How to Play Octave Centers on the Guitar

[Demonstration]
Okay what I was just playing was some octaves and in this lesson, we’re going to learn all about octave centers and that how they can help you learn the lay-out every fret board. So with that in mind, let’s take a G-note on our 3rd fret of our little E-string, put that note. Now I’ll give you the formula to find a note that’s one octave away from that note. All you’re going to do is go up 2 frets in over 2 strings for that note. You should be on the 5th fret of your D-string.
So if I have this G-note and I go up 2 frets in over 2 strings, those are both G’s. And this formula works if you’re starting on the 6th string or if you’re starting on the 5th string. So if you have your G up here on the 10th fret and you want to find the G an octave above that, you need to go up 2 frets and over 2 strings again. Start there on the 10th fret on you’re A-string, up 2 frets over 2 strings, same note just an octave higher.
Now if you want to start on your D-string and find an octave away from that, the formula changes a little bit. So let me show you a G-note on our D-string, right 5th fret D-string. Instead of going up 2 frets, we’re going to go up 3 frets and still go over 2 strings. So for starting on any note on our D-string, we’re going to go up to 3 frets and over 2 strings, same note. Now if we start on our G-string, the same formula applies as if we started on our D-string. So lets’ find a G on our G-string. Let’s do the octave up here on the 12th fret, go up 3 frets and over 2 strings, up 3 over 2, sameexact note.
Now this is really important if you go take the lessons about your sequence, it’s really important to help you visualize the lay-out of the fret board. So let me just grab every G-note that I can on the fret board really quickly to show you how octave centers can be really valuable in helping you navigate your fret board.
[Demonstration]
So this is a great way to start memorizing your fret board. So couple of times a week, pick a note and then find all the octaves of that note on the entire board.


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