| How to Learn All the Notes on the Guitar Posted: 29 May 2016 09:00 AM PDT Unlike piano keys, there is no obvious repeating pattern to the notes on a guitar. In order to learn chords, riffs, and songs, you will have to first know the names of the notes of the fretboard. With a little patience and a very basic understanding of guitars and musical theory, anyone can make knowing the notes on a guitar feel like second nature. Note: This is for "Standard Tuning," the most common string pattern on a guitar. In standard tuning, from topmost string to bottom-most, the open strings are E A D G B E. EditLearning the Essentials - Learn the open strings, or the notes for each string if you aren't holding down a fret. The guitar is made up of six strings, with the thickest, heaviest string on top and the thinnest on the bottom. Guitar strings count from the bottom up -- so the thin string is the 1st and the thick string is the 6th. From the bottom up, the notes are E B G D A E. There are a variety of ways to remember the strings, but one of the simplest is:
- Every
- Boy
- Gets
- Dessert
- At
- Easter[1]
- Know that notes count alphabetically from A to G. In western music, notes are written as the letters A - G. After G, the notes cycle back to A, but a higher-pitched version of A. As you move down the fret board (towards the body of the guitar), you cycle down the notes. An E, therefore is higher up the fret board than a F, and a G, and then the next A.
- The note before is considered lower. So a B is lower than the next C.
- A note that occurs later on is a higher note. An E is a higher note than the earlier D.
- Identify the sharp and flat notes in between the letters. In between the notes are sharps (represented by a #) and flats (represented by a ♭). Sharps are the notes right after a letter, like an A→ A#, and flats are right before a note, like a D♭→ E. Sharps and flats are interchangeable, depending on the song. For example, the note between a C and D is written as either a C# or a D♭. The full set of notes is:
- A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
- Notice that there is no such thing as E# or B#. E and B do not ever have sharps, and the notes simply skip from E→F. As such, there is no C♭ or F♭ either. If you remember this small exception to the rule, memorizing the guitar will be easy.
- Move down one fret to raise the note up a half-step. The frets of a guitar are numbered, with 0 being an open string, 1 being the fret closest to the head, and so on. A half-step is simply moving from one note to the next (A→ A#), including the sharps and flats, whereas a full-step jumps two notes (A→ B, B→ C#). Each fret represents a half step up from the one before it. So:
- On the top string, the first note (an open string) is E.
- The first fret on the top string is an F (remember, there is no such thing as E#).
- The second fret on the top string is an F#.
- The third fret on the top string is a G.
- This continues all the way down. Try naming each note on one string. If you got it all right, you'll be back to E by the 12th fret.
- Find all of the natural notes on the first string. Natural notes are those without sharps or flats (A,B,C,D,E,F,G). The best place to begin learning is on the top (or 6th) string, the E. On this string, the first few major notes are marked by dots on the fretboard.[2]
- E is on the open string.
- F is on the 1st fret.
- G is on the 3d fret.
- A is on the 5th fret.
- B is on the 7th fret.
- C is on the 8th fret.
- D is on the 10th fret.
- E is on the 12th fret, and the pattern repeats.
- Think of the guitar as having only 12 frets. Frets are the small metal bars on the neck. When you press a string down on a fret, it gives you a different note, moving down the scale. But at the 12th fret (usually noted by 2 dots on the guitar), the whole guitar resets. The 12th fret of any string is the identical note as the open string, and then everything repeats. This means you only need to learn the notes from 0-12 frets, then know that they are identical after the 12th fret.[3]
- On the twelfth fret, for example, your notes would be E B G D A E, from the bottom up.
- This is because there are only 12 notes total in Western music -- A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#. After the 12th note you are back where you started.
EditFinding the Right Note Anywhere - Learn each note individually, instead of trying to learn the whole guitar at once. Get the first string memorized, then focus on one letter completely. Start by finding all of the Es between the head and the 12th fret and then move on to another letter. Trying to learn all the notes at once is much too confusing to be productive, so split the task up into individual notes. There are a lot of theories out there about what order to learn notes, but a good order to try is E - G - B - F - D - A - C.
- Practice playing just that one note, using the same finger each time. Build up speed slowly until you can find every single note without looking.
