How To Easily Play Across the Fretboard

How To Easily Play Across The Entire Fretboard

Discover ↓

• How to “extend” your master roadmap beyond the limits of the 7 major scale patterns so you can hit all the right notes and sound good across the entire fretboard – extending to every edge of your guitar neck.

(video)

Do This → Action Steps ↓

1. Watch the entire video to learn how to extend your master roadmap to both ends of your fretboard. Do NOT move on to the next step until you are clear in your mind – just from watching the video – of how to extend the master roadmap. In other words, you want to know how it works and what we’re doing BEFORE you pick up your guitar. If you have to re-watch this video 2, 3, or even 4 times, do it. Your understanding will only deepen.
2. Begin in the key of F Major (this means note “1” will be on the “F” note on the low E (fattest) string, which is the 1st fret). Using the NUMBERS of the one string scale as a guide, play each major scale pattern (“up” in pitch, then back “down”) in order. Start with major scale pattern 1, and play it in ascending order (going up in pitch), then in reverse (going down in pitch). Next, move to major scale pattern 2, making sure you start on note “2” of the one string scale. Play each major scale pattern, one at a time, in similar fashion until you complete major scale pattern 7. Then, INSTEAD OF STARTING OVER, simply continue going “up” in pitch along the one string scale to continue playing your major scale patterns. With your FIRST FINGER on note “7” of the one string scale, simply slide your first finger “up” in pitch (toward your body) one fret to note “1” along the one string scale. This note “1” will be exactly one “octave” higher in pitch than the note “1” that you started on. It will also be the same “letter” note you started on. In this case, since we’re in the key of  “F Major”, note “1” is “F”. So by the time you reach note “1” one octave higher than where you started, that note will also be an “F” note. From this “new” note “1”, continue to use the NUMBERS along the one string scale to play each major scale pattern one at a time until you run out of frets. Practice step 2 until you’re clear on exactly what to do, and you can play all the major scale patterns in order, starting on “F” on the low E string (1st fret), then playing each major scale pattern (starting on the correct numbers along the one string scale) all the way “up” your guitar neck (toward your body) until you run out of frets. It’s COMPLETELY FINE if this step takes you a couple days, or a couple of weeks. There is NO RUSH!
3. AFTER you have completed step 2, you’re simply going to repeat step 2 for other keys. However, you will also play the major scale patterns in REVERSE order until you run out of frets (since, in other keys, note “1” will no longer start on the 1st fret). Start in the key of A Major (this means note “1” will be on the 5th fret on the low E (fattest) string). Just as in step 2, play each major scale pattern (starting with major scale pattern 1) in order, one at a time. Making sure you start each pattern on the correct NUMBER along the one string scale, continue playing each major scale pattern “up” the guitar neck (toward your body) until you run out of frets, or can no longer move higher because the body of your guitar is in the way. Then, starting on whichever major scale pattern you left off on, play the patterns back “down” the guitar neck (away from your body) in reverse order. For example, if you left off on major scale pattern 5, simply play the patterns in reverse order (in this case, you’d play pattern 4, then pattern 3, then pattern 2, then pattern 1) making sure to start each pattern on the correct NUMBER along the one string scale. When you arrive back where you started (on “A”, or note “1” – 5th fret on the low E (fattest) string), simply continue to follow the numbers along the one string scale in reverse order, playing each major scale pattern as you go. This means, after you “land on” note “1” again (after playing the major scale patterns “up” the neck, then back down to where you started) continue playing the major scale patterns in “backwards” order (moving away from your body) until you run out of frets. If you’re already on note “1”, this means you’ll move “down” in pitch (away from your body) to note “7” (4th fret). Then play major scale pattern 7 in ascending and descending order. Then move along the one string scale (away from your body) to note “6” (2nd fret). Then play major scale pattern 6 in ascending and descending order. Then continue moving “down” the one string scale (away from your body) to note “5”, which in this case will be the open string. You can play major scale pattern 5 here if you want to, but it is not required. Do NOT move on to the next step until you are clear on exactly how to play all the major scale patterns in order moving “up” the fretboard (toward your body) until you run out of frets, and then back down the fretboard (away from your body) until you run out of frets.
4. Repeat step 3 for the following major keys: G Major, B Major, C Major. Do NOT move on to the next lesson until you have completed every step of this lesson.