Chunk Chain

Valerie

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A chunk chain is a quick and dirty way to "memorize" the fretboard.

The point of the chunk chain is to make memorizing the fretboard simple, quick and easy: if you can memorize the chunks (which string and how many steps away from current string) then you will have practically memorized the fretboard by memorizing 4 relative positions rather than 156+ individual positions.

There are 4 chunks in the chunk chain:
Code:
Chunk One: 1st to 4th string, 2 steps up

1st|-X-|---|---|---|---
2nd|---|---|---|---|---
3rd|---|---|---|---|---
4th|---|---|-2-|---|---

Chunk Two:  4th to 2nd string, 3 steps up

1st|---|---|---|---|---
2nd|---|---|---|-3-|---
3rd|---|---|---|---|---
4th|-X-|---|---|---|---

Chunk Three:  2nd to 3rd string, 4 steps up

1st|---|---|---|---|---
2nd|-X-|---|---|---|---
3rd|---|---|---|---|-4-
4th|---|---|---|---|---

Chunk Four:  3rd to 1st String, 3 steps up

1st|---|---|---|-3-|---
2nd|---|---|---|---|---
3rd|-X-|---|---|---|---
4th|---|---|---|---|---


How it works is simple: note X is the same pitch as the # note. To form a chain you pick a note, (for this example I'm going to use A) and play it as close to the nut as possible.

For the example of "A" this would be Open 1st string. Since it is 1st string, we start with chunk one and this tells us that the next note will be found on the fourth string 2 steps/fret positions up (or 4th string 2nd fret)

Then, moving on to chunk two, we know the next place the note appears on the fretboard is 2nd string 3 steps up (or 2nd string 5th fret).

Using chunk three, the next place the note appears is 3rd string 4 steps up (or 3rd string 9th fret).

The next place it appears (and now an octave higher) can be found with chunk four- which says you go from 3rd string to 1st string 3 steps up (or 1st string 12th fret).

If you fretboard has more than 12 frets- you can find the next note by continuing the chain and using chunk 1 again: 1st to 4th string 2 steps up- and so on down the chain till you run out of fretboard.



Another example: The "F" note

-Lowest place on the fretboard is 2nd string 1st fret. 2nd string means you start with chunk 3.
-Chunk 3: 2nd string 1st fret to 3rd string 5th fret.
-Chunk 4: 3rd string 5th fret to 1st string 8th fret
-Chunk 1: 1st string 8th fret to 4th string 10th fret
-Chunk 2: 4th string 10th fret to 2nd string 13th fret
-Chunk 3: 2nd string 13th fret to 3rd string 17th fret

If people are confused I could make a demo video... I'm not horribly good at explaining things...

But chunk chains are wonderful!!!
 
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Oh! And I forgot to say: the octave always changes with chunk 4 (or 3rd to 1st string)- A good thing to keep in mind if you are looking for an alternate fret position.

It is also good to be able to do the chunks backwards.
 
I just thought of a better way to explain it that might help clarify why each chunk is the way it is:

First off, I've no idea why they are called chunks... That's what the guy who showed me this trick called them (albiet it was for guitar, not uke- but a chunk is a chunk is a chunk).

Pretty much a chunk is a formula for making two different strings ring in the same pitch. So, all in all there are the following chunks:

1st to 2nd string
1st to 3rd string*
1st to 4th string*
2nd to 3rd string*
2nd to 4th string*
3rd to 4th string

The four with the stars are the chunks that are used in the chain.

Like I said before a chunk is just a formula- a way to make two strings play the same note.

So... Lets look at chunk 1 in the chunk chain 1st to 4th string.

If you play both those strings together you can hear that they are different pitches. In fact, the 1st string is two pitches higher than the G string. So- to make them play the same note you would fret the 4th string 2 pitches higher than you fret the A string.

This is chunk one: 4th string 2 steps up from 1st string.

Chunk two compares the 4th string to the 2nd string. The difference in pitch here is that the 4th string is 3 steps/pitches higher than the 2nd string. To make them play the same note you use:
chunk two: 2nd string 3 steps up from 4th string.

