ONE FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND, Part 1 from THE 1234 GUITAR SYSTEM

i

The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

ONE FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HANDTHE 1-2-3-4 GUITAR SYSTEM by - Jim Ross *Also available* 2 FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND 3 FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND 4 FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND THE 1-2-3-4 GUITAR SYSTEM COMPLETE SERIES J.S.BACHs DOUBLE CONCERTO FOR 4 GUITARS *with many more titles available soon* Part 1 of a 4 part Series:

All four books of this series contain unique material. is system is designed to maximize the potential within each nger grouping. While introducing new material in each book, it builds on information learned in each preceding book. While you can gain a lot from any one of these books on their own, it is recommended that you work through all 4 of them for the best possible results.

iii


*********************************************** This 1-2-3-4 Series is dedicated to the love of music and guitars! And to the education and advancement of guitar music.

All transcriptions, exercise material, layout design, formatting, & typesetting done by Jim Ross. Cover Art & Original artwork created by Mark Cooper. See more of his work here: www.markcooperart.com Original artwork also by my brother, tattoo artist Barrett Nevins. Original artwork in Interval Analysis section by Gruesome.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding this Book contact: [email protected]

2012 SEOTCI PUBLICATIONS, INC.

v


ONE FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND by -Jim RossPAGE # INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------- 1 FORM & PRACTICE TIPS ------------------------------------------ 2 Fretting Notes ----------------------------------------------------- 2 Arching Fingers --------------------------------------------------- 3 Thumb Position --------------------------------------------------- 4 Your Posture -------------------------------------------------------6 What About Tuning? ----------------------------------------------8 The 3 Basic Principles of Motion --------------------------------10 Thoughts on Sliding ----------------------------------------------11 Thoughts on Picking --------------------------------------------- 11 ONE FINGER EXERCISES ------------------------------------------ 16 Exercise Format -------------------------------------------------- 18 PARALLEL MOTION ------------------------------------------------ 20 Parallel Motion part 1 -------------------------------------------- 20 String Skipping --------------------------------------------------- 26 An Introduction to Interval Analysis ---------------------------- 42 Parallel Motion part 2--------------------------------------------- 44 REVERSE MOTION -------------------------------------------------- 62 Reverse Motion part 1 -------------------------------------------- 62 Reverse Motion part 2 -------------------------------------------- 82 ALTERNATING MOTION ------------------------------------------- 98 Alternating Motion part1 ----------------------------------------- 98 Alternating Motion part2 ---------------------------------------- 120 FINAL NOTES ------------------------------------------------------ 136 My Intentions ----------------------------------------------------- 136 Closing Thoughts -------------------------------------------------135 BONUS MATERIAL ------------------------------------------------- 140 Applying Multiple Fingers -------------------------------------- 141 Real Music ------------------------------------------------------- 142 J.S. Bach - BWV 1048 allegro ----------------------------------- 144 Beethoven - Symphony #5 --------------------------------------- !46 Mozart - Piano Sonata #16 -------------------------------------- 148

ONE FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND

vii


S

o whats all this 1 finger stuff about? In short, this study is designed to maximize the ability & facility within each of your fretting hand fingers independently of each other. Its a pretty simple concept. But I believe that the majority of players out there dont really utilize all of their fingers. Its likely that one or two fingers are responsible for all of the fretted notes in most of the things that they play. There is a huge capacity for each finger to play incredible music, so why not exploit that potential ability in each finger? Consider the left-hand technique of some of the greatest guitarists. Some of the passages they play through are extremely dicult to play. Think about some dicult chordal lines played by greats like Andres Segovia, Joe Pass, or Leo Kottke for example. All three of these players are immensely talented, but they all play completely different styles of music. One common factor is that their left-hand technique is extremely smooth & ecient. The ability to play a bass-line, a chord, and a melody simultaneously is no easy task. But all three of these legendary players do it with amazing precision and seamless grace. Again, its not an easy task. But, their collection of musical works (along with many others greats) are a testament that shows us that hard work, and earnest focus can result in great feats of seemingly inhuman ability.

