Flow Across the Neck Without Thinking

How to Play Across the Entire Fretboard Without Thinking

Discover ↓

• How to “start” any major scale pattern from any string, no matter where you are on the fretboard; and
• How to ingrain the muscle memory of the major scale patterns into your fingers and ears so no matter where you are on the fretboard, your fingers AUTOMATICALLY play the right notes you hear in your head so you can express yourself all across the fretboard with no “restrictions” or “limitations”

(video)

Do This → Action Steps ↓

1. Watch this entire video at least two times so you get a clear idea of how to use the freedom key system to play any of the major scale patterns starting on any string, anywhere on the fretboard. You may want to (and I would encourage you to) go back and review the “freedom key system” lesson.

2. For this lesson, you’re not necessarily going to practice improvising. (Although you can use this lesson to help you in your improvising). What we’re going to work on is increasing your “fretboard vision” so you can more easily “see” where to improvise using the right notes in the future. Here’s what we’re going to do. Start major scale pattern 1 on “A” on the low E string (5th fret). As you play Major scale pattern 1, COUNT THE NUMBERS OUT LOUD as you play them – but ONLY play “up” to note number 8 (really note number 1, just 1 octave higher than where you started. When you play this note, say “1” out loud instead of “8”). Practice “playing and saying” the NUMBERS of major scale pattern 1 out loud three or four times until you’re comfortable with where the numbers are.

   What we’re going to do next is find a specific number on the different strings (one string at a time), then play the major scale pattern associated with that number. For example, say you picked number 4 (out of the numbers in major scale pattern 1 that you were just “playing and saying”). What “letter note” is this? In this case, it would be a “D” note. This means, anywhere you find a “D” note on your fretboard, it will be note number 4. Now the question is… which MAJOR SCALE PATTERN starts on note number 4? It’s Major scale pattern 4, of course! Remember, Major scale pattern 1 always starts on note number 1, major scale pattern 2 always starts on note number 2, major scale pattern 3 always starts on note number 3, and so on. So here’s what to do now. One string at a time, you’re going to find a “D” note on that string, then since “D” is note number 4, you’re going to play major scale pattern 4 starting from that “D” note you found – and since you’re not starting on the Low E string anymore, you have to make sure to account for (shift up one fret) the “warp zone”. From whichever “D” note you start on, from whichever string, you’d play major scale pattern 4 in ascending order (going up in pitch), making sure you shift up one fret at the warp zone, until you run out of strings. Of course, you will have more or less strings to play depending on which string you start on. After you find note 4 (the “D” note) on at least THREE DIFFERENT STRINGS, and then play major scale pattern 4 from that note, then repeat the process with a different NUMBER. Go back to major scale pattern 1 starting on “A” on the low E string, then pick a different number, say number 2. Repeat the process of finding out what the “letter note” is for note number 2, then finding note number 2 on different strings and playing major scale pattern 2 from each “note number 2” you find. Make sure to account for the warp zone. The more you repeat this process, the more sense it will all make, and the more the “big picture” will come together so that the entire fretboard makes complete and total sense. This gives you the freedom to move around the fretboard and never have to worry or think about where you are.

3. Repeat step 2 for the following NUMBERS (from major scale pattern 1 starting on “A” on the low E string): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. DISCLAIMER – this step may begin to get boring or repetitive. But I encourage you to DO IT ANYWAY! This is one of the highest value items you can practice on your guitar. By the end of this process, you will have a “vision” of the fretboard that 99% of guitar players on the planet never see!