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3 note per string scale Vs 5 position scales


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Posted

which of these do you think is better to learn? i taught myself the usual five position shapes, but i was reading a book and the guy says you should learn the 3 note per string scales, as they are more modern sounding and make your hands stronger.

 

is it worth learning all those shapes as well? i think one of them went...

 

 

e5 7 8

b5 7 8

g4 5 7

d4 5 7

a3 5 7

e3 5 7

 

so in one sense its good for my hands as they need strentghening i can tell.

Posted

3-note-per-string scales are more compatible with economy picking, and I use them when I want to play a fast scale line or move up the neck (since the patterns shift you up a few frets as you ascend). The rest of the time I use the normal 5 positions as they are more comfortable on the fretting hand (only 4 frets wide).

 

I don't agree that the 3NPS patterns sound 'more modern.' They're still the same notes. Some of the patterns will cause you to get used to a little stretching, so in a sense it would improve the ability of your fretting hand, but they require the same ammount of strength as the 4-fret positions.

 

I would recommend learning both, because they each have their uses and applications, and in the long run, the disctinction between the two is somewhat blurred, as they are all the same notes. Sometimes a certain line would be easier to play with three notes on one of the strings, while the rest of the line would work ok with 4-fret patterns, so it is possible to fuse the two together.

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Posted

Originally posted by gennation

Use both, and everything else too. There is no one-way. Be full-figured
;)

 

What he said.

 

 

And for what it's worth that is a major scale pattern that is in G major.

 

And a major scale is a major scale is a major scale, the pattern doesn't matter cause the notes will be the same, unless you change keys.

 

Learn as many variations as you can.

:thu:

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Posted

Guitar Player suggested 4 notes per string ala violinists.

Each fingering presents different natural tendencies and

'slop factor'. Must be a fine art. :D

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Posted

4 notes per string is a fine pattern. The movement of left hand is diagonical, and the scale implies 3 octaves instead of 2. The A natural minor would be:

 

 

5-7-8-10

7-8-10-12

9-10-12-14

10-12-14-16

13-15-17-18

15-17-19-20

 

One finger-per-note can improve the "strength", while some slides can have a more "artistic" result. Try sliding the little finger when going downwards, and index when returning back to bass notes!

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Posted

 

Originally posted by ManiacManos

4 notes per string is a fine pattern. The movement of left hand is diagonical, and the scale implies 3 octaves instead of 2. The A natural minor would be:



5-7-8-10

7-8-10-12

9-10-12-14

10-12-14-16

13-15-17-18

15-17-19-20


One finger-per-note can improve the "strength", while some slides can have a more "artistic" result. Try sliding the little finger when going downwards, and index when returning back to bass notes!

 

 

Are those strings...

 

E

B

G

D

A

E

 

or

 

E

A

D

G

B

E

 

?

 

I always had a hard time with 4 notes per string when doing 4 fingers per string also.

 

I can do 4 notes per string by shifting position for the last note, going up or down, just fne...but not 4 fingers per string.

 

How to you guys to it?

 

Also Maniac, even at the age of 43...that avatar of the LB in the Exorcist STILL scares me....MAKE IT STOP MOMMY, MAKE IT STOP!!!!

Posted

4-notes per strings isn't really all that practical on guitar. Keep in mind that on a violin, the scale length is much smaller, so the fingering is not a stretch at all. Because of the scale, the strings are also tuned to fifths, so you have to play one more note on a string before moving to the next string.

 

 

If I were to play a 4-note-per-string pattern, it would just be like a 3-n-p-s pattern, except that I would slide into the fourth note, or on the way back down, slide into the lowest note on the string.

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Posted

The strings are like

 

E

A

D

G

B

E

 

I prefer sliding too. 4 notes per string may be difficult, and I suggest to study on it AFTER you learn enough on the "boxy" patterns.

 

OTOH, 4 note patterns can be very useful. Beyond fast -shreddin on 3 octaves, it gives you MUCH more "space" for articulations. Sometimes in 3- note scales, playing a trill isn't easy because of the notes being on different strings. The more notes on the same string- the more melodic and "artistic" the phrase.

 

As for "one finger per note", try to avoid keeping the finger of the previous note on fret. The finger should play, and then take off of the fret, as the next finger plays the next note. If you decide to leave it in place, then it's somewhat of a "stretching" exercise- slow tempo and LONG worm-up is a MUST!

 

 

p.s. I really like my avatar! Is it THAT bad? :cry:

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Posted

 

Originally posted by Poparad

3-note-per-string scales are more compatible with economy picking, and I use them when I want to play a fast scale line or move up the neck (since the patterns shift you up a few frets as you ascend). The rest of the time I use the normal 5 positions as they are more comfortable on the fretting hand (only 4 frets wide).


I don't agree that the 3NPS patterns sound 'more modern.' They're still the same notes. Some of the patterns will cause you to get used to a little stretching, so in a sense it would improve the ability of your fretting hand, but they require the same ammount of strength as the 4-fret positions.


I would recommend learning both, because they each have their uses and applications, and in the long run, the disctinction between the two is somewhat blurred, as they are all the same notes. Sometimes a certain line would be easier to play with three notes on one of the strings, while the rest of the line would work ok with 4-fret patterns, so it is possible to fuse the two together.

All these approaches are valid, but imo the most important thing is to learn the actual intervals that make up any given scale. This way you are not tied down to any particular approach or set of positions.

 

I will typically use the standard CAGED fingerings (which are mostly 3 note per string anyway) to initially learn a scale, and then map it to 3 note per string for each CAGED fingering. From there, I like to take it to a single string, and learn it up and down the string starting from the root, taking it to each of the other 5 strings as I get it down.

 

At that point, I am well on the way to being able to play it anywhere, and being able to shift between CAGED and 3NPS forms by bridging them with a note or 2 up or down a single string.

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Posted

I use 3note per string scales aswell as the typical 5 posistion scales.

 

I tend to phrase completely different with each type of scale.

 

The more the better. I do a lot of double pentatnics too.

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