Introduction

Now consider another great: the inspirational jazz legend Django Reinhardt. Django suffered the loss of two fingers and partial paralysis in one leg in a tragic fire. And incredibly, he went on to make a name for himself as one of the greatest guitarist in history. He did this with the use of only 2 of his fretting hand fingers. He played dicult music that many people cant play with all four of their fingers in good working condition. The determination he must have had to achieve what he did is astounding! It just goes to show that people often overlook the potential that they actually may have. Its a shame that so many people take for granted their abilities, and never realize even a small fraction of what they are capable of. So all that said; with determination, dedication, and focus, you may be able to unlock whatever talent that may be lying dormant & untapped inside of you. This study is for anyone who wishes to better themselves and push the envelope of their own ability. And I hope to present you with a thorough reference guide that will enable you to explore your guitar from a few angles you may not have looked from before. This system and methodology is designed to de-mystify various often over-looked possibilities & qualities within the scope of your stringed instrument! Good luck, and have fun!!!

-Jim Ross

1

FORM & PRACTICE TIPSBefore we get started, I just wanted to say a few things regarding proper form in the hopes of you gaining good practice habits. Lets face it, if you plan on spending a lot of time, or any time at all on these studies, you should make sure you are doing them in the best form possible. Because we all want the best results for our time and effort spent right? Of course! So try to keep in mind that practice is a habit-forming endeavor. If you practice something wrong, or not properly, it may result in stifling your progress. So if you stay focused on what you are doing, and hold true to maintaining proper form & technique the best that you can, it will serve you well! Ensure that each time you fret a note your finger is directly seated behind (almost on top of) the next fret. For example, if you are fretting the 2nd fret (on any string) your finger should actually be touching the back side of the 2nd fret (but not going over it). Theres generally a lot of space to fit the tip of your finger in the area of a fret, but be sure to push your finger to the backside of each fret. This results in the best possible intonation and clearest, best sustained note that you can play. Consider the fact that if you fret a note and you push down too hard, it will invariably bend your note sharp & out-of-tune. Additionally, be careful not to bend your string at all (unless you intend to) because it WILL make your note sound out-of-tune. It takes a little finesse and a good ear to do this properly, but it really is important to the quality of each and every note that you play, so keep it in mind. When you play certain chord shapes or scale patterns it may become more of a challenge for you to keep perfect form. So be careful, use your ears, and watch out for those sour notes.*To the left is an example of bad fret position/ and to the right is the correct way*

FRETTING NOTES

2

As you are fretting notes, pay attention to the way your fingers are arched. They should be slightly curved in a way in which your fingertip is the ONLY part of your finger that is touching the string. This is important because youll notice that with poorly arched fingers, the flesh of your fingers will touch other adjacent strings. This is something you want to avoid unless you are fretting chords (or muting in some cases). In general; when fretting single notes you want to hit the fret & string you are aiming for ONLY, without touching any other fret or string. Youll notice if you dont adhere to this, youll accidentally make string noises (pops, clanks, clicks, etc...) that you did not intend. And obviously that will take away from the notes that you ARE trying to play.

ARCHING YOUR FINGERS

If you use proper thumb positioning it will help you to play on your fingertips with a relaxed arch shape.

3


THUMB POSITIONINGAdditionally, you should pay close attention to were your thumb is on the neck by thinking about your horizontal & vertical positioning on the back of the fretboard. Keep in mind that while your fingers are fretting the notes, your thumb is holding your position solid and maintaining balance in your hand.

