Timestamps for myself and whoever else needs them: 5:57 learn the cycle of fourths 7:44 memorize the cycle by note name 10:16 applying it to the bass (on 4 strings) 12:49 on E string 16:38 on A string 17:48 on D string 18:38 on G string 20:45 play major scale from every note of the cycle of 4ths
Marks website is outstanding. He put a ton work and money into it. Very easy to understand and fun.. I signed up for the Simple Steps to Sight reading and it is excellent. I love his fun and no bullshit approach. Highly recommended
I've always played by "ear"...started back in 1992.. Played professionally for a few Christian bands did studio session work in Nashville.... Never learned more than a few notes on the neck like just the dots on the upper... This has just opened my freakin mind!! I literally just memorized the first 3 strings in about 2.5 hours.. I play a 5 string.. Thanks for posting this lesson!! Wow
+Maddox Troy: Playing by ear is a God given talent for a start. Otherwise you'd never have been accepted (worked) as a session musician. So you were (are) clearly talented. Playing by ear is not something a lot of musicians can do.
@@johnd942 I have been playing for many years. I'm self taught, and I play by ear. I can tell you most of the time what key a song is being played in when I hear it. I have always struggled with being a fluid bass player. I'm starting now at this late date, to get down into the technical side of music, something I neglected for years. This guy is helping me incredibly.
I really appreciate your thoroughness. Some things simply don't have a shortcut. Thanks for sharing this. You're excellent because you communicate in a thorough and very comprehensive yet concise and fluid way. I like that you don't assume people know something just because it's fundamental and/or basic. Thank you!
I started doing the Cycle of 4ths on one string exercise to help learn notes, and it's amazing how after a while (a couple of months I guess) of doing this consistently, I am starting to "know" where the notes are without thinking about them.... until I do this exercise again.
This video has been the best explanation for the circle of 4ths I've ever seen. It immediately clicked in my head after months of trying to understand what its even for. Love your videos and lessons Mark.
I am late to the party - I ended up here because a book I purchased talked about the Cycle of Fourths and I had no clue what it was talking about. I learned more here in 26 minutes than I have in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the tremendous content. C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G C - you have BEADG - the CF is easy - Cycle of Fourths - CF. Thanks again.
I love your style of teaching. Straight, to the point, without much rambling, and also making music theory attractive, simple and useful. I'm starting out on the bass right now and your lessons are great for my level, as someone with at least a foundation of musical knowledge.
Learn music first-bass second. Yes!Have studied guitar and theory for 9 years. All the theory applies to bass (as well as guitar, mandolin, piano, etc.) and your videos provide the best instructions ive found on utube. many thanks for thorough lessons. You are an exceptionally good teacher.
excellent lesson, i like the fact that you deliberatly point out psychological aspects of learning - things like go slow, think about it, don't worry if you can't do it fast, have patience. these types of things are not strictly bound just to learning bass, but you seem to know where people (like me) hiccup the most. which makes you a good teacher :)
I don't care how much he talks (or explains it) because then I don't have to stop and rewind and listen to it again. Keep up the great work Mark....you're a great teacher.!
When I started playing one of the first things my teacher taught me was the cycle of 4ths. It's been about 10 months now of playing, and I must say it is REALLY helpful. There are so many songs that follow the cycle, and it's just a great way to learn the fingerboard and everything about playing music.
+Brian Bulla It's hard to explain to people how important it is. Especially if they're only interested in learning a few Flea lines to impress their friends. It's only as you improve and study more that it becomes apparent. Ironically, you won't know that unless you already know it because you won't see it!
I've been playing for just over a year 1. I understood everything you've mentioned 2. I've really been struggling to memorise the fretboard and this exercise is definitely something that I can really spend time on .. because of point number 1. Many thanks, great lesson 😁👍
When I first studied music theory 101, the emphasis seemed to be on the cycle of fifths which I can understand why - an easy way to learn the key signatures. Since studying bass guitar though, the theory emphasis on cycle of fourths. I was wondering about this for a minute but then it occurred to me that the guitar itself is designed around it (4ths). These exercises really help to learn the notes on the neck. The "extra" talking that Mark does is necessary for those who don't know theory. This stuff he is teaching is very valuable ($).
