Breaking Out of the Box
I do not assume any responsibility for frustration, injury or death resulting from the application of these exercises.
The purpose of this page is to give certain tips and pointers on how to open up your range and play over the entire fretboard of the guitar. In guitar player slang, this is known as breaking out of the box.
Scales obviously exist all over the neck. The trick is to connect the isolated, standard scale boxes with each other. If you learn this, you can make something musical at the same time as you move that fretting hand from position to position.
Here is a common box used for natural minor or Aeolian:
E-----------------------------5- B-----------------------5-6-8--- G-----------------4-5-7--------- D-------------5-7--------------- A-------5-7-8------------------- E-5-7-8------------------------- 1 3 4 1 3 4 1 3 1 2 4 1 2 4 1
Notice how it's fairly static and that you basically have to slide your hand around to move it to the 12th position.
Redistribution
One easy way to open up our boxes a bit is to redistribute the material so that we get three notes per string:
E-------------------------------- B-------------------------6-8-10- G-------------------5-7-9-------- D-------------5-7-9-------------- A-------5-7-8-------------------- E-5-7-8-------------------------- 1 3 4 1 3 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4
Please note that we already have a bit more lateral movement in addition to a more logical fingering.
Slides
If you can combine the hand movement with actual playing, that is of course best. This is most easily accomplished through sliding one finger between two different frets. Slides can be made at any time and can be used to reorient your fretting hand. They can also be used together with the redistribution principle to create sprawling scale patterns like the following:
E-------------------------------------------------------15s17-19-20- B-------------------------------------------13s15-17-18------------- G-------------------------------10-12-14s16------------------------- D--------------------9-10-12s14------------------------------------- A----------7-8-10s12------------------------------------------------ E-5s7-8-10---------------------------------------------------------- 1s1 2 4 1 2 4 s4 1 2 4s 4 1 2 4s 4 1s 1 2 3 1s 1 2 3
(3 1/3 octaves—not bad, eh?)
The boxes with roots on your 2nd and 4th fingers are a little more tricky to break out of if you want to travel up the neck. At some point, you have to perform a slide, otherwise the left hand will remain in the same position:
E----------------------------------------------14-15-17s19- B-------------------------------------13-15-17------------- G----------------------------12-14-16---------------------- D----------------10-12-14s16------------------------------- A-------10-12-14------------------------------------------- E-12-14---------------------------------------------------- 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 s4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 s4
E------------------------------------------------15-17-19- B------------------------------------13-15-17s19---------- G------------------------11-12-14s16---------------------- D---------------10-12-14---------------------------------- A----9-10-12s14------------------------------------------- E-12------------------------------------------------------ 4 1 2 4 s4 1 2 4 1 2 4 s4 1 2 4 s4 1 2 4
Scalar Sequences
A sequence is a gradual way of playing a scale. Instead of playing C, D, E, F, etc, you play "cells" of two or more notes, for instance C, D, E, then D, E, F, or C, D, E, F, then D, E, F, G, and so on.
Sequences can be used to advance up- or downwards, for instance if you have a couple of beats to reach a certain "target note" and a straight scale would get you there too quickly. It is also handy for changing positions without having to traverse the neck diagonally. A sequence can also be used as a device to create an emotional crescendo during a solo, perhaps leading up to a high bent note with lots of vibrato.
If nothing else, sequences sound rather cool and they make good dexterity exercises. It is advised that the student be well familiarized with the fingering patterns of a given scale.