Horizontal positioning is where your thumb is in relation to your middle finger. Maybe you will find your thumb closer to the 1st (index or i finger) or maybe closer to your 3rd (ring or a finger), etc... I like to think of my thumb and 2nd finger (middle or m finger) as a sort of paired couple. And when they are parallel with each other they make for a great centered hand position. With good solid form, your thumb & 2nd finger should form a vice-like shape. In other words, it should also resemble the shape you would make if you were to pinch something between your thumb and middle finger. So keep that in mind as you move linear shapes (up the neck towards the bridge, or down the neck towards the nut), as well as moving from string to string: You can (and SHOULD) experiment with this. KEEP YOUR THUMB & MIDDLE FINGER CLOSE IN THE FORM OF A PINCH. ****************************************************************************** With certain kinds of stretches & fingerings you may find that you want to shift it a little one way or the other. When you start playing through these exercises, applying one finger at a time, youll find the position of your thumb will tend to lean towards the finger you are playing with. For example; when you play these exercises with your 1st finger only, your hand will feel more balanced if it is pinching your thumb to your 1st finger. When you play with your 2nd finger, your thumb will pinch that finger. As with your 3rd finger, your thumb will pinch more towards that finger. However, youll likely find that your thumb wont naturally stretch & pinch past your 3rd finger when fretting with your 4th finger (little or e finger). Youll get the feel of it once you start running through these exercises one finger at a time. But as you start using all four of your fingers in various combinations (aside from this one finger study), youll find that your 2nd finger is generally the best to pinch your thumb to for maintaining good form & balance.4

Horizontal positioning

Vertical positioning is where your thumb is in relation to the top (E6) or bottom (E1) string on the back side of the neck. In general, it is good practice to center your thumb in the middle of the neck. With practice & time your hand will stretch much easier if you position your thumb closer to the bottom (E1) string. And you will find that the arch in your fingers will feel more natural in this position as well. With this approach the thumb would be tucked up tight on the under-side of the neck with your wrist straight. You should always keep your wrist straight as possible with your hand. hand And alternately youll find that some chord shapes are easier to execute when your thumb is shifted more towards the top (E6) string. And actually, right up over your neck & onto your fretboard in some cases is best with certain chords & bends. Again, experiment with this and you will find what works best for you.

Vertical positioning

Additionally, in some instances like when you use barre chords, etc... you can angle your thumb to about a 45 degree angle to better grip your fret board. Try to keep your thumb position in mind often.The image on the left shows a decent grip with the thumb and middle finger relatively parallel to each other in terms of horizontal positioning. horizontal positioning

The image on the right shows an example of vertical positioning where your thumb is closer to your little string, allowing for easier finger stretching & arch.

5


Everyone is built and shaped a little differently, so youll need to find what suits you best regarding all of these recommended positions. But in general, these positions are all a good rule of thumb, or at least a good starting point for you. Maintaining good posture will be invaluable to you while practicing. This is true especially when you are new to playing guitar. It can be very awkward to hold and position your hands on the neck when first learning to play. You will want to keep an upright stance (whether seated or standing) with your shoulders back, your feet squarely beneath you, your fretting arms elbow tucked in towards your side, & your wrist straight with your hand. If you do these things, you will be right where you need to be to play the guitar properly.

YOUR POSTURE

6

YOUR FINGERS & TAB/NOTATIONEach finger is identified in music, especially flamenco, classical, bluegrass, or other finger-style guitar playing as the following:

o = (p ) or thumb 1 = ( i ) or index finger 2 = (m) or middle finger 3 = ( a ) or ring finger 4 = ( e ) or little/pinky finger

thumb

1st nger

2nd nger

3rd nger

4th nger

This applies to both your right and left hands, regardless of if you are right or left handed.Most of the exercises & examples in these books refer to the fingers as 1-2-3-4. The TAB reads as: E6 is the big (low pitched) guitar string shown on the bottom line. The E1 is the small (high pitched) string shown on the top line. See below: *standard notation- (the top staff ) shows the rhythm* & suggested* fingers*E1E1 B G D A E6

1 2 3 4

2

4 3 4 4 3 2 1 (2)

3

2

1

1

E6

*standard TAB- (the bottom staff ) shows the fret numbers. *Time Signature- 4/4 means four 1/4 note beats per measure * *in this book there are no suggested fingerings, because only One Finger is used*7 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