The circle of fourths is the circle of fifths. A perfect fourth interval (5 semitones) is just an inverted fifth (7 semitones), so the circle of fourths is just going counterclockwise on the circle of fifths.
@@SuicidalLaughter bruh I was like what is this guy talking about and then I got on the keyboard started counting the semitones space ahaha! this comment my day! each day I get closer to understanding those 12 notes and their relationship ahahah
Being a beginner and understanding what's going on makes me feel that I have to master this exercise. Been really looking for something that forces me to think, and simple scales didn't do the job because they can be done in patterns after all. Thanks for sharing this, it's way better than just learning riffs or tunes you like mindlessly!
thanks a ton!!! awesome lesson. And thanks a million for the music theory that you taught in these lessons! That makes you my favorite teacher here in youtube!
This lesson has been really useful for me, and I've been playing bass for over 10 years. It really helps in applying music rather than just practicing a lot of random stuff, and makes it easier to remember core concept. I wish I learned it when I was starting! Most of my fretboard knowledge and application of the cycle of fourths (I learned everything as fifths in the opposite direction) has been through rote memorization. This makes things so much easier!
The way I see it is the tuning of a 5 string Bass is usually BEADG. And CF can stand for Cycle of Fourths: CF (cycle of fourths) BEADG (standard 5 string tuning) Flat BEADG
I actually sat down and followed this guy's instructions. It took hours of practice, but I have to say it really does pay off. I don't feel as out of place now when playing along to something. Guitar players, please take notes here as well. Overall, great lesson.
Thank God for RUclips. I've been trying to teach myself how to play bass and this video makes it simplified enough for me to say 'ah ha' I think I get it, for once. I'll be on this exercise for the next few months and I'm excited. Thanks again.
That was a very informative lesson. I do agree with you about knowing where the notes are and in what key you are playing in. I can jam along to simple old country music already after one day with my bass. I can hear now that the cycle of fourths come in as the main bass line! I have paid out for my bass and amp so I think I owe it to at least know what notes I am playing and the key even for just referral purposes. Loved it when you said in your Yorkshire accent " Ohh No....not notes!!" Classic. Thanks again. Pete
What a great service you're providing to bass players - the information in this lesson would cost A LOT with a real teacher and probably take several 1/2 hour lessons to get to what you did in this video. THANK YOU!!
I've been using this video for a bit when it struck me, you are just like sitting live in front of a live instructor. Very cool. Many thanks. This does work. Long story here that ain't worth repeating.
I had been trying to play and recite each note of the major scales of the cycle of 5ths. It has been so painful that I have basically quit trying. I think what your showing here is much more doable. I am going to commit to this. Thank you so much for showing it to us!
Great exercise. I found it worked best to play four measures of each note, reciting the notation with each pluck, from C to C. Really helps solidify the position of each note. Then move on to one note passes. This is a superior channel for bass instruction.
I am learning to play bass with your help and instruction. It is priceless your teaching and you 'style' of teaching I find to be better than the others I have tried to learn from. I wanted to SINCERELY 'thank you' for your time and your generosity in uploading all these fantastic tutorials. I WILL be signing up with TalkBass....Much love, Mark! And a whattttt uppper from tha Bay Area!
Just found this video and love it! I learned the circle of 5th in music theory class, and I practice scales all the time, but I never thought to combine these two. It make scales and arpeggios so interesting! I just practice with this format for almost one hour! Thanks a lot for teaching me this method!
This IS a great exercise! Im a piano player who thinks in flats. It also helped me think in sharps. It helped me learn the fretboard, harden my fingers, and expand my knowledge of the bass and even the 6 string. Cant thank you enough. I dont want to spoil the show but I bet youll get us to practice walking bass lines around the circle in ascending and descending patterns.
Brilliant lesson! I'm about to buy my first bass so checked out this lesson playing on my 6 string guitar. Really helpful and great way of remembering the cycle of 4ths. Thank you.
