welcome I'm Josh with bass buzz learning your bass fretboard notes can feel totally overwhelming but what if you're jamming with a guitarist and then they say I'm playing a C chord - an F chord - G chord back to F [Music] how are you supposed to know where to find the right notes I'm going to give you an easy way to get started with understanding your fret board so that you can handle situations like this and more let's do it when you're trying to learn your fret board a bass teacher will usually show you a chart that looks like this and then your brain explodes and you die instead of hitting you with all that at once let's skip the theory that you don't need right now and focus on the notes that really matter the money notes in this lesson we're focusing on the first four frets only and they're called the money notes because that's what we bass players really get paid to play yes learning the rest of the neck matters too but you can play most bass lines in this area and knowing these notes means you'll be able to survive a jam sessions when people are calling out chords at you and we're actually going to do that together later but first we're going to go through four steps to get you jam ready the English alphabet has 26 letters but the musical alphabet only has 12 notes so this should be easy right the best way to visualize the musical alphabet is on a piano keyboard so there are twelve notes seven on the white keys and five on the Black Keys we name the white key notes with letter names a B F G and then we loop around back to a and we would just keep looping from there so as we go up to higher sounding notes we go forwards to the alphabet abcdefg a and as we go down to lower sounding notes we go reverse through the alphabet a G F Hey easy enough right but what do we do about these Black Keys we already used up the letter names on the white keys so we're gonna use a concept called sharps and flats to help us move those letter names around so if I go to a D on the piano which is one of the white keys if I want to raise that D to the next note I'm gonna call it D sharp which looks like a little hash tag and if I want to lower that D to the next black key I'm gonna call it D flat which looks like a little letter B so sharp raises the note flat lowers the note or if we go to a G on the piano same thing if I go up from the G I get G sharp if I go back to G and then go down I get G flat sharp raises flat lowers here's the part that confuses people sometimes that means that each black key can have two names okay so if we go back to that note that we called E flat earlier so we go to D we lower the D that gives us D flat but what if we went to C and then raised the C then that same key would be called C sharp so that key right there can be D flat or C sharp if we think of it as lowering a D it's D flat if we think of it as raising a C it's C sharp two names one note so let's go through the alphabet from the beginning so we'll start on a then we go up to the black key so that's gonna be called a sharp and then we go to the next white key which is B the next letter in the alphabet and then what are we gonna do there's no black key between these two notes right so that next note is just C so there's no black key between B and C so we keep going C raise that to C sharp then we're on D and raise that to D sharp and then we're on E and now again no black key so we end up going straight to the next letter which is F so these two spots are very important because there are no black keys here between B and C and between E and F otherwise this alphabet is symmetrical so you can remember that there are no black keys between these particular notes because they really like each other and they wanted to stay extra friendly and buddied closed e to F be to see extra friendly and buddied closed mnemonic device let's put that all together and then we'll actually start checking it out on the bass so do this with me I'm gonna go slow so you can say your answers before I say them and you kind of test yourself that way because this is important okay so we start on a and then if we raise a to that black key it's called a sharp right sharps raise the note next white key is the next letter in the alphabet which is B and then what do we do we go straight to the next letter because there's no black key so that's C then we raise C to C sharp and then next white key is D raise the D to D sharp next white key is e then what's the next key it's another white key so it's another letter which is F then we raise the F to F sharp then we're on G and then we raise the G what do we get G sharp and then what's next we loop through the alphabet abcdefg back to a okay let's do the same thing in Reverse now we're gonna think about lowering the notes instead of raising them so we're up on that higher a we're gonna lower it to that black key what's that going to be called a flat right flat is when you lower a note and then we're on the next white key which will be G and then we lower that to G flat and then we're on the next letter which is F right we're going reverse alphabetical because we're going to lower notes now what happens there's no black key so we go straight from F to E because they're extra-friendly F to e e to F and then we're on a we lower the e we're on e-flat and then the next white key is d what happens if we lower D we get D flat and then the next key down is C and then what happens we go straight to B because they're close buddies buddied close the amana device okay so we're on B we lower the beat what do we get we get a B flat and then we're back to a where we started nice work now would be a good time to click Subscribe and then click the bell so that you get notified when new lessons come out now let's take what we just learned and actually apply it to the bass to find your bass fretboard notes first you need