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Fretboard Powerup

Power Up Your Fretboard Knowledge For Stronger Solos & Improvisation

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Fretboard Powerup
Joe Pinnavaia

Joe Pinnavaia

Educator

multi genre

Genres

About this course

TrueFire Foundry courses are independently produced courses presented by a hand-picked selection of top-notch artists and educators from around the world. Filmed in the educator’s own studio, Foundry courses bring fresh educational concepts and very effective teaching methodologies to TrueFire Students. Joe Pinnavaia’s Foundry course, Fretboard PowerUp will power up your fretboard knowledge for stronger solos and improvisation.

Hello I'm Joe Pinnavaia — welcome to my TrueFire Foundry course, Fretboard PowerUp, which I produced in my own studio.

This Course is designed for students who want to improve their fretboard knowledge of the guitar by using creative practice methods.

Understanding the fretboard and knowing where you are on the fretboard (at all times) is critical to becoming a better musician and improviser. It's not an easy task to tackle, and can be labor intensive at the beginning, but once you have the foundation to build upon, you will see things differently on the fretboard (and it will all be worth it). This course will get you there quickly!

You will learn how to use octaves to visualize the fretboard, and also help you recognize scale shapes all over the neck. Our triad study will prepare you for more advanced harmony work and will help you see shapes and develop various ways of practicing scales and arpeggios to boost your fretboard knowledge immediately.

The Cycle of 4th's is a concept that many players have heard about, but are not familiar with it or using it effectively. In this curriculum, we will look at how to use this musical tool for maximum benefit. Intervals, modal techniques and even arpeggios can also be used to help you gain complete control over the fretboard. We'll look at them all!

While the concepts in this material can be used by any student at any level, this course will be most helpful for students who have some playing experience and already have a grasp of basic playing skills such as scale shapes, arpeggios and some patterns.

Fretboard PowerUp will save you hours of frustration in learning how to navigate the fretboard. Ready to get started? Grab your guitar and let’s get dig in!

NOTE! Joe Pinnavaia organized the course into 8 weekly sections for those students that prefer to have a specified regimen of material across a specified time schedule. However, for those students who prefer to work at their own pace, or even skip around you are certainly encouraged to approach the course in that way as well.

What you'll learn

  • Navigate octaves across the fretboard
  • Understand seven modes of the major scale
  • Creating unique melodic lines
  • Developing fretboard navigation skills
  • Develop fretboard creativity
Release date: 12/01/2014 • 3h 27m runtime
intermediatelate intermediateguitarelectric guitarsoloingimprovisation
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Sample lessons
Week 1: Fretboard Visualization
Week 1: Fretboard Visualization
Week 3: Octave Scale Patterns
Week 3: Octave Scale Patterns
Week 4: Three String Triads
Week 4: Three String Triads

What's included

26 lessons • 19 charts • 5 Jam Tracks

Fretboard PowerUp
Welcome to the course and thank you!

This course is all about ways to expand our fretboard knowledge and build a practice regimen that we can implement immediately. By using scales, triads, cycle of 5ths and the understanding of octaves you can see how the fretboard starts to take on a whole new shape and meaning.

I look forward to meeting you and helping you find new ways to build on your fretboard knowledge.

Joe
Week 1: Pentatonics
Yes that's right! The most used scale not only by guitar players all over the universe but by pianists and wind players as well. It is one of the most useful tools in the arsenal of any guitarist but is somehow not used to its full potential. By that I mean most of the time players only use one or two box positions usually over a minor chord and then that's it! There's more to it than that and we'll start off with all of the positions and some ways to put the scale to use right away. We'll stick with the A minor groove track for our backing track for now but I will be adding more soon so keep practicing the scales over the track and then we will branch out from there.
Week 1: Modes
This is a video regarding ALL of the modes and can be for both beginning and late intermediate students as well as some advanced who need a refresher.

The PDF as well as a really jazzy backing track are included. This is a longer than usual video and you can take notes if you want to!
Week 1: Fretboard Visualization
Again we continue onward in the series of practicing techniques that require no physical practice. In this Installment I will cover another technique that I myself still use to this day called fretboard visualization. The concept is not a new one but to tap into the power of this can be strenuous in the beginning. I started using this was when I was in high school and college when I was having trouble falling asleep at night - maybe not the best time but the most quiet time for me. After a while, I could visualize scales all over the fretboard and after a while I even started transposing them into different positions. Now I try to work with visualization when it comes to arpeggios and altered scales and when they should be applied as practicing time. You can and should also use visualization as a method of practice in learning a new lick or technique. This will get another part of your brain involved in the process and help solidify a link between your hands and ears. So how does one start with fretboard visualization? Start in small steps and then add on.
Week 1: Octaves
What is an octave? Some of you may know what they are already in relation to the fretboard, but after we start understanding what they are, it's then time to capitalize on this basic interval of music!
Week 1: Octave Workout 1
With the use of octaves, we can expand the fretboard and see how notes repeat - the example discusses alternating between octaves and intervals of a 6th within the key of G Major.
Week 1: Bonus Lesson!
This is another exercise from the Guitar Techniques Builder eBook, so if you don't have it yet, I have attached it here. The video pretty much explains it all!

+ 19 more lessons

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Reviews

5 results

Osokin

Verified buyer

05/14/23

Expand Your Fretboard Knowledge!

Joe Pinnavaia is a very advanced guitar player and an excellent teacher, and in this course he presents a variety of creative practice methods for developing better fretboard knowledge. There is some really good material here for the intermediate player, and Joe clearly communicates all the different approaches.

ibanezjs20

Verified buyer

09/02/22

This is a great course no matter how long youve been playing

tjgqbyron

Verified buyer

09/18/20

Joe's Tricks on Navigating

This course is an effective means of finding new ways to navigate the fretboard on the fly with some great "bonus lessons" interspersed on things like economy picking, legato, etc..

Kavusha

Verified buyer

03/30/16

I loved this workshop! By the end of it i felt like i made a quantum leap in understanding and mastering the fretboard. I realize only now what i was missing before i had started this workshop. Now in my daily routine I use extensively many of the tools Joe showed us. The foundation is laid. Thank you Joe.

Drew Z.

Verified buyer

07/12/14

Took this course to try and break out of the practicing funk I was in and I have been very happy with the lessons. They are challenging and have helped me start breaking down the neck into understandable pieces. Unfortunately for me my work schedule has really kept me from interacting with Joe but that has not stopped him from pushing me in an encouraging way. I have been practicing the lessons, albeit slowly, but I have already noticed the fretboard opening up to me. As I mentioned in another workshop testimonial I am a little disappointed that the fee has gone up to $149 from $99 (as $99 seems much easier for me to drop) but for the 8 weeks of lessons it boils down to about $18.50 a lesson. For the quality of the lessons and Joe's insight and interaction its a good deal.

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