Mark, this lesson is just awesome. Thanks a lot. I play by ear from when i was a kid, and now i'm looking for new paths to improve. To struggle al little more i have to translate from Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si to CDEFGAB too. I can't understand why you call B♭ (flat / bemolle) what i usually call as A♯( sharp / Diesis ) but it doesn't really matters because i can't read music at all and these notions are too far for me at the moment. 😎
Such a great lesson. One of those moments where I just started laughing as a lightbulb in my head just came on. Likely one of the most helpful lessons I have ever seen. Teaches so much on different levels. You are a great teacher. BTW, you really have me pining for an Enfield bass. Never seen one in the States. Looks and sounds great.
Same here... I studied theory when I first started playing in 2008 but never really developed an understanding or a working knowledge of the cycle, so I focused on playing and developing technique and ear training. I've progressed to a level that's fairly decent but always felt like I lacked in my musicianship due to my struggle with theory. I've always read and learned little bits here and there but the dots never really connected. Then a week or so ago I watched this video and it all clicked, and I too started laughing, It was my EUREKA moment! It was bittersweet though. If someone would have shared this with me ten years ago, who knows how much further along I could have been. Drawback of the self taught musician.
Somewhere else on RUclips it was suggested that one way to learn circle of 4ths and fretboard notes is to remember B,E,A,D,G,C,F as:- Battle Ends And Down Goes Charlies Father. Works for me. After the first BEADGCF the next lot are flats/sharps. This also works for ordinary 6 string guitar with an adjustment of one fret up for the B string. (G string to B string is a third, not a fourth) B to E is back to a fourth.
There's an app called fretboard learn that will help you learn the notes on your fretboard when you don't have your guitar. You can play with it while you wait at your Dr's etc. and it can be a lot of fun. I'm not saying you don't have to play this exercise in fact you can and should do this exercise for circles of every interval for instance the circle of 5ths or 3rds etc.
Thank you for showing this exercise. I have been looking for a couple of months for something that involves integrating scales and learning the notes while not frying my brain haha thank you
Good stuff Mark! No matter how much I think I know after years of noodling on the bass, when I get serious about improving my proficiencies, I always find productive content in your tutorials. I was first exposed to the Cycle in piano lessons as a kid. It remains today as the rudder steering my electric bassship along my current musical journey. Thanks for helping me navigate the course.👑🎸🎵
could you give an example of how this applies to a particular song or two? Great exercise for learning the fretboard which is something I've been struggling with. That CF BEADG hint helped a ton!
Great lesson, I have been trying to learn the fretboard forever. I end up getting frustrated but I keep coming back because I want to be able to actually play something other than songs I know and love. This appears to be effective, but I struggle because I'm a visual learner and memorizing patterns comes too easily to me.
Excellent lesson. After many years of playing I am applying these exercises in a much belated attempt to know all the notes on the fretboard. I'm also going through the cycle playing each note on all four strings before moving on to the next note. This is somewhat helping me to avoid falling into the patterns that my mind is already trying to form. I've also been starting the cycle on notes other than "C" to avoid developing patterns. It's tough, especially for someone whose playing has largely been dependent on patterns; but I think the effort will be beneficial in the long run. Hope this helps someone.
Thanks Mark. I never tried to learn the neck like that. Been a guitar player for years now trying bass. I'm really going to give that a go. Should help with my guitar playing as well. 2 thumbs up.
Hey once again mark I appreciate what I learned and I'm still learning the great teacher and I appreciate you I signed up with Scott bass lessons but I've always learn most from you thank you Steve Davis
Great lesson! Thanks a lot! I am just starting out on a U-Bass (Ukulele). Having done a similar exercise for one week, I do start to feel at home on the fretboard! (Sometimes in the night I have a sleepless hour and use this time to do this exercise mentally!)
I'm working through your video collection. Really cool stuff here. Applicable to my bass learning as well as refreshers for the guitar. Glad I found you.
Mark, I gotta say you earned quite a bit of respect from me on this lesson. I mean, dont get me wrong, i been watching you for a loooong time and you are an AMAZING teacher and 100% perfect. I kinda find your vids dry, if that makes sense. But this vid finally shows a side of your personality and im still laughing at your "i dont like spelling" comment when learning notes on the neck. Keep up the great work and thank you so much for all the free material on your channel. You really are a saint for sharing so much knowledge.
