Ultimate Guitar - Fretboard Navigator by Jamie Humphries

Unlock the secrets of the guitar fretboard with Jamie Humphries' "Ultimate Guitar - Fretboard Navigator." This comprehensive guitar course offers in-depth lessons designed to elevate your guitar playing by mastering essential techniques and concepts. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, these lessons will help you navigate the fretboard with confidence and precision. Below, we explore each focal area of this course and highlight the benefits of learning these techniques.

Note Finding & the Cycle of Fourths

Understanding the cycle of fourths is fundamental for any guitarist. Jamie Humphries guides you through the process of finding notes on the fretboard using this cycle, enhancing your ability to quickly locate notes and transition smoothly between them. This technique is crucial for improvisation and building a solid foundation in music theory.

Chords & the CAGED System

The CAGED system is a powerful tool for unlocking the fretboard. By breaking down chord shapes into five manageable patterns, this system helps you play any chord in multiple positions. Jamie's lessons on the CAGED system will improve your chord knowledge, allowing you to play rhythm and lead guitar parts more fluidly across the neck.

The CAGED Minor Chords

Building on the CAGED system, this section focuses on minor chords. Learning the CAGED minor chords enables you to expand your chord vocabulary and seamlessly integrate minor chords into your playing. This is particularly useful for creating dynamic chord progressions and adding emotional depth to your music.

The Harmonised Major Scale

The harmonised major scale is essential for understanding chord progressions and melody construction. Jamie's detailed instruction on this scale will teach you how to harmonise each note, providing a deeper understanding of how chords are built and how they interact within a key. This knowledge is invaluable for both composing and improvising.

Minor Pentatonic Scale Positions

The minor pentatonic scale is a staple of rock and blues guitar playing. Jamie covers all five positions of this scale, ensuring you can navigate the fretboard with ease. Mastering these positions will improve your soloing skills and give you the versatility to play in any key.

Minor Pentatonic on Pairs of Strings

Focusing on pairs of strings allows for more melodic and fluid playing. Jamie demonstrates how to use the minor pentatonic scale across string pairs, creating interesting and musical phrases. This technique is perfect for developing your improvisation and enhancing your melodic sensibility.

Minor Pentatonic Patterns

Learning different patterns within the minor pentatonic scale helps to break out of the typical box shapes. Jamie introduces various patterns that will add creativity and expression to your solos. These patterns are great for developing speed, accuracy, and musicality in your playing.

The Blues Scale

The blues scale is an extension of the minor pentatonic scale, adding blue notes that give it a distinctive sound. Jamie’s lessons on the blues scale will teach you how to incorporate these notes into your playing, adding a bluesy feel to your solos and riffs.

Tapping Pentatonics & the Major Pentatonic

Tapping is an advanced technique that can add flair to your solos. Jamie demonstrates how to apply tapping to both the minor and major pentatonic scales, creating exciting and fast-paced licks. This technique is excellent for expanding your technical skills and adding a new dimension to your playing.

A Minor Performance

In this performance, Jamie showcases the techniques learned in the A minor context. Seeing these techniques in action provides a practical application and helps you understand how to incorporate them into your playing. Watching a skilled guitarist perform can be incredibly inspiring and educational.

G Major Performance

Similarly, the G major performance allows you to see how the techniques translate to a major key. Jamie’s performance highlights the versatility of the fretboard navigation techniques and demonstrates how to create engaging and musical solos in a major key.

Benefits of Seeing Techniques in a Performance Context

Watching Jamie Humphries perform using the techniques covered in the lessons is extremely beneficial. It allows you to see the practical application of theoretical concepts, making it easier to understand how to use these techniques in your own playing. Performances provide a real-world context that can inspire and motivate you to practice and incorporate these techniques into your repertoire.

Guitar Techniques Used in These Lessons

• Hammer-Ons
• Pull-Offs
• Slides
• String Bending
• Tapping
• Vibrato
• Chord Progressions
• Arpeggios