@Mimdaddy wrote:

In Brian’s quality lessons he often mentions knowing where the root fret is so if you know the chord you want to go to you always know where to jump? It seems whenever he does this he is referring to the low E string but never mentions that point. I get that is the root for E form bar chords. But couldn’t you make that location on the A string? Wouldn’t it depend on the way you finger the chord extensions, either E form bar chord or A form bar chords? Can someone help me put this into perspective?

Hey Michael

Welcome to the forum.

You are correct in your assumption that you could use notes on the A string as the root fret but in order for that to really effective for you, you would also want to know the corresponding scale beginning at that note.

Say for instance that you are playing in the key of E; the open 6th string in standard tuning would be a E and you could easily play the E minor pentatonic scale beginning with the open 6th string. If you chose to find the E note on the 5th string, that would be at the 7th fret. Can you visualize the E minor pentatonic if you were playing an ascending line from there?

If I started at the E note at the 9th fret of the 3rd string, can I play an E chord there and ‘see’ the E minor pentatonic both ascending and descending from that point?

It takes time to memorize the fretboard to that extent, definitely not done over nite. There are mixed feelings about the CAGED system but in essence, that system teaches the fret board by using the major scale and the shaped of the C, A, G , E and D chords at various place on the neck. There some that swear by this system others sweat AT that system

As you are getting back to playing, its probably best to just use the 6th string reference so that you don’t get overloaded or confused. As you perceived Brian meaning the 6th string, just be able to find the root fret on the 6th, play the corresponding E form barre chord for the root chord and play the E minor pentatonic scale pattern at that point on the neck

A little advice to live by – enjoy where you on the way to where you are going.