- You can use the top string to locate just about every note. Once you know the notes on the low E-string you can use the following tricks to find them anywhere.
- Use octaves to find the same note on a lower string. Octaves are the same note, but at different pitches. Think of perfectly harmonizing singers, one who is high-pitched, one low and deep, who are singing the same note, to understand octaves. On guitars, octaves make it easy to find notes. Simply move down two strings, and then right 2 frets, and you have an octave. For example, start with your finger on the 6th string, 3rd fret. This is a G. If you move down to the 4th string, 5th fret, this is also a G.
- There is one exception to this. The 2nd string (open B) is a half-step deeper than the rest. So, to find an octave ending on the 2nd string, you go down two strings, and right three frets.
- Know that identical notes are only 1 string and 5 frets away. If you go down one string, then to the left 5 frets, you arrive at an identical note to the one you started on. For example, if you start on the 4th string, 10th fret, you can find an identical note on the 3rd string, 5th fret (these are both C).
- You can also go in reverse. A string higher and to the right 5 frets will also create an identical note.
- Like with octaves, the 2nd fret is the only exception. If you end on the 2nd string, you move the left 4 frets, not 5. So, the match for 3rd string, 4th fret note is an open B-string, or the 0-fret.[4]
- Find the patterns on the fretboard. There is a variety of tricks and patterns that can help you find notes at any time with a bit of quick thinking. Using the octaves and matching notes, you can add the following tricks to help you locate any note as you practice:
- The top and the bottom string, both E, are identical.
- The D string, the 4th string, is just the E string shifted 2 frets down.
- The G string, the 3rd string, is just the A string shifted 2 frets down.
- The B string, the 2nd string, is just the A string shifted 2 frets up.[5]
- Spend 5-10 minutes finding each note every time your practice. For example, for the first week, you might spend the first 5 minutes of practice finding every single E on the guitar. For the whole week, find and play every E note on the fretboard, practicing to the point where you don't need to count or find it. The next week, move on to find every single F. After a few weeks you'll have the board happily memorized.
- Pick a spot on the guitar and move only up and down on all 6 strings, hitting just the Es in your little box to where you started. Slowly build up speed as you play until you know all the Es on that section of the fretboard.
- Don't worry too much about the sharps and flats -- once you know the natural notes these will be easy to find.[6]
- Learn to read music to test your knowledge. Music notation is written out in notes, so being able to quickly read music and find the matching frets on the guitar is the perfect way to learn the notes quickly and effectively. If you can get to the point of basic "sight reading," where you can look at sheet music and find the notes as you read, you've perfectly memorized the notes.
- Learning all the notes is about practice and patience. There are not many shortcuts, but there are also only 12 notes to find and locate.
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| How to Hold a Bearded Dragon Posted: 29 May 2016 01:00 AM PDT Despite being used to portray strange and frightening creatures that puff up and attack in the movie "Holes," bearded dragons are generally docile and tolerate handling better than other lizards species.[1] Pet "beardies" are really curious, gentle, friendly and easy to hold. And regular handling accustoms them to people and minimizes stress during baths,[2] habitat cleanings, and trips to the vet. EditPreparing to Hold - Wash your hands. Washing your hands before you handle a bearded dragon will reduce the risk of passing any germs or illnesses on to the dragon. You may also consider wearing gloves; this has the added benefit of protecting your hands from the dragon's rough skin.
- Approach the lizard slowly until you are able to touch it. It is important that your actions around the beardie are calm and deliberate. If the beardie is stressed, it will not be comfortable being held. If the beardie is in a cage or enclosure, you will have to slowly reach in, but do not attempt to reach from above; bearded dragons have sensory nerves on top of their heads that will interpret your reach as an attack.
- Do not interrupt the bearded dragon while it is eating.
- Do not back a beardie up in a corner, as it will feel threatened.
- Do not tease the lizard with your finger, as it might think it's a worm and chomp!
