Music Theory and
Ear Training
for Guitarists
Try these trainers
for your ears
and brain
Douglas Niedt's Guitar Fretboard Literacy Project
Yes, you can learn to play the guitar by only reading tablature or playing by ear. If your knowledge of the fretboard is weak, you can limp through. But when you confidently know the notes on your fretboard and know what they look like on the musical staff, your musical life will be far richer.
Fretboard Literacy will open the doors to your full development as a guitarist, musician, or artist. Learning the fretboard will enhance your ability to successfully explore countless music styles and provide a deeper understanding of the pieces you learn. You will learn songs more quickly, easily, and play them much better.
Learning the notes on the fretboard and what they look like on the musical staff is fun and rewarding. Fretboard Literacy will make you more confident in yourself and your musical abilities. It will help you make the most of the musical opportunities that come your way. Fretboard Literacy is also the first step toward complete musical literacy.
- The Ultimate Note Recognition Trainer and Introduction to Music Notation. The most in-depth Note Recognition Course on the planet. And it's FREE! Begin your journey on the road to Guitar Fretboard Literacy. Learn to recognize the notes on the musical staff and the basics of music notation.
- The Ultimate Fretboard Trainer. The most in-depth Fretboard Training Course on the planet. And it's FREE! It is time to learn your fretboard once and for all. The Ultimate Fretboard Trainer teaches you the notes' locations on the fretboard AND what they look like on the musical staff. Begin your journey on the road to Guitar Fretboard Literacy now.
- Fretboard Training Coach—Lite. This is the new "lite" version of my deep-learning Ultimate Fretboard Trainer course. Like the comprehensive course, the "lite" version teaches you to connect the names of the notes on the fretboard to what each note looks like on the musical staff. FREE!
Come Sit In With
The Rhythm Section
Specialized rhythm training for the classical guitarist.
The goal is to help you to deeply internalize a sense of steady time. You will learn to feel and maintain a steady pulse internally, so you can stay in the pocket and hold the tempo.
This free training (over 100 exercise videos) is focused on two essential elements of rhythm and tempo:
- The ability to "Play in the Pocket" or Groove.
You know it when you hear it. When a performer or ensemble is in the groove, the effect is magical. - The ability to "Hold a Tempo".
In other words, being able to play accurately and steadily in time, maintaining an even tempo over the course of a piece.
Music Theory for Guitarists
Doug recommends these games to brush up on your music theory for guitar
These new versions work on all Windows and Mac desktops and laptops.
But, they may not display well on some tablets and phones.
- Key trainer. Learn to quickly recognize the major and minor key signatures.
- Interval recognition trainer. Learn to recognize written intervals on the music staff.
- Chord recognition trainer. Learn to recognize written triads on the music staff.
Ear Training for Guitarists
These games are fun and great for improving your ear.
These new versions work on all Windows and Mac desktops and laptops.
But, they may not display well on some tablets and phones.
- Interval ear training game. This is a fantastic game to improve your aural recognition of intervals.
- Guitar scales ear training game. This game plays guitar scales for you to recognize by ear. Major scales, minor scales, modes—they're all here!
- Guitar chords ear training game. This is a game in aural recognition of up to 15 different chord-types in all their inversions. Not for the faint-of-heart.
Our sincere thanks to Ricci Adams, the developer, who makes the music theory and ear training games available free to the public.
More can be found at his great website: musictheory.net.
Also, thanks to guitarist John Horne for making us aware of their existence.
Douglas Niedt's ONLINE METRONOME for Classical Guitarists.
Be careful using online metronomes!
Many have security vulnerabilities or are cluttered with popups and advertisements.
Some even try to direct you to malicious webpages.
This metronome is safe and easy to use.