Really good! As a pianist/keyboardist for over 40 years, a piano teacher for 35 years, and a beginning bass player, I appreciate the importance of this stuff. One idea would be to do this exercise starting on C for a week, then the following week, start it on Bb (can you get right to Bb immediately?) then the next week start on Eb, etc, around the circle of fourths.
Idea for additional mnemonic!!! The CF that starts the cycle is the initals of the Cycle!! i.e. Cycle (of) Fourths... then the BeadG mnemonic and Job Done! Great Video BTW!
Somewhere else on RUclips it was suggested that one way to learn circle of 4ths and fretboard notes is to remember B,E,A,D,G,C,F as:- Battle Ends And Down Goes Charlies Father. Works for me. After the first BEADGCF the next lot are flats/sharps. This also works for ordinary 6 string guitar with an adjustment of one fret up for the B string. (G string to B string is a third, not a fourth) B to E is back to a fourth.
Excellent instructional video & thanks.....who knows after failures on learning to play bass I may try again....Just to add I think it's also important for beginners to have your bass set up properly to make playing easier & more pleasurable. I feel this is very important...
WOW, this is a LOT harder than I thought it would be. BTW, I only got my first bass less than a month ago. But I am old enough to be disciplined. Thanks for these fantastic lessons! I'm gonna keep at it.
Timestamps for myself and whoever else needs them:
5:57 learn the cycle of fourths
7:44 memorize the cycle by note name
10:16 applying it to the bass (on 4 strings)
12:49 on E string
16:38 on A string
17:48 on D string
18:38 on G string
20:45 play major scale from every note of the cycle of 4ths
It’s 2023, Mark hasn’t aged, and he’s still the best online bass instructor around. ☺️
Speaking of that... he's got a baby face and silver hair. Messes with my head just a little.
Marks website is outstanding. He put a ton work and money into it. Very easy to understand and fun.. I signed up for the Simple Steps to Sight reading and it is excellent. I love his fun and no bullshit approach. Highly recommended
I've always played by "ear"...started back in 1992.. Played professionally for a few Christian bands did studio session work in Nashville.... Never learned more than a few notes on the neck like just the dots on the upper... This has just opened my freakin mind!! I literally just memorized the first 3 strings in about 2.5 hours.. I play a 5 string.. Thanks for posting this lesson!! Wow
+Maddox Troy: Playing by ear is a God given talent for a start. Otherwise you'd never have been accepted (worked) as a session musician. So you were (are) clearly talented. Playing by ear is not something a lot of musicians can do.
@@johnd942 I have been playing for many years. I'm self taught, and I play by ear. I can tell you most of the time what key a song is being played in when I hear it. I have always struggled with being a fluid bass player. I'm starting now at this late date, to get down into the technical side of music, something I neglected for years. This guy is helping me incredibly.
I watched this a second time and gained a greater understanding. I appreciate your teaching style.
I really appreciate your thoroughness. Some things simply don't have a shortcut. Thanks for sharing this. You're excellent because you communicate in a thorough and very comprehensive yet concise and fluid way. I like that you don't assume people know something just because it's fundamental and/or basic. Thank you!
I started doing the Cycle of 4ths on one string exercise to help learn notes, and it's amazing how after a while (a couple of months I guess) of doing this consistently, I am starting to "know" where the notes are without thinking about them.... until I do this exercise again.
This video has been the best explanation for the circle of 4ths I've ever seen. It immediately clicked in my head after months of trying to understand what its even for. Love your videos and lessons Mark.
Best bass teacher on you tube that I've seen!
I am late to the party - I ended up here because a book I purchased talked about the Cycle of Fourths and I had no clue what it was talking about. I learned more here in 26 minutes than I have in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the tremendous content. C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb B E A D G C - you have BEADG - the CF is easy - Cycle of Fourths - CF. Thanks again.
Well, that makes perfect sense! Nice!
I instantly thought: CF card. Or, *Compact Flash* which I use for my dSLR camera, haha!
Circle? Or cycle
Mmmmmmm💯💯❤️❤️❤️💝💝💝💝🇮🇳🇮🇳🥰🥰
I love your style of teaching. Straight, to the point, without much rambling, and also making music theory attractive, simple and useful. I'm starting out on the bass right now and your lessons are great for my level, as someone with at least a foundation of musical knowledge.