- Pet the bearded dragon's head gently. This will allow the dragon to become accustomed to your hand and feel comfortable. When the bearded dragon has blinked or closed its eyes, it is calm enough to pick up. A beardie shows anger or stress by making his chin go black, and if he's very angry his chin is black and puffed up. If you see this, then it's best to back off as the beardie is not in the right frame of mind to be picked up.[3]
EditHolding a Bearded Dragon - Pick up the beardie. Gently put your hand, palm upturned, under its body and scoop it up. Use your thumb and forefinger to support the front arms while the body rests in the palm of your hand. Make sure that all of the dragon's legs are supported. You might place a second hand under the tail as well.
- If getting your hand under the dragon is awkward, gently grasp the dragon behind the front shoulders with your forefinger and thumb to lift slightly, and slide your other hand underneath.
- Don't squeeze, just support. Let it sit on your hands.
- Be aware that if the beardie's back end is not supported, he will 'windmill' his tail around in circles. If this happens, immediately support his rear legs and tail, so that he feels more secure. Otherwise, he may injure his back.
- Get comfortable and stay calm. Place the bearded dragon on your arm, chest, or lap and it will most likely stay there comfortably while you pet it. Your calm gentle touches will help the beardie to feel relaxed. Adult bearded dragons can be up to two feet long, so you may be most comfortable sitting with it. Young dragons are speedy, so you may want to loosely hold on.
- Know that a beardie's scales and spikes point in one direction, so pet him along the scales rather than against or you will end up with prickles in your skin and an angry beardie.
- Read the bearded dragon's body language. The bearded dragon will communicate its level of comfort to you and if you're able to decipher what it's saying, you'll have a better experience holding it.[4] If it becomes stressed or agitated, put it back in its cage. Watch for these gestures:
- Inflated beard: When a lizard wants to show dominance, or feels startled or threatened - this particularly happens during breeding season - it puffs its throat out.
- Mouth gaping: As with the inflated beard, this gesture is meant to make the dragon look menacing, as a show of dominance or to scare off a potential aggressor.
- Mouth open, but not wide. It may just be trying to cool off.
- Bobbing head: Males show dominance with this gesture.
- Arm waving: Sometimes a dragon may hold up one front leg and slowly wave it, which is a sign of submission.
- Raised tail: This is commonly seen during breeding season. It can also be a sign of alertness and activeness. Juveniles tend to raise their tail when they're hunting prey.[5]
- Return the dragon to its habitat. When you are done holding the dragon, or the dragon is done being held, return it to is enclosure using the steps described above. You can hold a bearded dragon for as long as it will tolerate being held. Start with 15 minutes once a day and as it gets used to being handled, you can hold it longer. Some dragons enjoy being held several times a day for several hours. When the beardie becomes restless, it is time to put him back.
- The length of time he can stay out of his vivarium depends on the room temperature. Reptiles are cold-blooded, so if the room is cool, he may start to chill and his digestion will stop. If his belly feels cool to the touch, then return him to the vivarium to warm up.
- Wash your hands. Bearded dragons, like most reptiles carry Salmonella. It is normal for them, but can cause illness in people. Always wash your hands after handling a bearded dragon.[6]
- If you are calm when dealing with these animals then most likely they will be calm for you.
- Bearded dragons sometimes cling to your clothing.
- Please supervise children at all times.
- Have patience with a baby Beardie. Let him warm up to you! Don't try to force him to touch you, and don't feel discouraged if he isn't friendly with you right away.
- Babies are more fragile than adults, so be prepared for them to jump; you might accidentally drop them in surprise.
- Young dragons, or ones not accustomed to human contact may become stressed and uninterested in food if over-handled .
- Very young dragons may be frightened at first, and should be kept close to the floor in case of a sudden dash.
- If a Bearded Dragon gets its claws stuck in your clothing just gently pick up the beardie's finger and very carefully move it out until the hand is not in your clothes and then leave the lizard to get relaxed so it does not get stressed.
- Bearded Dragons might try and escape a couple times if they are not used to you. When you first get your lizard, let it sit inside of its vivarium for a day or two before holding it because they need to get used to their new surroundings first.
- Bearded dragons, just like any other pet, should not be fed crickets or worms from your garden. They may contain diseases that your beardie will not have been exposed to before.
- If the bearded dragon is bobbing its head or has a puffy beard - do not attempt. They are busy communicating, to you or another lizard, and they may bite.
- If this happens put an object between it and the other dragon/animal because there might be a fight.
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