Cheap Trills
Tele-Afflicted
you should have shown your violin teacher a picture of Jascha Heifetz playing. Probably the best playing technique in violin history, never took his eyes off the board. Take that teacher!
Last edited:
Do you look at the fretboard while playing?
- Thread starter BrettFuzz
- Start date
Cheap Trills
Tele-Afflicted
I'd say no, but I tried playing blindfolded, like I see the guys in those Andertons videos do, and I just couldn't do it very well. It's strange because I specifically remember discovering I could play in the dark at some point back in college when I played a lot more. I noticed the better players/guests on that channel can play better blindfolded, like first time they put blindfolds on they move freely up and down the fretboard, so there's probably a correlation.
Harry Styron
Friend of Leo's
Depends whether I can hear myself. I play in a band with horns and sit next to the drummer, so often I can’t hear myself, which occasionally leads to my discovering that my fretting hand is in the wrong place, when I happen to glance down. Since I’m usually reading a chart when I play with the band, I’m watching the chart and the conductor.
If I can hear myself, I know where my fretting hand is. I usually don’t need to look at my guitar except to verify the switch position.
If I can hear myself, I know where my fretting hand is. I usually don’t need to look at my guitar except to verify the switch position.
As needed, especially when out on a gig. While chording and singing it's usually just a quick glance. When I'm soloing, it depends on how creative I'm trying to be (see my avatar). To me there's no shame in keeping an eye on where you are on the fretboard. Lot's of pros do it.
Last edited:
BerkshireDuncan
Tele-Holic
A LOT more than I'd like 
ChrisLarcombe
Tele-Meister
Definitely a fair amount of the time. I usually look more when I'm playing rhythm though, as I find it's easier to make a lead line that's gone slightly AWOL for a second get back on track without many people noticing, compared to when you're meant to be sitting back and supporting another element. I saw someone talk about practicing in the dark on this chain above. I might start doing that!
wulfenganck
Tele-Afflicted
Depends on what I'm playing. For anything average rock/pop in the range from I-IV-V up to more sophisticated Beatles chord progressions, I feel rather safe up to at least the 5th fret and check maybe once or twice during the song.
If it's a jazz-tune with all them weird chords or if it's something fingerpicking in an open tuning, I have to look constantly.
The rest is pretty much a mixture of playing and checking.
If it's a jazz-tune with all them weird chords or if it's something fingerpicking in an open tuning, I have to look constantly.
The rest is pretty much a mixture of playing and checking.
I tend to look more at the audience and my bass player. I smile a lot on stage, which probably makes me look like a moron, but I'm there to entertain. Making 'guitar faces' doesn't seem to impress anyone except other guitar players, so I don't. I also play a Parker Fly for a lot of songs, ebony board with no markers at all.
sax4blues
Poster Extraordinaire
I try not to because I believe there is musical/technique value in having the feel for where things are. Also in performance situations I like to have the interactive feeling with the audience.
That being said it creeps me out when a player will stare at me while playing, and I find it weird when a player will just stare off into the abyss and never look at their guitar.
That being said it creeps me out when a player will stare at me while playing, and I find it weird when a player will just stare off into the abyss and never look at their guitar.
oldunc
Friend of Leo's
Never- too many notes down there, it's horribly confusing.
oldunc
Friend of Leo's
This guy catches a glance here and there and he makes it look like a "breeze" (...).
).
daddyplaysbass
Tele-Afflicted
No, I look at my shoes
Or a blindfold.
fjblair
Tele-Afflicted
Frequently.
Yeah. I am not saying I’m any good. Just that when I was a kid there was some negative enforcement that translated to guitar and bass from violin. It’s really muscle memory I suppose. I don’t think any experienced player looks because they have to. But it’s a habit. That’s why so many folks say they look when the are playing on the couch but not when on stage.
glenlivet
Tele-Afflicted
depends on the song... if I've played it 1,000 times muscle memory pretty much kicks in, and I can be off in la la land thinking about new tires for the car. If I'm not 1,000% on it, then yea, I pay attention to where my hand is and focus on whats coming up next.
Sometimes yes sometimes no.
oregomike
Tele-Afflicted
Both my Teles have a maple neck and I have been GAS-ing for a rosewood tele for a while now. However, today I realized the true reason I want one is nothing other than the increased visual contrast of strings against rosewood vs .maple - it's just easier to see the strings (at least to me). All my other guitars are rosewood (or whatever they pass for rosewood nowadays) so I am used to that. Then I realized I should probably just learn to play without looking at the fretboard...
Do you have to look at the fretboard while you play? If you do, is it because you have to or is it a habit? If you don't, did it take a long time to learn to play without looking?
Looks are the main reason all my fretboards are ebony. Love the contrast with light colored bodies. If I know the music that I'm playing, I generally don't look at the board, but I also play noise rock stuff a lot (young folks like to call it "shoe gaze" (whatever)), so I do look down when searching for interesting chord phrases, etc. I compare my skill to my typing. Sometimes I'll be playing for a while and realize I haven't looked at the board at all.
Last edited:
Similar threads
- Poll
