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Fretboard Logic SE
Special Edition - Vols. 1 & I Combined
Bill Edwards Publishing
805 St. Augustine Ave.
‘Tampa FL 33617-7229
Dedication
To my many teachers, for contributing to my understanding of the
ingtrument and music. and especially my students. for malking me constantly
reexamine what I thought | already knew.
and
For the people who read Fretboard Lagi¢ and
cavouraged me fo continue on.
Copyrisht 1983, 1987. 1989 by Bull Edwards
AL Rights Reserved
‘This volume may not be reproduced in whole oF in part in any form without
written permission from the publisher,
Teachers who wish to use this method may purchase It at 2 spectal discount by
fealing, writing, faxtig oF emuaiing (0 a4, addiesy os tiamnbcr Wyelow. We now mui
{ain en International database for the purpose of referring students who eontact
tus in search of teachers who use Fretboard Logie in their area.
Fora frve Usting in our registry as a Fretboard Loge leacher
please contact us att
Bill Rewards
805 St. Augustine Ave
“Tanpa. PL 39617-7229
813) 685-2689 Phone
(S13) 985-0554 Fax
[email protected] Exatl
wun billecwards-com Website
Printed In the United States of Amerien
Contents
PARTI
Profnce:
inkroduiclon
‘The Five Bante Chard Forms.
Forasand Positions = Chords.
The CAGED Sequence - Chords.
Naming Chords by Formand Position.
Scales-and Seale Forms.
The Five Basic Seale Forms:
“The CAGED Sequence - Seales,
‘The Answers Ta All Your Problems.
The Twelve-Step Program.
“Allernite Placement af the “sird” Interval.
‘PART I
Prelace.
Introduction,
Tris,
Seventit Chords.
Dinionie Seales.
CAGED Sequence - Diatonie Seales.
Diaionle Lead Patterns...
Namaing the Diatonic Lead Patterns.
‘The Camponents of Music.
Intmeduction to Musi¢ Theor
Introduction to Technique.
Introduction to Rhythm Praying.
Introduction to Lead Playing.
Introduction to Styles.
Finale Part Th
Twenty Quesilons,
Twenty Answers,
Preface
‘The-téléa Tor this book originated im the 1970's when the author-was-a guitar
Instctor ata musie store. During thav period. he stumbled upon something that
demonstrated that despite years of lesgans ard countless: books.and gourses. his
ttuching methods were stil pretty disorganived, While mapping outa students
seale-farms for the lliionth <tme, he finally recognized that-although there were
-even fiandamental tonal ortentationss (motes). there were actually on'y five rele-
‘ant gultar patterns, which, coresponsied (a certain recuciing chordforms 2s wel,
When the scale forms were rearranged to be played leniithwise wlong.the neck.
‘everything finaliy-Nt together for the first time th years of playing-and teaching. He
became aware that there was a guitar-speciile patiern onganization that was com:
pletely sepatace from the various musical considerallons such-as:theery. technique
Rintaiyle He eventuatly. came tothe conclusion that the tssuts of thie pattern
‘grganization should take first priarity over the tases of muste- or style, (Cw traly
“Sinicthired learning experience was 10 eecur
Fretboard Logic evolved from the discovery that us a result of the guitar's
tuning, number of strings. andl string to’atring intervals (ath, th, 4th, ard, 4th),
‘exactly three separate and specific pattern types oceuron the fretboard: Chord
Forms, Sele Forms and Les Patterns. For learning jyurposes. each of these three
ratte types mill be-examined tn the same four contexts: First, a8 Baste Forms:
‘second, as Forms in Positions: third,.as,forme-in CAGED Sequence along the fret
board; and fourth, Naming them musically, from their form and position. There
are five basie Chord Forms. five bosle Seale Forme, and tro haste Lead Patterns,
sand they are integral to one another as patterns,
Avword abeut the format-of the book. Given what Is knows: about learning,
ad the function of the two hemispheres of the braln, commonly known as-e and
‘ight brain, the pages of tke book have been divided into half text and al’ graph-
{es whenever practical. The pattern nature of the fretboard also lends tisetf in (his
approach. Important concepts and points of interest are captioned in shadow:
boxes. Relevant terms are ttalletaed or boldfaced. When boidfaced. terms are
defined in content and Inchude! ina glossary a the end ofthe tid and Ist vot
ume cf the series.
