In this lesson, I’ll be demonstrating one of the best ways to transition up and down the neck on the fly.
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I frequently utilize this technique because it’s easy to play fast and expand
In this lesson, I’ll be demonstrating one of the best ways to transition up and down the neck on the fly.
I frequently utilize this technique because it’s easy to play fast and expand into many complex riffs and ideas.
The premise of this lesson is based on visualizing the pentatonic scale on one string and expanding it into two-, three- or four-note patterns using adjacent strings.
Let’s start with its most basic form in EXAMPLE 1.
EXAMPLE 1 is based on a descending D minor pentatonic scale on the B string. I play a pattern off of every note in the scale—two frets higher on the E string. Then I use my first finger to slide on the B string to the next note in the D minor pentatonic scale. This creates a cascading effect and keeps the fingering very simple. To complete this example, I add a pattern off the Bb on the 11th fret to give it some more color. Be sure to memorize this scale pattern before moving on the next examples.
For EXAMPLE 2, I play the same pattern and scale, but in a different sequence. This time, the sequence is down two notes in the scale followed by one note up in the scale. This adds to the cascading sound of this technique and creates a great effect with minimal effort from your left hand.
EXAMPLE 3 is nearly identical to EXAMPLE 2, just moved to the D and G strings. Be sure to use the same fingering as the prior examples. Once you have this example down, try moving it down two frets to the E and A strings.
EXAMPLE 4 is where things start to get interesting. For this example, utilize the