Part 1: Start with the sounds and the names · Lesson 003 / 117
Higher is not the same as louder
Hear pitch separately from volume.
Pitch is how high or low a sound seems. Volume is how loud or soft it is. You can change one without deliberately changing the other.
Play the open B string gently, then a little more firmly. The second sound is louder, but its intended note remains B. Now play that string at fret 1 and fret 3 with similar picking strength. The pitch rises as you move towards the guitar body.
On one string, a higher fret normally gives a higher pitch. When players say “up the neck,” they usually mean towards higher fret numbers, even though your physical hand may move sideways or downwards in the room. We will use fret numbers whenever the direction could be confusing.
Listen before naming. If comparing two sounds feels difficult, sing or hum along with each in a comfortable register. Matching their direction is enough today. You are not being tested on your singing voice.
Hear it
Rising then falling pitch
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
B string: fret 1 then fret 3 rises in pitch. Fret 3 then fret 1 falls. Playing fret 1 more loudly is not the same as moving to fret 3.
Try it, slowly
- Play one fret gently and firmly. Say “same intended pitch, different volume.”
- Play frets 1 and 3 at similar volume. Say which is higher.
- Ask yourself whether the last change involved position, picking strength, or both.
Check one idea
How can you make a note higher without simply hitting the string harder?
Show the explanation
On the same string, fret it at a higher fret number. Keep the picking strength similar so you can hear pitch as the changing ingredient.
A good place to stop
You can correctly describe a pitch change and a volume change in your own demonstration.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.