As we worked through the modes in the last lesson, we started to generate a shape composed of the notes of the C major scale. At this time, I would like to complete that shape.


E8, E10, E12
A8, A10, A12
D9, D10, D12
G9, G10, G12
B10, B12, B13
H10, H12, H13

Basically, what we have here is a shape that only contains notes in the C major scale. Which is to be expected, since we have only been studying the modes of the C major scale.

C, D, E
F, G, A
B, C, D
E, F, G
A, B, C
D, E, F

The last note, which is an F note on H13, is a note I want us to ignore for the moment. Since we have three notes per string on every other string, we can set this shape up to be alternate picked very easily with two notes on the bottom string to allow us to turn around. So, let me rewrite the pattern with the proper fingering and pick stroke indicators so that you have a working model to reference when ascending and descending this pattern/shape.

E8id, E10mu, E12pd
A8id, A10mu, A12pd
D9id, D10mu, D12pd
G9id, G10mu, G12pd
B10id, B12ru, B13pd

Now, as we hit the high E string, we play the first note with a down stroke and the second note with an up stroke, essentially completing the turn around point.

H10id, H12ru,

Since we are already heading in the upward direction with our pick, we will simply move up to the B string and continue by descending the scale as follows:

B13pu, B12rd, B10iu
G12pu, G10md, G9iu
D12pu, D10md, D9iu
A12pu, A10md, A8iu
E12pu, E10md, E8iu

So, with the turn around on the high E string, we can simply work through this shape as one long pattern of notes. Since we started on a C note, and these are all notes in the C major scale, we can think of this shape as being like the Ionian mode starting on the 8th fret of the E string. And the two additional notes on the high E string as simply an extension that we added to fascilitate a turn around. Thus making it possible for us to generate a pattern to alternate pick the whole pattern without needing to stop our pick's motion in the middle of the pattern. Now, the idea is to play through this pattern slowly and get used to alternate picking and how to smoothly get the pick to navigate the turn around point. If you don't already own a metranome, I highly recommend picking one up. A metranome will help your playing by getting you to keep the pick moving in a fluid even fashion in time with each beat of the metranome. The trick is to set the metranome on a very slow beat, run through the pattern about four times on that beat, and then gradually increase the beat. Keep doing this until you find the speed where it is near impossible to pick the pattern accurately, increase the tempo just above that point, try it at the higher tempo, then back the metranome up to the tempo where you started having trouble. If you still can't get the pattern to execute smoothly and accurately, back off on the tempo a little more and work back up to that speed again. Keep this up, moving the tempo slightly above then slightly below the target speed you are trying to get through until you nail it perfectly. If you start to notice that your execution is getting really sloppy, back off the tempo considerably and gradually work yourself back up to the trouble area again. Remember, accuracy is always more important than speed.

The sure sign that you need to purchase a metranome is when you find yourself working through a picking exercise, like a scale or run, and your pick keeps getting stuck at the same spot in the exercise. More often than not, what is happening is that your brain and your hand are not working in time with each other. And as you practice making the mistake over and over again, you teach your brain to get better at making the mistake. By using the metranome and setting it to a slower than normal tempo, the brain starts to pick up on the timing difficulty by having a reference beat to compare against when you play through the exercise. And so, in that way the metranome acts as a guide to help your brain and your hands to get back on the same page timing wise.

Okay, enough with my rant on metranomes. Just get one and save yourself years of working out a lot of bad timing habits. Because things will get challenging enough later on, even if you have a metranome to help you keep time. I'm going to shut up about metranomes now, honest! In any case, the Ionian shape of the C major scale that you learned above over about two and a half octaves can be moved up and down the neck. And since every where you move this shape, you still have a stepwise interval structure of,

Whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half

You are garrenteed that no matter if you move the shape up the neck towards the body or down back towards the headstock, the result is that you are still playing a major scale. So, to determine which major scale you are playing, all you have to do is look at the first note you are playing. That will be the name of the major scale you are playing. So, just write out the notes on the E string and look at what note you start the pattern on. If you start the shape on E5, which is an A note, you are then playing the A major scale. If you start playing the shape on E15, then you are playing the G major scale, since E15 is a G note.

Since there are 12 notes in a Chromatic scale, then by learning a scale shape like this, it becomes evident that you have immediately learned 12 major scales. Just like you learned 12 major chords in an earlier lesson by moving a chord shape Chromatically up the neck from A3 to A15. So, your homework will be to identify the 12 major scales you just learned.


Corey J. Bray