Must-Have Tools for Guitar Lessons Part 2

Hello everyone! I’m Yuki Kito, a guitar instructor.
Today, I’m continuing this article from “Must-Have Tools for Guitar Lessons Part 1” to introduce items I find incredibly useful in my lessons.

When learning a guitar solo or a new chord, don’t you get mentally exhausted trying to visualize chord shapes and chord tones in your head?

Of course, focusing on chord tones is a great way to practice, but after about 30 minutes, it can feel like a serious brain workout… I’ve definitely experienced that too. (Laughs)

That’s where a fretboard diagram really comes in handy.

Imagine having a diagram where you can:

• Instantly see interval numbers
• Output any scale immediately
• Modulate keys in a snap
• Print or save as a PDF instantly

Wouldn’t that be incredibly convenient?

“Neck Diagrams 2,” is exactly designed to fulfill these kinds of desires for guitarists!

■ What’s Great About Neck Diagrams 2①: Interval Awareness Gets a Huge Boost

Let me dive right into what makes Neck Diagrams 2 (ND2 for short) so useful.
For example, imagine you’re practicing a guitar solo or following a tab from a YouTube tutorial. Copying the phrase itself might not take that much time.

But can you immediately play it in a live show or a jam session? That’s a different story. The key might be different, or the tempo and rhythm pattern might change. These are situations that happen all the time in real playing.
This is where ND2 really shines for actually understanding a phrase.

It automatically displays interval numbers, so instead of just memorizing “start at the 15th fret,” you can see, “Oh, this phrase starts from the flat 7th!” The difference in usability is huge.

If you memorize by fret position, key changes become a nightmare. But if you understand the phrase by interval numbers, it’s much easier to internalize the fretboard. As a result, you can adapt more smoothly to any key or rhythm.

■ What’s Great About Neck Diagrams 2 ②: Generate Scale Charts in an Instant!

Honestly, the ability to handle key changes and interval awareness alone makes ND2 worth buying, in my opinion. But its strengths don’t stop there.

It comes with a scale generator function. Using this generator, you can instantly display everything from pentatonic and major scales to diminished, altered, and many other scales.

This feature makes it much easier to comprehensively learn tricky scales, like dominant-based scales.

Another big plus is that by looking at the diagrams, you start to notice patterns and habitual movements across the fretboard. You can also visually grasp phrases that use the same note on different strings, which makes your practice much more efficient.

■ What’s Great About Neck Diagrams 2③: PowerPoint-Like Usability

ND2 basically feels like using PowerPoint.

You can display multiple diagrams on a single canvas, or use the whole canvas to show one diagram in a larger format.
For example, when practicing a II→V progression like Dm7→G7 in a loop, you can display the two diagrams vertically on one canvas. This lets you practice without moving your eyes too much, which is really convenient.

■ A Concern About Neck Diagrams 2: Price

So far, I’ve shared the great points about ND2, but of course, one thing that stands out is the price. There are several versions available:

• Standard (around ¥4,000)
• Pro (around ¥7,000)
• Publisher (around ¥14,000)

One important thing to note is that the scale generator feature only comes with Pro and Publisher.
I went ahead and purchased the Publisher version thinking that I was getting the best one.

At the time, I figured I might not use all the extra features anyway, but looking back, the Pro version might have been enough. (laughs)

That’s it for my introduction to essential practice tools for lessons, Neck Diagrams 2! Diagrams might not be something you’re used to, but I hope this gives you a reason to consider giving it a try.

See you next time.

*Prices are as of October 2021.

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