Learn music first-bass second. Yes!Have studied guitar and theory for 9 years. All the theory applies to bass (as well as guitar, mandolin, piano, etc.) and your videos provide the best instructions ive found on utube. many thanks for thorough lessons. You are an exceptionally good teacher.
I feel the same.
excellent lesson, i like the fact that you deliberatly point out psychological aspects of learning - things like go slow, think about it, don't worry if you can't do it fast, have patience. these types of things are not strictly bound just to learning bass, but you seem to know where people (like me) hiccup the most. which makes you a good teacher :)
Exactly.
I don't care how much he talks (or explains it) because then I don't have to stop and rewind and listen to it again. Keep up the great work Mark....you're a great teacher.!
This is best, most honest, and useful bass lesson I have found in the internet. You are a real educator.
When I started playing one of the first things my teacher taught me was the cycle of 4ths. It's been about 10 months now of playing, and I must say it is REALLY helpful. There are so many songs that follow the cycle, and it's just a great way to learn the fingerboard and everything about playing music.
+Brian Bulla It's hard to explain to people how important it is. Especially if they're only interested in learning a few Flea lines to impress their friends. It's only as you improve and study more that it becomes apparent. Ironically, you won't know that unless you already know it because you won't see it!
TalkingBass - Online Bass Lessons l
I think I am improving very quickly since I followed your simple and professional lessons Mark, keep it up!
I've been playing for just over a year
1. I understood everything you've mentioned
2. I've really been struggling to memorise the fretboard and this exercise is definitely something that I can really spend time on .. because of point number 1.
Many thanks, great lesson 😁👍
When I first studied music theory 101, the emphasis seemed to be on the cycle of fifths which I can understand why - an easy way to learn the key signatures. Since studying bass guitar though, the theory emphasis on cycle of fourths. I was wondering about this for a minute but then it occurred to me that the guitar itself is designed around it (4ths). These exercises really help to learn the notes on the neck. The "extra" talking that Mark does is necessary for those who don't know theory. This stuff he is teaching is very valuable ($).
The circle of fourths is the circle of fifths. A perfect fourth interval (5 semitones) is just an inverted fifth (7 semitones), so the circle of fourths is just going counterclockwise on the circle of fifths.
@@SuicidalLaughter that just blew my mind a bit
@@SuicidalLaughter bruh I was like what is this guy talking about and then I got on the keyboard started counting the semitones space ahaha! this comment my day! each day I get closer to understanding those 12 notes and their relationship ahahah
@@MonsterJuiced i literally just starting laughing out loud when I understood the comment!!!
You are amazing man. The patience and diligence you put in teaching, I don't think even a personal physical tutor can make things so clear.
Being a beginner and understanding what's going on makes me feel that I have to master this exercise. Been really looking for something that forces me to think, and simple scales didn't do the job because they can be done in patterns after all.
Thanks for sharing this, it's way better than just learning riffs or tunes you like mindlessly!
thanks a ton!!! awesome lesson. And thanks a million for the music theory that you taught in these lessons! That makes you my favorite teacher here in youtube!
This lesson has been really useful for me, and I've been playing bass for over 10 years. It really helps in applying music rather than just practicing a lot of random stuff, and makes it easier to remember core concept. I wish I learned it when I was starting! Most of my fretboard knowledge and application of the cycle of fourths (I learned everything as fifths in the opposite direction) has been through rote memorization. This makes things so much easier!
Picked this randomly on You Tube with no intention of looking at the whole. Watched it all. So insightful
Mark, your lessons motivate me to play. Love studying with you
The way I see it is the tuning of a 5 string Bass is usually BEADG. And CF can stand for Cycle of Fourths:
CF (cycle of fourths)
BEADG (standard 5 string tuning)
Flat BEADG
I actually sat down and followed this guy's instructions.
It took hours of practice, but I have to say it really does pay off.
I don't feel as out of place now when playing along to something.
Guitar players, please take notes here as well.
Overall, great lesson.