Introduction
“The guitar has changed in many ways since tt evolved sway’ from ite ancea-
tors but the fining system of six strings tuned EADGRE. whiel Is fardamertally
diferent from-any other énstruments has reigned as the-stardard for: bnindreds of
_resirs. The reason for this 4s that-no one bas yet beerv-able tg siprove on tt. nora
You wil see. are they, ever Ikely. (0, Inufiaek, many. players. have taker this aspect of
the instrument for granted without ever questioning. t. When, you eanstder that
virtually everything that ts playec! onthe tnstroment gets-“tiered® though this
{uininys systems, lets tronic thal-of tae ruiilions of peuple-who play, vey few fully
nderstaind the reasoning behind the pitch selection of the strings. Yet. what could
Ye more essential than. a Working, knowledue of the instrament itself? Most guitar
insthod: tackle bite ane pleces of many subjects ard present them collectively in
the equivalent of baby steps. Fretboard Logie SE: Purt L-will teach you a great deal
about jus one thing: how the tuning works out on the fretboard tn terms of pat-
leres.
Firat Nidle hackground.ts in order; In this introduction, weil loolsat the dif
{rent elasses of tunings forstringed: instruments. und then discuss menophonte
‘orstis polyphonte- capabilites. Next welll examine tnstruments that inesement In
ne or two dimensions and some of the problems associated with Interpreting
musste given the different desiges Finally we'll make some observations on
“ergonomics and the human interface, and conclude with a comparison of methods
and a discussion of objectives.
‘There are two primary lasses of tunings for stringed Instruments. They are
ther symmetrical, mening equi string to string iniervats. or chordal, meaning:
inned tor specific chord. For example, most of the string family. violin, vielox,
eto. are tuned symmetzically in bths, ‘The electric bass 15 likewise tuned tp
siraight 4tha. On the other hund, traditional fve-atring banjo tuning Is GDGBD.
making an open stringed G Major chord. andl peelnl steel ts tuined to etther an
8th ora COL chord. The guitars tuning system fs aeliher symmetrirat no:
ehorcial. 1 ts iterally in a uss by (sell. The notes EADGBE from baes to treble,
Unisull tn the Intervals of 4th, 4th 4th, 3rd. and 4th. the tuning produces the
finterals which create the pattern oggeatzatton on the fretboard,
‘A monophone {9 1n Instrument winch can only produce one tone at a tint
Yan Instrument ls polyphonic, it |s designed ta produce multiple tones simul
heously. making hermonic matertal such as chords and thelr voleings possible,
Tnsiruments of the bres, woodwind and string fuuiles ave generally monophonic,
Keyboard Instruments such as planos, organs, ele,, are polyphonic. Normally,
ionephones are played! 1n groups such as brass bands, string quartets, and sym-
phony orchestras, The members of the suri familly, Inchiding violins, violas, eet
fos, olc., given multiple strings, ean produce more than ane oF two nates at time,
Introduction
but uhe-curyanure of the bridge makes playing more than-two simullaanenus notes
impractical int continuous usage, Even with «relatively flat bridge-the guliar
would buve a-sinilur problem given dhe linllation of four fretting flagers, (net for
the difference in ining systems, The patterns onganteation produces: sa optimise:
on of four fretitng fingers. ard Uterelorea practtea) polyphony.