This book is designed for the common 6 string guitar with standard tuning: E6-A-D-G-B-E1- as it is the most common & universal tuning used today. However, the modern use of multiple stringed instruments, various tunings, as well as alternate fretting configurations are seen more often these days. But you can still make use of the ideas presented in these studies with any of those tunings and configurations. That would include 7, 8, 9 string, and all other guitar & bass guitar string variations. And to a lesser degree, any instrument with strings: violins, cellos, banjos, sitars, and maybe even an erhu or any other exotic equivalent. These exercises are mostly Motion based material. Meaning that the tone & specific note is not as important as the actual pattern of Motion that your hand makes. There is TAB & standard notation included in this Series, so the material could potentially be adapted as motion studies for the piano, brass, woodwind, and other instruments as well. The application here is a broad one! These Books are mainly concerned with the literal motion of your hands and fingers opposed to melodic or harmonic consideration. So that makes for a very adaptable study across all genres as well as cultures of music.

WHAT ABOUT TUNING?

Below is a 31 9-string custom built by Ron Sword. For more information about microtonal & custom temperament guitars, see: WWW.SWORDGUITARS.COM

The only real exception to the universality is in the part 2 of each of the Parallel, Reverse, & Alternating sections where harmonic intervals are discussed and applied.

8

*Above is a multi-scale 9-string 16-tone custom built. *To the left is a chunk of overtones 24-48 guitar.

*Below is a 16-tone piano.

9


THE 3 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MOTIONThe idea of motion in a musical context is a relatively simple one. Motion can be broken down in 3 basic ways:

You stay put on the current note you are on without ascending or descending. So basically, there is no intervallic motion involved. Theres just a solid drone, or an anticipation of movement to a new interval.

You descend in pitch to an interval lower than the one you were previously on. This gives you the falling, almost relaxing quality. But the key tensions will ultimately play a bigger role in tension & resolution, more so than motion alone will. You ascend in pitch to an interval higher than the previous note you played. This will alternately give you a sense of climbing & excitement. But again, key tensions & resolutions will play the biggest role here.

In short: you stay put, ascend, or descend. Any combination of those 3.10

You will need to use some sort of picking technique to play through all of this. But since this Series is made up of mainly fretting hand exercises, I will leave it up to you to pick however you want to. I will dedicate a little more attention to the mechanics of picking in the other books in this Series as they apply to the specific exercises. But I will briefly suggest a few picking approaches to help get you going. You could play finger-style; using any of your picking hand fingers in any combination you choose. You could potentially ghost hammer every single fret. This would eliminate the need to pick entirely, but it is a lot less accurate of an attack. I would suggest however, (instead of those) that you simply play everything with a pick. Do EVERYTHING with strict down-strokes. Do it ALL again with strict up-strokes. And then do it ALL AGAIN with alternate picking (apply strict & also economy picking patterns). I dont want to go deep into picking technique at this point, but I do not want to downplay the importance of synchronizing your picking hand with your fretting hand as you practice these exercises either. Its easy to get focused TOO MUCH on your fretting hand, especially as the exercises become more dicult. But keep a conscious awareness of your picking hand as you move through this study. You may find that your picking hand is the problem that is keeping you from executing these exercises when things dont sound right; while your fretting hand is doing exactly as its told. You may want to work at your picking hand on its own if you find it is keeping you from playing these exercises. But then again, these are GREAT exercises to work on the picking hand as well.

THOUGHTS ON PICKING

*************************************************************************

You will notice while working through the exercises that you will have a tendency to slide your fingers from fret to fret, especially because of the chromatic nature of these finger drills. Actually, Id recommend both: doing all of this study with & without sliding. Its a great way to practice sliding from position to position, so by all means, do it! You should play through all of this with special care to raise your finger and re-plant it on the following fret without the sliding motion. Pay attention to the movements that your fingers make as you move from note to note. It should sort of feel like you are snapping your finger into place with a machine-like motion each time you re-fret the next note. But again, try out both the sliding & non-sliding variaitons, and give a little thought to the feel & effect that each way of playing has. Be creative with it! Use your imagination & try to combine both variations. Then add them into your own music & playing style.11 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