to know the names of your open strings the standard way to tune a base is e a D G so E is the biggest fattest string closest to your face and then the next one over is a and then D and then G E a D G if you want to remember this with another silly mnemonic device all you have to do is remember to eat and drink grapes mmm let's see if you've really got that I'm gonna play and point to the strings and you tell me the names okay how about this one did you say it out loud I'm waiting I'm waiting okay East ring right okay how about this that's the D eat and drink okay how about the smallest one that's furthest away from you g string eat and drink grapes and what's left process of elimination tells you this is the a string okay let's do that again but faster tell me as fast as you can this string go g string this string E string this string D string this string a string great you're certified in your open strings knowledge now back to the money notes we're gonna take a break from sharps and flats and just find the naturals the plain letter names in our money zone which is the first four frets so remember on piano the smallest distance we can travel is one piano key so we're on a the next closest note above that is a sharp and then the next closest note above that is B next one is C so the smallest distance we can move is one piano key that's the same distance that you travel by moving one fret on your bass so if I play an open a string and I go up one fret to the first fret I'm on an a-sharp if I go up another fret that's just like moving up another piano key and I'm on a beat and if we go again we go straight to C because there's no black key there so the only difference is that you can't see the white and black keys on the bass but one fret equals one piano key of movement so we're gonna try to memorize three natural notes per string and that'll give you the starting point you need to be able to find any note in a jam session situation so our three notes on the E string are e f and g e is the open string you already know that one and then our F is on the first fret because extra-friendly so they're right next to each other anf and then we go to the third fret for G because there is a black key between F and G we just can't see it because they're invisible on the base so E open string F first fret G on the third fret okay pop quiz what's the name of the note on the third fret it's a G right what about the open string is e and the first fret is f e f g okay let's move to the a string now we're gonna learn a B and C so our open string is a and then for B we go to the second fret and then for C we go to the third fret those are right next to each other right buddy - close no Black Keys so a open string B on the second fret C on the third fret okay pop quiz what's the second fret of the a string called B right because it's one black key away so we got an A and then a black heat and then B which is the next white key and then where a seat right there on the third fret right next to be okay let's do a little quiz and what we got so far so what are the three notes on the E string we've got the open E and then our next note is F and where is that first fret and then the next note is G which is on the third fret okay I know it might seem a little silly to answer these questions out loud when you're just talking at your screen but it's really helpful and it's important to make sure that you know these on your own without me just telling you the answers okay so e F G on the E string and then what about the a string the open string is a we know that okay where's B it's on the second fret right and then where's C third fret so open e first fret F third fret G open a second fret B third fret C D string time we're gonna have D E and F on this string so D is the open string and then for E or do you think we're gonna go second fret right because we got to skip over the black key is between D and E and then F will be or do you think it's gonna be third fret or fourth fret it's gonna be on the third fret because those two notes are extra-friendly so there's no black key between them d e half open string E on the second fret F the third fret now let's move right to the g string which is going to be G a B so G is the open string and then a will be on the second fret and B will be up on the fourth fret so our first fourth fret note okay so G second fret is a fourth fret B okay I'm gonna test you on those now because this is the foundation of being able to find notes for a jam session or just for playing a bass line okay so first let's go through them in order the way we just learn them together so first is the e string what are the three notes on that string E and then F and then what G and those are on the open string first fret is F and then G is on the third fret okay so next string over from e is a right eat and drink grapes so open a and then what what are the other notes on that string a B and C right we're just going sequentially through the alphabet so a is on the open string where's the B second fret and where is the C third fret okay so EF G a B C now what are the three notes on the D string D F right just continuing through the alphabet so D is the open string and then where's the e second fret and where is the F third fret nice and last what's the name of your last string eat and drink grapes it's the g string okay and what are our notes on the g string G a and B right cycling through the alphabet G we finished we loop around back to a and then B okay so where's the a 2nd fret and then where's the B 4th friend great ok final test I'm gonna go in random order you're gonna call these out to me when I ask you questions ok so where is the C on the a string 3rd fret right ABC ok how about an F on the E string 1st fret ok so I'm on the 4th fret of the g string what's the name of that note G a B yes ok what