Up the Neck or Down the Neck?

[Kevin Greenberg]

I've never even heard someone say "up the neck" when talking about the LOWER notes. I thought everyone knew that "up the neck" is the high notes! It only makes sense. That's just as stupid as my friend saying B# instead of C! I looked at him like he was crazy!

[Steinar Gregertsen]

That's just as stupid as my friend saying B# instead of C!

Ha! Here in Norway we say H instead of B - so how about a Hm7 chord?

[Alan Brookes]

It's a matter of accepted terminology. As in all communication, there has to be a concensus ad idem or confusion results.
Personally, my main confusion is when people list the tuning starting at the top string, for instance, standard guitar tuning being EBGDAE as opposed to EADGBE.

[Rick Abbott]

For Lap-Steel players this can be cured by amputating the student's left foot.

I just can't let this go past, it's way too random. Is it a punishment? A memory help, like tying a string on your finger? Left from right signal, " Now look kid, your left ankle is LOWER than your right, in fact, it actually touches the ground, so lower is lower on the neck. Got it!?" Wow, what can you say. It just strikes me as funny.

[b0b]

Ha! Here in Norway we say H instead of B - so how about a Hm7 chord?

What? How can H be between A and C? Why do you do that?

[Steinar Gregertsen]

Ha! Here in Norway we say H instead of B - so how about a Hm7 chord?

What? How can H be between A and C? Why do you do that?

We got it from Germany, that's where it all started. Legend has it that several hundred years ago a monk should write "b" but was a bit sloppy so it looked like an "h", and the damage was done.
Since we Scandinavians used to read music theory in German it was adopted in all Scandinavian countries as well (it's not more than 25-30 years ago that fluency in German was an absolute requirement at our Music Universities, etc..).

It's all changing now though, today most young people get their music theory from the web, so I suppose it'll die out with my generation..

The really funny thing is that we've always written B-flat as Bb, just like the rest of you...

[Danny James]

Doug has a good post here and it truthfully is important for everyone to be on the same page especially when teaching a student properly.

Another controversial issue that Harlin Bros. always made an issue of to those of us who were trying to teach was in how the word "guitar" was pronounced. If we called it a git-tar we would be corrected. (I might add in private though) They were always very sensitive about treating people with respect.
They always made it a point to use the terms up or down the neck like Doug says, in relation to pitch.

[Randy Reeves]

Danny. my ears get all twisted when I here our instrument as pronounced, gee tar.

I heard of the hm7 chord. I stumble onto that chord when I am trying to learn a song by ear. there will be one chord I just can't figure out. so when I get to that spot I play the hm7 chord. of course I am scratching my head going hmmmm? at the same time.
that chord is spelled as hm?
it is somewhere between B and C on the guitar neck.
somewhere between up and down on the guitar neck.

[Chris Drew]

For Lap-Steel players this can be cured by amputating the student's left foot.

I just can't let this go past, it's way too random. Is it a punishment? A memory help, like tying a string on your finger? Left from right signal, " Now look kid, your left ankle is LOWER than your right, in fact, it actually touches the ground, so lower is lower on the neck. Got it!?" Wow, what can you say. It just strikes me as funny.

It's simple really, when the stump is sufficiently healed to allow the student to resume learning lap-steel, the instrument is now sufficiently inclined to allow gravity itself to remind the student which way is "up the neck". If they let go of the bar, it will roll down to the lower frets.

Regarding the pronunciation of the word "guitar"... it may only be correctly pronounced gee-tar if the student also pronounces the word aluminium as "aloo-min-um".

Randy, as for stumbling upon the hm7 chord when learning by ear... this can be avoided by abandoning the hazard-prone practice of "learning by ear".
I would recommend "learning by hands" instead, as gripping even a "Stevens" bar with one's ear is extremely difficult, even for the seasoned pro, hence your twisted ear, Mr.Reeves.
Although it has to be said, learning "by ear" is most likely what enabled you to scratch your head whilst playing the hm7 chord at the same time like that.

[Rick Abbott]

Mr. Drew,

You sir are as twisted as I thought. Of course, I laughed uncontrolably for about an hour, off and on, after reading that post. Who is twisted? BTW, I know which is end is up, no need for educational amputations here.

[Doug Beaumier]

...my main confusion is when people list the tuning starting at the top string, for instance, standard guitar tuning being EBGDAE as opposed to EADGBE.

String Sets are listed high to low. That's probably why most players list their tunings that way. I list them high-low OR this way:

C6

1. E
2. C
3. A
4. G
5. E
6. C

[Steinar Gregertsen]

Find the H:

[Alan Brookes]

...I list them high-low OR this way:

C6
1. E
2. C
3. A
4. G
5. E
6. C

Is that when you're writing in Chinese, Doug?

...I heard of the Hm7 chord. I stumble onto that chord when I am trying to learn a song by ear...

No Randy, that's the Lost Chord that Jimmy Durante is always singing about.