Another difference invovorall instrument design concerns whether the notes
increment in only ane or twordimensions. On a keyboard. the notes yet higher oF
ower in only on€ cimension (right 10 lel} On a violinethre notes-imerement tn two
dimensions creating 4 matrie of the playing wres. fy a matrix. there can be several
duplicates of the exact same pitch, whereas ona keyboardothere ts one ané.only
fone of each. When reading for @ mstrix instrument. «desighatlon or a ebolee must
bbe made 10 determine which of the available duplicates: fo be played. However,
the symmetry of the Cuning means that the musical palterns, such as whole step.
whole siep, half step, ele.. will continue to apply from position to position and
sirinup to string. malkdng eortain note choices: more logical than others. Put another
aw, the shape of, say, a minor scale will be the same on anystring and in any
postiton. The odd interval on the guitar prevents'thfa, With plano, there are several
‘one-to-one correspondences which simplify Unings for the persen reading muste,
‘One finger plays one key. producing one piteh. represented by one dot om the statt
in standard notation. On guitar a separate designation 1s\often necessary to spect-
fy the string upon which @ note should be played. It would appear that eines the
ultar increments in two dimensions. producing multiples of most notes, combined
swith the irregular intervals which eliminate musical symmetry, that we are provid
ed.siith the worst of all possible worids In terms of design: That would be trie only
i yow aitempt to understand the guitar tn terms of the matrix of the violin. or the
polyphony of the Keyboard, The suultar eannot be truly tnderstood! tn terms af
either the yiolit er the plano exept by contrast and comparison (although tam
‘eorivineed that many teachers and gultar method authors have attempted both)
A major premise af tls method Is hat the issties of the guttar should be
understond separate (rom che issues of muate for learning purposes. They are
always at work together whtle playing, but while learning. they are hes! kept-apart
in one’s mind, The guitar ts imbued with w pattern organization which can be com
sidered an ergonomic interface between the player and the musie he orshe plays.
‘On the instrument side, the pattems are the interface for the four fretting fingers
as oustpitt devicwe. On the musle ide, the tore groups and rhythms combine te
produce a vibratory interlace for our ears as input devices, which we percelve as
mule of differing quallty and chareter, Those qualities ané characters in tar
become perceived as styles and physiological messages to which we respond as
human beings given our own background and develapmient, The frethoard, to
repurpese tne ol! Use ad, fs where Lie rubber meets the road, If you're familar
Introduction
twith computers. thinks ef x plano keyboard as a hardware tnterface: By.contrast
he guitar's: should be considered a software inkeriace, and 19} 90 ebvious, The
concept of Interface can also be related to the typewriter keyboard {ran interest
Ing. somewhat bizarre, sway. Most: people never question Why’ eaca Key 1s placed
where iis ona typewriter or cemputer keybeard, Lf asked. they usually: Ubink.
whet Is termed the" QWERTY’/organtzation. was developed for speed and ease af
typing: In facts Une reverse'ts true, The mechanical linkages of tie old-style tye
‘erlters wore easily overrun and Jammed by anaverage typist.-The designers were
anable-to come up with a speeciler: design. so some “Dilbertian- engineer hitupon
the idea of slowing-people down: ‘The typewriter Interface was designed to actually
slow down the user to prevent key jams: Fortunately, the sfaitie's Interface: was:
designed to Improve output, tnltke the typewriter Keyboard.
Fretboard Logie was developed to help guitarists achieve thelr musical goals
‘retardlesa of whacever style of music oF type of sultar ie preferred, By becoming
Acquainted with Lie guitar's interface, you'll he able to apply other areas of study
sha more organized meaner: A large percentage of gullarists are self taught and
‘ely on gathering random mugggets of information from here anid there without
‘auch tn the way of # game phan, Unfarturiately, 2 thorough rasp of the fretboard
Inyout ts not really the kind of thing that you ean pfels up off a recording. or fearn
irom friend it tents to get lost in the ssiuce. as the cook sald.
