5 Major Scale Patterns Part 5

For this fifth segment I would like to look at two more applications that we can do using these forms of the Major scale. As you get a little bored with just moving them up and down, you can start doing other things to give your right and left hand a little bit more of a challenge to tackle. The first thing that really comes to mind would be sequencing. That's a great workout for the right hand; it also makes the scales about four times as long so it lengthens your warm up and practice time a little bit. For a little bit more detail on the subject of sequencing you can watch some of our other tutorials.

But in this case I am just doing a sequence of four. I am starting on the first note of the scale, in this case on the key of C, going up four notes, using alternate picking, of course, and then going to the second note of the scale and going up four notes off of that. I just continue in that pattern up the scale. So in this position, that would look like this. Of course, you want to start with that very slow with a metronome, if you are not used to sequencing, but that will give your right hand a great workout.

Then you move to the second position, try that one with the same technique. So you move through the remaining three forms with that same sequencing technique and that will just give your right hand a great start to your practice. Once you have done that in all five positions and then maybe even some additional keys, your right and left hands would be ready to tackle just about anything that you throw at them. Doing that everyday is a way that many players have developed a lot of speed in their technique. You are also going to have to alter some of the fingerings a little bit in your left hand when you switch between strings, so it gives you a little bit more versatility within those scale forms.

The last application I would like to look at is, actually, putting the scale forms together and this is good for your improvisation and solo playing, being able to do licks that use multiple forms of this scale. So in this case, let's start with a simple application of it but you could then keep it going and try it on different strings as you move along. But we would go up the first position, down the second, up the third, down the fourth and up the fifth. So this one is going to be in the key of C, so this will look like this. So, good luck with your practicing and I hope you have enjoyed these warm ups.

The intro starts on the low E string and it goes like this. So then it's the B, A; and see I keep this B string ringing on the G throughout the whole thing.


Transcription by: Scribe4you Transcription Services