Thank God for RUclips. I've been trying to teach myself how to play bass and this video makes it simplified enough for me to say 'ah ha' I think I get it, for once. I'll be on this exercise for the next few months and I'm excited. Thanks again.
That was a very informative lesson.
I do agree with you about knowing where the notes are and in what key you are playing in.
I can jam along to simple old country music already after one day with my bass.
I can hear now that the cycle of fourths come in as the main bass line!
I have paid out for my bass and amp so I think I owe it to at least know what notes I am playing and the key even for just referral purposes.
Loved it when you said in your Yorkshire accent " Ohh No....not notes!!"
Classic.
Thanks again.
Pete
Thank you so much 🙏🏼.. this is a gold nugget .. I’ve been playing for 18yrs and this helps me understand and connect much information
What a great service you're providing to bass players - the information in this lesson would cost A LOT with a real teacher and probably take several 1/2 hour lessons to get to what you did in this video. THANK YOU!!
Mark you are a tremendous teacher. This really got me going on learning the bass! I love it sincerely
I've been using this video for a bit when it struck me, you are just like sitting live in front of a live instructor. Very cool.
Many thanks.
This does work. Long story here that ain't worth repeating.
I had been trying to play and recite each note of the major scales of the cycle of 5ths. It has been so painful that I have basically quit trying. I think what your showing here is much more doable. I am going to commit to this. Thank you so much for showing it to us!
Best channel ever for studying and learning techniques. Thanks!
Great exercise. I found it worked best to play four measures of each note, reciting the notation with each pluck, from C to C. Really helps solidify the position of each note. Then move on to one note passes. This is a superior channel for bass instruction.
Perfect way to use and learn. You're A GREAT instructor. Thank You
Thank you, after 4 days at 15 mins a day and E string done! Next A string. awesome. i have been struggling with notes over the neck for ages.
Nick Rollings so how are you doing now with the playing? Are you still at it?
I am learning to play bass with your help and instruction. It is priceless your teaching and you 'style' of teaching I find to be better than the others I have tried to learn from. I wanted to SINCERELY 'thank you' for your time and your generosity in uploading all these fantastic tutorials. I WILL be signing up with TalkBass....Much love, Mark! And a whattttt uppper from tha Bay Area!
Just found this video and love it! I learned the circle of 5th in music theory class, and I practice scales all the time, but I never thought to combine these two. It make scales and arpeggios so interesting! I just practice with this format for almost one hour! Thanks a lot for teaching me this method!
This IS a great exercise! Im a piano player who thinks in flats. It also helped me think in sharps. It helped me learn the fretboard, harden my fingers, and expand my knowledge of the bass and even the 6 string. Cant thank you enough. I dont want to spoil the show but I bet youll get us to practice walking bass lines around the circle in ascending and descending patterns.
Brilliant lesson! I'm about to buy my first bass so checked out this lesson playing on my 6 string guitar. Really helpful and great way of remembering the cycle of 4ths. Thank you.
I'm a beginner and I absolutely love this exercice. I'll do it everyday from now on. Thanks a lot Mark !
Can you say alphabet from A--G# will remember their no shapes or flat bet. E AND F And D and C you can take it from there
This lesson is simply AWESOME! A masterpiece!
+Carlo Caponi Thanks a lot Carlo
Mark, this lesson is just awesome. Thanks a lot.
I play by ear from when i was a kid, and now i'm looking for new paths to improve.
To struggle al little more i have to translate from Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si to CDEFGAB too.
I can't understand why you call B♭ (flat / bemolle) what i usually call as A♯( sharp / Diesis ) but it doesn't really matters because i can't read music at all and these notions are too far for me at the moment.
😎
Such a great lesson. One of those moments where I just started laughing as a lightbulb in my head just came on. Likely one of the most helpful lessons I have ever seen. Teaches so much on different levels. You are a great teacher.
BTW, you really have me pining for an Enfield bass. Never seen one in the States. Looks and sounds great.