THOUGHTS ON SLIDING

THE ONE FINGER APPROACHEach exercise is to be played with only ONE finger at a time. With all the proper techniques mentioned in the Form & Practice Tips section applied, you should exhaust every exercise in each section with each of your fingers. ************************************************************************* Start with your index finger (i or 1st) and play everything through. Next move onto your middle finger (m or 2nd) and play everything through again. Move on to your ring finger (a or 3rd) and play everything through another time. And then repeat once more with your pinky (e or 4th). ************************************************************************* Alternately, and/or additionally you can play one exercise at a time. Play each exercise 4 times in a row, alternating each finger for each of the four repeats. Then continue to work through every exercise that way. Obviously there are many ways you can repeat these exercises, and you can cycle each finger in different ways. I would encourage you to come up with your own routines, and explore as many versions of them as you can. You will likely find that: your 1st finger is the strongest, the 2nd is slightly less strong, the 3rd even less strong, and your 4th probably the weakest. Of course everybody is different and there are always exceptions. The idea here is to utilize each of your fingers independently, and with total control. You want each of your fingers to do what you tell them to with no help and with no resistance from any of your other idle fingers.12

Once you get the hang of doing this ONE FINGER routine, you will be much better equipped to start combining your other fingers to work as a complete unit. And this is the long-term goal of practicing these exercises: to have fingers conditioned so that they can play ANY musical passage with conviction. To do this, you will need to be able to execute any conceivable fingering pattern or combination thrown in your direction; no matter how dicult or complicated. The key here is to isolate each finger and run it through drills and exercises that tackle as many musical scenarios and potential fingerings as possible. You will notice that certain patterns relate to previous patterns. They are all practically identical exercises, but they build into more & more complex patterns as you move through this study. Although this may seem like I am overstating the obvious with the repetition of these exercises, it is important to actually get a visual, or mental image of the shapes and patterns in their entirety. Ive had a few welcomed epiphanies regarding the connection of musically related elements many times before that were the result of me writing down various musical sequences, and then actually looking at the shape of what I had written down. I find that written music has this strange aesthetic symmetry to it, sometimes. Its at least interesting to look at the physical form of something that is generally only heard & not seen. So viewing repetitive material is not entirely a waste of your time, and can actually be insightful. In the process you sort of burn these images of form into your mind. And I believe this strongly reinforces your understanding of musical form as a whole. With massive repetition, youll start to identify all of the underlying patterns within these exercises. Additionally, youll get a feel for the actual range each exercise has to offer; how far you can take them in any direction before they exhaust themselves. Its an extremely meticulous study that pays mind to a seemingly endless series of variations. But the more time you spend with this study (and music in general) the more you will realize its all like a puzzle; the more pieces you fit together, the more you will be able to see the big picture, the more that your understanding will grow, and the more things will start to make sense to you. And oddly:

The more that you learn, the more that you learn that you need to learn MORE13


THE ONE FINGER APPROACH continuedAnd while getting a mental workout -realizing the relation between intervals of notes, being able to visualize shapes & how they fit together, what sounds that they create, etc...; you will also be simultaneously working out your hand muscles from every angle. It is very similar to how a body-builder would isolate & exercises each individual muscle, then works them together as a group. This sort of approach will truly build on the mechanical & physical side of your playing, which is a huge obstacle to overcome. But with hard work, discipline, & quality time spent with your guitar & these exercises, youll find that you are able to confidently work through any physical limitations imposed by dicult music. Ive included very complex and unconventional fingerings & patterns in this study. You may think: I will NEVER use that in a musical situation. Probably not, I would agree for a lot of this stuff that you probaby wont. But the idea is simple; IF you can play extremely dicult passages accurately through a battery of exercises, you will find that playing things in a far simpler musical context will be less of a challenge for you. This will allow you to relax and play music without struggling or straining to play the tougher parts. These exercises are NOT really musical at all! Although these exercises may have some musical merit in certain contexts, they largely have NO MUSICAL VALUE. So why would you bother with them at all? Simply put: so your mind, your ideas, & your creativity will not be stifled by your physical limitations. Thats the whole of it. You may have the greatest music ever heard bouncing around inside of your head, but if your fingers & hands dont allow you to play those sounds, then that will prove to be very frustrating to you. So the goal here is to achieve maximum physical ability that way you can play any sequence of sounds that you can possibly imagine. Okay, back to the NOT musical at all bit. So you pay your dues, and now you can play practically anything on a mechanical level, now what? Well its time to dive deep into scales, chords, rhythm, and phrasings theory. This is where youll start to really grasp melody, harmony, & various feels, grooves, styles, etc... But you will likely be able to move quickly through this process. Because now that you have a solid grasp on almost every conceivable fingering pattern, youll see that all these scales & chords are just made up of a combination of simple patterns. Its a lot like how a complex machine is no more than the combination of a bunch of simple machines put together. Musically, everything can be broken down into its bare, fundamental parts. So even something that seems extremely complicated can be dissected into smaller bite-size pieces, and better understood. And this Series shows you how to break it all down.14

