Technique V - Pentatonic Scales; Alternate G/D♭ Major - Three Strings
Over the last few months, my technical exercises have used all six strings and the entire range of the fretboard. This month, I have decided to restrict my use of strings. As before, I am alternating between pentatonic scales separated by a tritone. What is different is that I am switching direction every three strings.
This means there is less time between ‘turning around’—playing six notes on one string in order to switch scales and direction. This is probably the most technically challenging moment of the exercise as I have to subtly change the orientation of my right hand based on the direction I am picking. Even though I am ‘economy’ picking these exercises, I still find a slight slant in the direction I am picking helps. This is the adjustment I have to focus on when ‘turning around’ on one string.
The rules for this exercise are:
Using three notes per string, play a G major pentatonic scale starting on the guitar’s third string or the lowest sounding string of any set of three adjacent strings.
When you switch strings, repeat the last note of the previous string (G-A-B, switch strings, B-D-E).
Every three strings switch to the pentatonic scale a tritone away and change direction.
When you exhaust the strings of the guitar in one direction, add one more note on that string in the direction you want to travel along the fretboard.
A transcription of this exercise is available here and you can watch my performance of it here.