Same here... I studied theory when I first started playing in 2008 but never really developed an understanding or a working knowledge of the cycle, so I focused on playing and developing technique and ear training. I've progressed to a level that's fairly decent but always felt like I lacked in my musicianship due to my struggle with theory. I've always read and learned little bits here and there but the dots never really connected. Then a week or so ago I watched this video and it all clicked, and I too started laughing, It was my EUREKA moment! It was bittersweet though. If someone would have shared this with me ten years ago, who knows how much further along I could have been. Drawback of the self taught musician.
Somewhere else on RUclips it was suggested that one way to learn circle of 4ths and fretboard notes is to remember B,E,A,D,G,C,F as:-
Battle Ends And Down Goes Charlies Father. Works for me. After the first BEADGCF the next lot are flats/sharps. This also works for ordinary 6 string guitar with an adjustment of one fret up for the B string. (G string to B string is a third, not a fourth) B to E is back to a fourth.
Really awesome! I don't have any words to describe this wonderful lesson.
I like your touch man, and you make me love bass guitar more than before........
I love your videos they have improved my skill set tons! I also love your basses as well, the led light's really set them apart.
Incredible job teaching this one. Best bass instructor on the internet. Period.
I've been looking for an exercise for memorizing the fret board and this lesson is really helpful. Thanks a lot.
There's an app called fretboard learn that will help you learn the notes on your fretboard when you don't have your guitar. You can play with it while you wait at your Dr's etc. and it can be a lot of fun. I'm not saying you don't have to play this exercise in fact you can and should do this exercise for circles of every interval for instance the circle of 5ths or 3rds etc.
Thank you for showing this exercise. I have been looking for a couple of months for something that involves integrating scales and learning the notes while not frying my brain haha thank you
I'm self-taught, playing for years. THIS has so helped me; thank you.
Good stuff Mark!
No matter how much I think I know after years of noodling on the bass, when I get serious about improving my proficiencies, I always find productive content in your tutorials. I was first exposed to the Cycle in piano lessons as a kid. It remains today as the rudder steering my electric bassship along my current musical journey. Thanks for helping me navigate the course.👑🎸🎵
Phenomenal lesson…super-useful! You’re an amazing communicator. A++ 👏
Such a great lesson. Super easy if you know all the notes and scales already but great for those who don't. I will steal this one.
This is like one of the things i've been looking for for a long time. Thanks for this lesson man!
Best lesson on Circle of Fourths and keyboard memorization I've seen! And I've watched a bunch with other instructors!! Thanks much Mark!
Excellent Lesson Man ! Greetings from Naples
Best breakdown of the cycle of 4ths. Thank you!
could you give an example of how this applies to a particular song or two? Great exercise for learning the fretboard which is something I've been struggling with. That CF BEADG hint helped a ton!
I love your lessons, Mark!! You are an awesome bass teacher!!
Great lesson, I have been trying to learn the fretboard forever. I end up getting frustrated but I keep coming back because I want to be able to actually play something other than songs I know and love. This appears to be effective, but I struggle because I'm a visual learner and memorizing patterns comes too easily to me.
Excellent lesson. After many years of playing I am applying these exercises in a much belated attempt to know all the notes on the fretboard. I'm also going through the cycle playing each note on all four strings before moving on to the next note. This is somewhat helping me to avoid falling into the patterns that my mind is already trying to form. I've also been starting the cycle on notes other than "C" to avoid developing patterns. It's tough, especially for someone whose playing has largely been dependent on patterns; but I think the effort will be beneficial in the long run. Hope this helps someone.
Thanks Mark. I never tried to learn the neck like that. Been a guitar player for years now trying bass. I'm really going to give that a go. Should help with my guitar playing as well. 2 thumbs up.
Hi !!!! I´m from venezuela!! i¨m learning a lot with your class!! it is awesome!!! congratulations!!!! you are the best!!!
Hey once again mark I appreciate what I learned and I'm still learning the great teacher and I appreciate you I signed up with Scott bass lessons but I've always learn most from you thank you Steve Davis
'You're the best but I gave my money to someone else.' Ouch.
Great lesson! Thanks a lot! I am just starting out on a U-Bass (Ukulele). Having done a similar exercise for one week, I do start to feel at home on the fretboard! (Sometimes in the night I have a sleepless hour and use this time to do this exercise mentally!)
