A 24 fret guitar can span as many as 4 octaves from the open low E, to the 24th fret of the high E string. Another way to play octaves is the one up and seven over method. Starting on the B note located on the 6 th string, 7 th fret, use the octave shapes to find all the other B notes on the neck. Take for instance an open low E. If you move twelve frets up from an open low E, you come to the twelfth fret (twelve frets from open). So this is the note E in three different octaves. An octave is a pitch 12 half steps, or 8 scale tones, above another pitch. This key is to discern what sounds good, and what sounds bad. These lessons were designed to cut years off the time needed to become a proficient octave player. The fancy name of this interval "octave" is derived from the Latin word for eight. Learning to play the guitar usually starts with learning its octaves, just as it with scales and the piano. Octaves are playing the same note on two strings usually one octave apart. Experiment a little to discover what feels best to you. The answer is yes, but I don't know of anybody that does it because of the huge finger stretch required. Here is a diagram showing which strings to play for an A-string and G-string octave. When you play the starting note on the 4th or the 3rd string the octave is still two strings below but it is now three frets up the neck from the starting note. Octave use is all about practice. Get Inspired By Awesome Guitar Instructors Today! All octaves can be located two strings away, two or three frets away (only in dropped tuning, in which case two strings away on the same fret). Keep this in mind; never force something that does not sound right. The diagram below shows C being played on the A string 3 rd fret and then one string up to the D string, and seven frets over to the 10 th fret. Again, guitar comes to mind, but any instrument that can play octaves can do this. GuitarTricks.com is an online guitar learning website that offers lessons which are easy to understand and use. Have fun, and good luck! This is basically an octave. The first thing you should do before implementing octaves is learn your octave placements. You've climbed up all seven notes of the major scale and land back on the eighth note with the same name as the starting note. With two guitarist's, try one playing the lower position and the other the higher position. Remember the Do Re Mi song? Let me show you some Diagrams of the most common Octaves on Guitar. Once you’ve memorized the notes on the 6th and 5th string you can easily find any other note on the guitar. So your High E string and your Low E string are both E notes, but one is a higher E, and one is a lower E. I hope you do. Thus, once the E string is learned, the names of the notes on the fourth string can be easily visualized. Now go up three frets and over two strings. Play a two-octave scale by continuing to the highest green note, as shown in the TAB below. This is yet another octave. 5 Acoustic Guitar Love Songs For Your Valentine. Octaves From the Low E String The next two octaves are similar. You could make this dream come true, if only you could play the guitar! Try implementing octaves in different ways. If your guitar has 24 frets, you get another full octave which brings you to the total of 4 full octaves on your guitar! Luckily for us guitar players though the octave interval of any note also occurs on different strings, and with a far shorter finger stretch to boot. Going back to our example G octave you can play it at these two places: Again, use your first finger to play the lower note, but you'll probably find it's more convenient to play the higher note with the little (pinky) finger. Take whatever axe you have and try to apply this scheme to it. It makes the three-fret stretch easier. Most of the time, you wouldn’t use octaves exclusively but as part of a riff containing other elements/intervals. [CDATA[ Play the fourth fret on the G string for the note B, then play the B string open. You’ll be able to find your way around the neck, play with more confidence, and broaden your creative palette as a rhythm and lead guitarist. Fret the sixth string at the 12th fret to play an E one octave higher. Using octaves to learn notes on the guitar neck. GLOSSARY. The two notes will always be the same. When you play that same note twice in two different registers it gives the note a thicker and richer sound that some people find quite tasty. Octave: Many musical scales in the West use eight notes. Take for instance the open low E again. If you're reading this then you're not practicing guitar. I created this website to share my knowledge and as a means for people to learn the guitar for free. You can play octave shapes with your 1st finger on string 4 or 3 and the octaves on string 2 or 1, although the shapes are slightly different than they are on strings 6 and 5. Octaves sound powerful. All rights reserved. Try Guitar Tricks with a 14-days free trial now! If you move up the neck beyond the 12th fret you might find it becomes easier to use the third finger to hold the higher note of the interval. Another way to find your octave is to move four or five strings back on the next string. A Must-Read: How Much Is A Bass Guitar? Obviously, you won't find it two strings below as there are no more strings down there. Furthermore, unlike the keyboard, the fretboard offers two or three different places to play any given octave of any given tone. If you are playing chords, you can expand the chord shape and make it sound larger by adding an octave. To play a G octave, for example, there are two fingerings that start on the 5th and 6th strings: You just have to play lines using two simultaneaous notes separated by twelve semitones. To play a G octave, for example, there are two fingerings that start on the 5th and 6th strings: Move these two positions up two frets and you play an A octave, two more frets a B, and so on. Move three frets up the neck for starting notes on the 4th or 3rd strings. Playing octaves is pretty simple – you just play 2 strings, and you move the shape up and down the neck. So an A for instance, on the second fret of the G-string, an octave down is the open string A. Hi, my name is Robert Ewing. In this article, we will discuss how to implement octaves into your playing. It creates a cool sound and is a useful tool to have in your pocket. You can learn how to play octaves on the guitar with this lesson. All content copyright (c) 2007-2018, Gary Fletcher. Theoretically, the principle is quite easy to understand. This is a guitar lesson that will teach you just what the title says, how to play octave intervals on the guitar. Octaves won’t always sound best. If we play an open G and move two strings away (which will bring us to the high E) and three frets away (whi… But don't worry if your fingers won't stretch this far - the shapes above should suffice. Fortunately, the Internet is awash with free, high-quality guitar lessons like this one. Those twelve semi-tones rather conveniently correspond to twelve frets on the guitar neck. this chord is made up of two notes that are the same, just an octave apart. You must then learn the number of octaves on your guitar by counting them. With the guitar, as with any other instrument, if you want to improve, you'll need to practice. This section is a study of how to play octaves a la the Wes Montgomery style. So every time we play the eighth note, it's gonna have the same name as the note name from the first note. 2 Octave C Major Scale Using Pattern (Note that this is the same as the TAB for the 2 octave scale shown further up the page.) But first - just in case you're not sure what an octave is - it starts with a very brief theory interlude. The fretboard's Pattern of Unisons and Octaves, therefore, cannot be taken for granted it must be illuminated and consciously studied. Scroll straight down to the second section right now if the word "theory" makes your eyes go all swimmy. First thing to do is to memorize the Octave Position. //