about the 2nd fret on the D string it's an E and let's see how about find me a G on the E string 3rd fret right awesome so why are we stopping at 3 naturals per string why don't we do 4 we'll check it out so we go E G on the E string the next natural note would be the a on the 5th fret but that's the same note as our open a string and same thing if we keep going we go ABC on the a string right and then we would go to D would be the next natural note which would be on the 5th fret but that's the same note as the open D string even if we keep going de F on the D string next natural note on that string would be G on the 5th fret but that's the same note as the open g string so the 5th fret of the E string is the same as the open a 5th fret of the a is the same as the open D and 5th fret of the D is the same as the open G so you've already got those notes in your bag so you don't need to memorize them now unless you want an extra challenge alright time to fill in the gaps and put the rest of those money notes in your wallet ok so remember on the piano keyboard how we got to the sharps and flats we start on a letter name like G and if we raise G then we get to G sharp if we lower G then we get to G flat and that's by moving one piano key in either direction one piano key up is G sharp one piano key down is G flat it's the exact same thing on bass so find me a G on the E string where is that third fret right ok so we're gonna do the same thing we did on the piano if we go up one fret then we get a G sharp if we go back to G on the third fret and then we go down one fret we get a G flat and that's it that's all you have to do so using the naturals that you started memorizing efg a b c d e f G a B you can find any note in the first four frets using this method so what if we find a B on the a string where is that second fret right so what if we want to be flat then we just go down a fret right okay so we'll go back to be on 2nd fret what if we go up from B then we're on C right it's not be sharp because those notes are buddied closed e to F B to C extra-friendly buddy closed no black keys there ok last thing we're gonna do before we jam together is I'm gonna test you on finding the sharps and flats in the money zone ok so first find me an a on the g string 2nd fret right now what if you want an a sharp where would you go up to the 3rd fret right so a sharps on the 3rd fret what if we want an A flat we go to the first fret ok another one how about find me an F on the D string 3rd fret right ok now find me an F sharp where'd you go up the fret to the 4th fret yeah ok back to F on the 3rd fret now find me an F flat wait there is no F flat Josh that's right because e to F F to e be to CC to be there are no black keys there extra-friendly and there buddy closed okay one more find me a B on the a string 2nd fret and now find me a b-flat first fret nice ok one more one more so find me a G sharp on the E string we might not have g-sharp memorized at this point but we know G right where's the G third fret of the e-string now what do we do to get to G sharp we just go up a fret to the fourth fret and that's your G sharp great you are ready to jam let's do this so I'm gonna play CF and G chords it's gonna sound like this just listen for now [Music] even though the guitar player is playing chords on bass we usually follow along just by playing one note at a time so we just need to find a C an F energy and we'll be all set to jam with this progression so where can we find a C in our money zone this is one of the notes we talked about right so if I just go through sequentially e f g a b c there's the C I found one on the third fret of the a string okay so I got C and now I need an F where's an F we just found one right first fret of the E string but there was another F and our money zone do you remember where that was EF g a b c d e f there it is third fret of the D string so if you're a beginner and you're not sure which one of these apps you should play just pick the lower one that's always the safest choice as a bass players pick the lower note okay so we've got our C on the 3rd fret of the a string and our F on the 1st fret of the E string now we need a G where can we find a G there are two G's in our money zone do you remember where both of those are first one is the third fret of the e-string but we also have the open g string so we got two different G's to pick from again because we want to play it safe we're gonna pick the lower sounding one which is the third fret of the E string so all together are three notes we got C on the third fret of the a string F on the first fret of the E string and G on the third fret of the E string okay let's jam so just play one note per bar I'll call out the chords to you before they change and you'll get it after a couple passes and I'll even join you on bass over in the alternate universe to help you get started ready here we go one two starting on C going to AB go into G G back to F and going back to the C C back to F F go to G G then am then same thing again [Music] great work now let's do that one more time just you and me with no base track from the alternate dimension to help you out here we go one two start on C to G G back half and just repeat that you can try your own rhythms if you want to or you can just stay on those one note 4 bar + awesome job click like if you enjoyed this video and subscribe if you want more free bass lessons are there any other tips or tricks that helped you learn the fretboard share them in the comments to help your fellow bass players and I'll see you next time whoa whoa you're not ready to leave yet first need to click over here and subscribe to get all the latest free bass lessons comin atcha you can also click on the video preview over there if you're ready for another one of said bass lessons right now party on Wayne [Music]