A two-note sequence is essentially about playing the scale in question in leaps of thirds (major and minor):
E----------------------------------------------------------12----13-12-15-13-17- B----------------------------------------12----13-12-15-13----15---------------- G----------------------------12----14-12----14---------------------------------- D----------12----14-12-15-14----15---------------------------------------------- A-12-15-14----15---------------------------------------------------------------- E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-17-13-15-12-13----12---------------------------------------------------------- B----------------15----13-15-12-13----12---------------------------------------- G----------------------------------14----12-14----12---------------------------- D----------------------------------------------15----14-15-12-14----12---------- A----------------------------------------------------------------15----14-15-12- E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With three-note sequences, you start using adjacent steps of the scale:
E------------------------------------------------------------------------- B-------------------------------------------------------------12----12-13- G-------------------------------------------12----12-14-12-14----14------- D----------------12----12-14-12-14-15-14-15----15------------------------- A-12-14-15-14-15----15---------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------------------- E----------------12----12-13-12-13-15-13-15-17- B-12-13-15-13-15----15------------------------- G---------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------------- E----------------------------------------------
E-17-15-13-15-13-12-13-12----12------------------------------------------ B-------------------------15---15-13-15-13-12-13-12----12---------------- G---------------------------------------------------14----14-12-14-12---- D---------------------------------------------------------------------15- A------------------------------------------------------------------------ E------------------------------------------------------------------------ E---------------------------------------------- B---------------------------------------------- G-12------------------------------------------- D----15-14-15-14-12-14-12----12---------------- A-------------------------15----15-14-15-14-12- E----------------------------------------------
A sequence is a neat way of traversing up or down a single string. The fingering in the following example brings with it a certain element of glissando, since the first finger is forced to slide up or down the string to play the first note of each three-note group:
E-5-7-8-7-8-10-8-10-12-10-12-13-12-13-15-13-15-17- B------------------------------------------------- G------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------- 1 3 4 1 2 4 1 2 4 1 3 4 1 2 4 1 2 4
E-17-15-13-15-13-12-13-12-10-12-10-8-10-8-7-8-7-5- B------------------------------------------------- G------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------- 4 2 1 4 2 1 4 3 1 4 2 1 4 2 1 4 3 1
You can also turn the three-note cell around for a different and odder sound:
E-8-7-5-10-8-7-12-10-8-13-12-10-15-13-12-17-15-13-15b1- B------------------------------------------------------ G------------------------------------------------------ D------------------------------------------------------ A------------------------------------------------------ E------------------------------------------------------ 4 3 1 4 2 1 4 2 1 4 3 1 4 2 1 4 2 1 3
E-13-15-17-12-13-15-10-12-13-8-10-12-7-8-10-5-7-8----- B-------------------------------------------------8b1- G----------------------------------------------------- D----------------------------------------------------- A----------------------------------------------------- E-----------------------------------------------------
Or you can combine it with open strings for yet more effect:
E-8-7-5-0-10-8-7-0-12-10-8-0-13-12-10-0-15-13-12-0-15b1- B------------------------------------------------------- G------------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------------- E-------------------------------------------------------
Four-note sequences mean a lot of string crossing, in the following example there is even an instance of a "cell" spread out over three strings (you find it):
E------------------------------------------------------------- B------------------------------------------------------------- G----------------------------------------------12-------12-14- D----------12-------12-14----12-14-15-12-14-15----14-15------- A-12-14-15----14-15-------15---------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------- E-----------------------------------------------12-------12-13- B----------12--------12-13----12-13-15-12-13-15----13-15------- G----12-14-----12-14-------14---------------------------------- D-15----------------------------------------------------------- A-------------------------------------------------------------- E-------------------------------------------------------------- E----12-13-15-12-13-15-17- B-15---------------------- G------------------------- D------------------------- A------------------------- E-------------------------
Ditto, but descending:
E-17-15-13-12-15-13-12----13-12-------12---------------------- B----------------------15-------15-13----15-13-12-15-13-12---- G----------------------------------------------------------14- D------------------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------------- B-13-12-------12---------------------------------------------- G-------14-12----14-12----14-12-------12---------------------- D----------------------15-------15-14----15-14-12-15-14-12---- A----------------------------------------------------------15- E------------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------- B------------------------- G------------------------- D-14-12-------12---------- A-------15-14----15-14-12- E-------------------------
Four-note sequence ascending on one string:
E-5-7-8s10-7-8-10s12-8-10-12s13-10-12-13s15-12-13-15s17- B------------------------------------------------------- G------------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------------- E------------------------------------------------------- 1 3 4 s4 1 2 4 s4 1 2 4 s4 1 3 4 s4 1 2 4 s4 E-17-15-13-12-15-13-12-10-13-12-10-8-12-10-8-7-10-8-7-5- B------------------------------------------------------- G------------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------------- E-------------------------------------------------------
Using five or more notes in a sequence "cell" is a good coordination exercise. It is also a neat trick to use during a solo. 5 is an odd number in music and can throw both listeners and unwary or unpracticed musicians off-kilter. Using two or four notes in a cell lends itself to melting together with an 8th-note or 16th-note rhythm, whereas three or six notes tend to group themselves together into triplets or sextuplets. Five is odd. Five is cool.