Fantastic. This is a great way to learn the notes on each string. I'll be keeping this as my go-to routine, even once I'm accomplished at it, thanks!
awesome Mark , your concerned for us to learn the circle of fourth and neck board !!! much success and my best !!!
I'm working through your video collection. Really cool stuff here. Applicable to my bass learning as well as refreshers for the guitar. Glad I found you.
Best teacher ever! Of any instrument. Thank you! ;-)
I Hope you knwo your like the best free bass teacher I've found on the internet. Thank you so much for your videos
Thanks for the exercise. I’m going to start following your lessons
Mark, I gotta say you earned quite a bit of respect from me on this lesson. I mean, dont get me wrong, i been watching you for a loooong time and you are an AMAZING teacher and 100% perfect. I kinda find your vids dry, if that makes sense. But this vid finally shows a side of your personality and im still laughing at your "i dont like spelling" comment when learning notes on the neck. Keep up the great work and thank you so much for all the free material on your channel. You really are a saint for sharing so much knowledge.
Really good! As a pianist/keyboardist for over 40 years, a piano teacher for 35 years, and a beginning bass player, I appreciate the importance of this stuff. One idea would be to do this exercise starting on C for a week, then the following week, start it on Bb (can you get right to Bb immediately?) then the next week start on Eb, etc, around the circle of fourths.
@talkingbass Mark, Thank you so much for this lesson and all the others; I am on my way to learning the fretboard and music theory!
Idea for additional mnemonic!!!
The CF that starts the cycle is the initals of the Cycle!! i.e.
Cycle (of) Fourths...
then the BeadG mnemonic and Job Done!
Great Video BTW!
That's a great idea. I'll start using that!
Delighted to be able to contribute. That's an Enfield right? Looks classic and sounds lovely!
I also like to remember that the notes after CF are flats because they directly follow the F, for flat.
Somewhere else on RUclips it was suggested that one way to learn circle of 4ths and fretboard notes is to remember B,E,A,D,G,C,F as:-
Battle Ends And Down Goes Charlies Father. Works for me. After the first BEADGCF the next lot are flats/sharps. This also works for ordinary 6 string guitar with an adjustment of one fret up for the B string. (G string to B string is a third, not a fourth) B to E is back to a fourth.
Jeremy Shotts
Ok
This is an amazing exercise! By far one of the most useful with big long term bonus. thanks
The best bass lessons on youtube, no doubt!
may the 4ths be with you 😎
+Guitar man very good one ^^
+Guitar man Don`t ever come here again
hahaha! bumper stickers and t-shirts?
why so much hate dude???
he he he... :)
Absolutely by far the best teacher available
Finally! This lesson finally taught me a way to quickly find any note. Thank you very much! Subscribed
A very useful exercise, well explained and I can see the relevance of practicing cycle of 4ths now. Thank you
A great exercise for the hands/the mind.
Appreciate it Mark!
This is the best tutorial I have ever seen. I like how you break it down so its easier for noobs like me to comprehend. Thanks Mark.
Thank you very much!! This is really one of the most useful exercises ever 🙂
Excellent instructional video & thanks.....who knows after failures on learning to play bass I may try again....Just to add I think it's also important for beginners to have your bass set up properly to make playing easier & more pleasurable. I feel this is very important...
Love working with you
Thank you mark your the best! I hope to have enough motivation to continue on my bass
Great lesson man. I was just trying to think of a way to memorize the fretboard notes yesterday. So this was a good find for me.
great video enjoyed it a Lot learning to play as a beginner taught me all of this quickly loved this video
I like how you explain things. I think I will join the program.
i love the way you teach so simple and easy to understand. im buying my first guitar tomorrow.wish me luck .tnx
WOW, this is a LOT harder than I thought it would be. BTW, I only got my first bass less than a month ago. But I am old enough to be disciplined. Thanks for these fantastic lessons! I'm gonna keep at it.
Hi Mark, This is a really great exercise!
thank you and a lot’s of greetings, Dennis 🇳🇱
Mark, thank you so much for this exercise!
Best Bass teacher in web. Thanx Mark
this guy is an awesome instructor!!!
So helpful! Thank you. String by string, and linear memorising. Better to learn like this as a beginner than to look at a cyclic pattern.