The ONE FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND study is a mere primer for things to come in the following Books. Theres 285+ examples to keep you busy for at least a little while in this Book alone. Once you get used to the format, youll find its pretty easy to memorize all of this. And knowing something by memory is much more useful than relying on a book to remind you what you are supposed to be playing. You want to develop your musical instinct so you can play things right off the cuff & you need to feel confident to pull that off. Carefully executed repetitions of all these various exercises will build that confidence. This Series gives you a fairly thorough look at all the subjects you are likely to encounter regarding hand motion. Improvisation and writing are both a lot like carrying on a verbal conversation. The more ways you know how to say something, and the more subjects you understand; the more interesting and expressive your conversation is likely to be. The more you can rely on your insticts & musical vocabulary, the less you have to think before you play. And the less you have to think, the more you can just enjoy playing your guitar! *********************************************************************************** Music is an amazing artform that has a unique way of expressing the entire range of human emotion, and to express the inexpressible through the combination of sounds. From the most subtle to the most extreme combinations, this alchemy of sound, these waveforms in motion penetrate, literally into our hearts and minds. In effect, it has the capacity for leaving major impacts on us, and the world around us. It truly is a force to be reckoned with! The tools are all basically the same. A musician is a lot like a painter; you only have so many techniques & colors to work with and blend to suit your needs. You can choose any combination you wish to express whatever it is you feel inspired enough to express. Ive met so many radically different personalities in various artists who possess amazing talent in their mediums. One beauty of art & music is the degree in which anything can be expressed. In these books, I hope to give you all the helpful tools that I can to help you along the road to fulfilling your musical goals, dreams, & aspirations.

LOOKING FORWARD

Its

not the destination, but the journey that counts

And while this really is true, I think we all want to ARRIVE at our destination at the end of the day. Enjoy your studies! I wish you the best of luck & sincerely thank you for your time.15 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

ONE FINGER EXERCISESe One Finger Exercises are split up into 3 sections: Parallel Motion, Reverse Motion, & Alternating Motion. ey are quite literally just how they sound when you are playing through them- as you will see & hear in the following pages.

Parallel- in this case, means the exercises will run in a motion that flows in the same direction throughout the entire passage. Reverse- the exercises will flow one way in one direction, then turn around the opposite way as it returns. Alternating- the exercises will flow back & forth between Parallel & Reverse Motions as you play through each pattern.

16

Now lets take a look at these exercises!!!

17


THE EXERCISE FORMATIn example (A) you see a simple fretting example that starts on the top (E6) on the 1st fret. You play the 1st fret on each string, moving down from string to string until you reach the bottom (E1). Then you simply work your way back to the top string again. And example (B) simply goes in the opposite direction of example (A).

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

The forms of example (A) and (B) are the basis in which all of the following exercises will follow. Its a basic flow of ascending from string to string, then descending in the same way. You will find that all of the following exercises are formatted exactly the same way.

