instrument but I'd like to fill in the gaps that I missed along the way. You made a lot of excellent points and I want to progress with my journey
Great to always see your perspective on the guitar journey. It's always vastly important to recognize where you are at during every part of the journey, especially since guitar is a never ending one.
Thank you 🙏
@@RossCampbellGuitarist Cheers !
I have been playing for 15 years, and I have been in a plateau for about 6 years until I went back and started learning the scale forms again and practicing staccato picking throughout all the scales. I have been practicing minor, major and pentatonic scales, and have seen immense increases in speed and accuracy just running these drills.
I stand behind this video 10000% - Great insight!
I am just now starting to learn the notes on the fretboard and I cant wait to see where it takes me
Epic. I recommend Guitargate as a course. And starting on stage 2 course and skip stage 1. Even if you already know most of it. Jesus bled and rose for you because He loves you!✝✌
I've been an intermediate guitar player for 23 years - I'm so intermediate I decided to take up drums, piano, and bass. Now I'm fully intermediate at 4 things. Basically, if im in a room of musicians I'm drastically average, but I live for the days where I'm around people that can't play and they think I'm a genius 😂
You're very right! I just posted a series of lessons on exactly this as well 😅
Hey what’s up man. I picked up my guitar again at 25 years old, and I wanted to begin making cover songs. I recently subscribed and the quality of your videos is great. Would you ever hop in a zoom call or anything of your preference for guidance on how to set everything up? I’m bad with the technology stuff. I would be willing to pay for your time of course whatever you decide! Thanks man
I love that sound ❤
You make it look easy!
Sitting in my car exhausted after taking a bio exam, got an ochem exam in 12 hours and needed a break haha. Didn’t know I’d get a motivational speech Lfg 🔥
Yo great vid. Been playing 5 years now (started in January exactly 5 years ago). I had a weird start in hindsight. I bought a fretboard workbook and started from there. So, instead of strumming my favorite songs I was learning the notes of the fretboard.
There’s a yin and yang to all of this in my amateur opinion. Yes, I started learning the fretboard very early and since I have friends very musically involved I got to experience the positive reinforcement of being able to keep up with their fretboard and theory knowledge. Hell, in some cases I could tell I knew more than them (definitely didn’t vocalize it though, not trying to be that guy just trying to learn).
However, my rhythm really, really suffered from this focus. I mean I was picking out some of my favorite riffs and solos from indie music, but I wasn’t strumming songs from start to finish. I understood what was being played and why but I wasn’t sounding like a performer, nor was I beginning to.
All this said that the whole picture is important. Be able to perform a song, a solo note for note, and be able to explain/show the why behind it all. You’ve gotta approach it from both angles.
I’m really working on my rhythm playing now, so I’m back on the acoustic mainly. I have a handful of songs I’d actually want to perform so I’m focusing on those. I can honestly say I understand the structure, chord selection and note selection of the songs, but I can also honestly say that my performance of them is mediocre at best.
That said, I am getting better every day! Cleaning up my strumming and rhythm with intentional practice. Someone mentioned learning the vocal melody on guitar and I’m gonna experiment with that. I believe that will help drove home some fretboard theory as well.
Ended up rambling, but just wanted to say the whole picture matters. Though I bet it’s more common to have the opposite problem of me.
I have tried going back over simpler things. I understand a lot of music theory, but I do get lost on the fretboard.
thats it, i am stealing the whole song! freaking love your articulation!!
Very good. Where are you from?
Very informative, unfortunately I'm one those intermediates that have the ability to play complex guitar pieces , but have absolutely no idea of any of the theory behind it and couldn't ever make it myself. As a bedroom rockstar that's always ever been enough for me as I've had no desire to put in the time, but somehow always end up watching these videos lol