Rusty Cooley has been playing guitar for the past fourteen years and has been teaching guitar for the last ten years. He is also a teacher for the National Guitar Summer Workshop. He has gigged with the Houston, Texas bands Revolution, Dominion and most recently, OutWorld.
Cooley has also produced "World Class Guitar Techniques", a half-hour guitar program for KTLJ (Channel 22) in Houston. His web site is at: http://www.creativeguitar.com/rusty/
Send comments or questions to Rusty Cooley.
© Rusty Cooley
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Click here for a printer-friendly version of "A New Direction: Four to Six Note Per String Scales & Ideas".
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Hi and welcome. This column is hopefully going to give you some new ideas and insight to how you approach your scales and licks.
This time our topic is 4 to 6 note per string scales. That means using all four fingers on your left hand and your middle and ring finger of your right hand. This technique will definitely take some getting use to and can be painful at first, so take it slow.
Example 1:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------8--10--12--13--12----
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------5--7--9--10--9--7--5/7--9--10--12-----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---5--7--8--10----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------12--13--15--17--15--13--12------------------------
10--8/10--12--13--15------------------------------15--13--12--10\8------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10--12--13--12--10--8---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------12--10--9--7\5--7--9--10--9--7--5----------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------10--8--7--5---
Example 1 - Slow - MP3
Example 1 - Fast - MP3
Example 1 is an A natural minor sequence; be sure you use all four fingers of your left hand. The only sliding you do is when you change positions. This sequence can be applied to any major or minor scale.
Example 2:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------5--7--9--10--9--7--5/7--9--10--12--10--9--7----------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--5--7--8--10-----------------------------------------------12------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------8--10--12--13--12--10--8/10--12------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------7--9--10--12---------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
10--8--7--8--10--12-----------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------12-------
13--15--13--12--10-----------------------------10--12--13--15-----------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------14--12--10--9--10--12--14---------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
13--15--17--15--13--12/13--15--17--19--17--15--13-----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------17--16--14--12/14----
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------|
16--17--19--17--16--14---------------------|
-------------------------------------------|
------------------------19--17--15--14/12--|
-------------------------------------------|
Example 2 - Slow - MP3
Example 2 - Fast - MP3
Examples 2 and 3 are just other ways to expand on the ideas. I am also playing all the examples legato, but you can pick them if you like.
Example 3:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------12--14--16--17/14--16--17--19------------------14----
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---12--14--15--17---------------------------------14--15--17--19--------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------15--17--19--20/17--19--20--22-------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
16--17--19---------------------------------16--17--19--21--17--19-------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------|
-----------------------------------------------|
21--22-----------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------19--|
--------17--19--20--22/19--20--22--24----------|
---------------------------------------17------|
Example 3 - Slow - MP3
Example 3 - Fast - MP3
Example 4:
|------------------------
|------------------------
|------------------------
|----------------t-------
|--7--9--10--12--14------
|------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------t---t---t-------
t---t----------------------------t---t---9--10--12--14--16--17--16------
15--14--12--10--9--7--9--10--12--14--15---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------t---t----------------
---------------------------t---t---11--12--14--16--17--19--16--14-------
14--12--10--9--10--12--14--16--17---------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------t---t---t-------------------
--------------------t---t---13--15--17--19--20--22--20--19--17--15------
12--11--12--14--16--17--19----------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
t t t
----------------t---t---15--17--19--20--22--24--22--20--19--17--15------
13--15--17--19--20--22--------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
t t
17--19--20--22--24--|
--------------------|
--------------------|
--------------------|
--------------------|
--------------------|
Example 4 - Slow - MP3
Example 4 - Fast - MP3
Example 4 is a 6 note per sting E natural minor run. Four notes with the left hand and 2 notes with your right hand using your middle and ring fingers.
Example 5:
|---------------------------------------7--10-------
|-------------------------------t---t---------------
|---------------------7--9--12--14--15--------------
|-------------t---t---------------------------------
|--7--10--12--13--14--------------------------------
|---------------------------------------------------
t t t
12--15--17--15---------------------------------------|
----------------t---t--------------------------------|
----------------15--14--12--9--7---------------------|
----------------------------------t---t--------------|
----------------------------------14--13--12--10--7--|
-----------------------------------------------------|
Example 5 - Slow - MP3
Example 5 - Fast - MP3
Example 5 is a cool way to approach your blues scales. This example is an E blues scale, 3 notes with the left hand and 2 notes with the right. This can also be applied to all the other blues positions.
Well, that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it! I would love to hear any comments you have about the lesson.
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