Most guitar baoks fall Into three watexories: Popular arrangements, methods,
land what can only be termed reference books. Many books that ure advertised as
(eaching methods are actually only useful for occasional relerenes materral. sinec
the material 's not presented with any semblance of organization or structure. The
aitiiucls of the auchors seems to be, “You figure IL out." Fretboard Logic ts not just
another mindlews “ehned paeysinpedis” arredhindant “acale and more hock How
chords and seales work out on the guitar 1s actually explained in terms of the fret=
bourd pattern organization. On the other hand, a Tot of guitar methods overwhelm
‘ever! dedicated studerits by trying to cover reading, theory, technique. repertoire,
sive. et;, all at one time but cn a simplified level. Many teach songs that are of
‘no interest excep! perhaps. to small children. Rooks that are siyle arfented such
As tock. heavy metal, blues, jazz, county. and classical meihods, often to much
the same thing. limiiing the focus to certain kinds of music, guitars, techmiques
linc /or artists. The pradlem With this ts they often try to co too much al one time
without proper foundations, ard frequently students just drift away. pechaps
laming themselves for lack of talent, And another thing Educational publishers
Preter to use public domatt materia} since they don't have to pay out composer
foyalties. Maybe you don't want to play songs that were a hit 75 years ayo. The
Chissle one for this Is the kid who wen: Into fis frst guitar lesson creaming of
ruption’ and came out playing °Co Tell Aunt Rhody.”
Introduction
With all that said 1 want to conclude with some observations. hat may sur
prise you As a practicing guitarist. Iaaavuf the fim bellel that noone elve can
make youa better player. Ibs up to each of us as Individuals to stand-out among
the athers. There #8 no method, gimmick book or video which hos the-ablity to
make you play better or worse, Being a quallly player means:continually practicing
and playing with the intentof improving, never giving upand often sacrificing
‘much In the process. You can't substitute a few wecks or months-of intense effort
foryears.of supiauied efforts That's:noveven the worst of it It Is ll too easy’ to lose
the hard won ground slr by, sustained practice. to a few, weeks or even dayes off
from: the grinc.-Ok, so you're thinking: “Well, what: abottt those self-taught guys
sho never read a book ar took a lesson and play-bettie than tot of gaye whe
have taken lessons for years?" As faras-T'm concerned. aay guitarist can reasyn~
ably claim that he or abe fs self-Unught even if they've (akon years of lessons and
read countless Doky. The reason ts that only we as individtinis can make that all
important leap from theory 10 practicc. and practice to perfection. Also, 1 comes
asler for some than atiers.
Lane Feothonrd Lagie-ws alent! of rosetta stone for guitar players. In ether
worels, It fs merely a Iearnting tool. On the other hand, 11 won't make anvore-a bet
ter player until they Mud # way to une it to produce ruste that other people want
To Usten fo, Each of us hus 10 Und our own way to make thal’ happen.
xt
Although musically, obords até groups
Of Uhtee oF more different notes. played at the
“Sune time, on the guitar they are realleed
through Five Basie Chord Forms, or shapes.
No: Aliree as shown tm: the tsle chord com-
Piters and cestataly not dozens, ao-sutgest
fe! In the chord eneyclopedtas.1"There are
acily five fundamentally different ways to
phy chords a» fretisoard forma provided for
2y Ihe tuning. These forms.arethe C, A, Ge
Band D Forms. They art prescated first 09
‘open. or unbarred forms: using: the first
Mhree fingers of the teit hand: They can be
idcred the cornerstone of the fretboard's
patlern oryantzation.
In thy: circles represent which finger of
JefLhand to fret with so that the Index:
,and:Pinky = 4. The
ie AOiN Up and own represent the sts
Fun. und the liner wolng across are the
The dark bar at the top Is the nut,
‘ing open positinn. An "X” over a string
nas dun't play tt with the dght band, ane!
PO" mieans play I unfrétted or open. Opem
mean untretied or unbarred,
If you're a just starting out you ean
gc how well vou knuw a chord form by
eing able to do these three things:
Play all the chord tones (fretted
clearly with no buzang or mu
Memorize the farm.
Make uie changes from chord to chord
Guisly and accurately.
The Five Basie Chord Forms
Roem
‘Oper Peston
(This is the
Fretboard
‘Deseription.)
cit
(Phils iw the
Chord Name.)
A Form
Open Posittor
(Gelter
Description)
AChord
(Chord Name}
E Form
Open Position
E Chord
DB Form
Open Position
D Chord