Chunk 3 compares 2nd to 3rd string. The difference in pitch is 4 steps. So:
chunk three: 3rd string 4 steps up from 2nd string

Chunk four compares the 3rd string to the 1st string. The 1st string is 9 steps higher than the 3rd string. But, doing that really doesn't help you find the next note in the chain. So you just go up to the note on the next octave. Which, in the case of 3rd to 1st means:
chunk four: 1st string 3 steps up from 3rd string


If any of this doesn't make sense, the best way to make sense of it is to just simply pick up your uke and try to find, say all the C sharps or all the B's on the fret board using the chunks.


Why is it, though, that things that make life easier are complicated???
 
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Not sure I am grasping the essence yet, but you are talking about relative positions on the fretboard for the same note on different strings, right? Very useful, books such as Fretboard Roadmaps give these hints as well. And if you get creative, it is a revelation (it was to me, at least) to see that the regular C scale can be played in a number of patterns all the way up the fretboard.
Thank you for writing it up in your post!
 
You are talking about relative positions on the fretboard for the same note on different strings, right?

Yes, except for chunk 4 which is the same note- but different octaves.

And if you get creative, it is a revelation (it was to me, at least) to see that the regular C scale can be played in a number of patterns all the way up the fretboard.

On the guitar, I can play any scale in any position up the neck using the chunks (each chunk/depending on which string you start on, has a pattern for minor and major scales)... I haven't tried to figure out those patterns on uke yet... But, I'm sure it's not difficult.
 
How to play a Major Scale from any fret position! (For high G only...)

Here goes. The first diagram shows the positions of all the notes that are part of scale. The second shows numbers which are the order in which you'd play the scale (some numbers repeate b/c there are alternate fingerings.)

In each case, you stay in the same position (or same 5 fret range) and you go up as many notes as you can, then down low as many notes as you can. (Ex: for a C scale starting from the first string you play C, D, E (this being the highest...) then go down D, C, B, A, G, F, E (this being the lowest note).

If your starting note is on the first string:
Code:
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|
|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|--o--|
|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|--o--|

|--[B]1[/B]--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|
|--8--|-----|--7--|-----|--6--|
|-----|-10--|--9--|-----|--8--|
|-----|--6--|--5--|-----|--4--|

If your starting note is on the second string:
Code:
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|
|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|--o--|
|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|--o--|

|--4--|-----|--5--|-----|--6--|
|[B]1[/B]/11-|-----|2/10-|-----|-3/9-|
|-----|-13--|-----|-12--|-11--|
|-----|--9--|--8--|-----|--7--|

If your starting note is on the third string:
Code:
|--o--|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|
|--o--|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|

|--6--|-----|--7--|--8--|-----|
|3/13-|4/12-|-----|5/11-|-----|
|[B]1[/B]/15-|-----|2/14-|-----|3/13-|
|--11-|-----|-10--|-----|--9--|

If your starting note is on the fourth string:
Code:
|--o--|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|
|--o--|-----|--o--|--o--|-----|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|
|--o--|-----|--o--|-----|--o--|

|--6--|-----|--5--|--4--|-----|
|--9--|-----|--8--|--7--|-----|
|-11--|-----|-10--|-----|--9--|
|--[B]1[/B]--|-----|--2--|-----|--3--|

And if you are going to memorize just one... Memorize the one for the third string (as it starts and ends on the base note.)

I mess around with all four, as they are great finger/warm up exercises... And, I they really help me with figuring out fret positions/ fingering when I'm reading music in standard notation (staff rather than TAB).
 
Interesting stuff Valerie, thanks.

I was looking for stuff to help me learn scales and speed up my fretting hand finding the right notes. It's a bit strange getting used to what order the notes are played in instead of going root to root as in the third one. Also I like how the G string is included as that's the one that tends to get left out when I'm trying to pick stuff out. It looks like you could do a similar pattern to eliminate using the G as well though right?
 
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