18

Each of the 3 sections are divided into 2 parts: linear style & arpeggio style. All 3 sections are also numbered identically for convenience. ************************************************************************* Part 1 - linear exercises 1 - 65, consist of 5 groupings of 13 exercises each. Including single string crossing and multiple string skipping exercises. Part 2 - arpeggio exercises 66 - 95, consist of 30 various arpeggio exercises. is section also includes an introduction to Interval Analysis. Exercises (1) through (13x) are grouped together. To clarify: you should be starting exercise (1) by fretting the 1st & then the 2nd fret in an ascending motion with one finger shifting up one fret per string (1-2), and then you move to the next string and repeat. Next in exercise (2) you repeat the same thing, only with a descending finger pattern instead (2-1). As you move forward to (3) you repeat the same exact process, but you add 1 additional fret to the sequence (1-2-3 & 3-2-1 patterns). As you move on you will exhaust all frets up to the 7th fret and beyond: 1-2-3-4 (4s), 1-2-3-4-5 (5s), 1-2-3-4-5-6 (6s), 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 (7s), etc... ************************************************************************* Once you reach exercise (13x) you should understand clearly how these exercises are relative to each other. From that point you can continue up to (and beyond) the 12th fret if you are ambitious enough to do so. ************************************************************************* So you just progressively add more frets: (3s) (4s) (5s) (6s) (7s) as you go. Then continue through (8s), (9s), (10s), (11s), (12s), etc... I stopped notating the exercises once you reach the 7th fret, to avoid being excessively redundant. This does not mean that you have to stop there. Your guitar likely has 20, 22, 24, or more frets. So you can (and should) continue this exercise as high as you can reach. I have suggested that you work up to the 12th fret & higher at the end of each section. These are all indicated in the same way in the (__x) exercises: (13x), (26x), (39x), (52x), and (65x) shown at the end of each group. ************************************************************************************************************************************************************

*************************************************************************19 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

The main focus here is to get comfortable with shifting positions and moving around the neck comfortably one finger at a time.

This section is formatted exactly the same way for both of the REVERSE and ALTERNATING MOTION sections. All of the exercises ascend & descend through each of the frets (1-2-3-4-5-6-7, etc...12+). They all have: single, double, triple, & quadruple string skipping variations in the same exact manner as will be demonstrated in the following pages. This section has a continuous flow of ascending from string to string, then descending with the same fretting pattern. ************************************************************************* Execute each fret fingering properly as explained in the FORM & PRACTICE TIPS sections. *************************************************************************

PARALLEL MOTION

( (part 1)

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

Notice in Exercise (1) and (2) that you ascend string to string from your low (E6) string to your high (E1) string. Then you simply descend from the (E1) string to the (E6) string with the same exact fretting pattern. You can see how it works clearly in the TAB & notation examples, but to further clarify: In exercise (1) you ascend from string to string with the (1-2) shaped fretting pattern & descend from string to string with a (1-2) fretting pattern as well. And you do this all One Finger at a time. The rest of this section continues the same way, as do the other 2 sections.20

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3

2

3

1

2

3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

3 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1

2

1

3

2

1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

21


1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4

2

3

4

1

2

3

4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

4 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

3

2

1

4

3

2

1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

22

5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

6

5

4

3

2

1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

23


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Exercise (13x), continue up through frets 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, +, etc... ascend & descend just like in the previous exercises. These will obviously be your biggest position shifts. So as you move farther up the fretboard, be careful to accurately fret each note. Try your best to play each note with conviction and purpose.

12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

24

You will likely find that one of the toughest parts of these exercises is the shift from string to string, especially as you start fretting frets: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, etc... When you are doing the (7s) exercises and you reach the 7th fret, you have to immediately drop down to the 1st fret on the next string & continue on. You need to do this smoothly, eciently, and without missing a beat. When you are making these wide transitions, you should pay close attention to exactly how you are shifting your hand from position to position. First of all though; be sure to BREATH & RELAX! You never want to tense up when playing music in general, because obviously this will only work against you. And be careful not to make any string noise as you shift up or down to the next position. Take a minute to actually think about how far you are physically moving your hand with each position shift. The distance from your 1st fret to your 12th fret is slightly less than 1 foot (12 inches). So this also means that each fret is roughly an inch wide (obviously the frets get smaller as you move up the neck). So a shift from the 7th fret to the 1st is only a motion of about 6 to 7 inches. When you think about it that way, its really not THAT far to shift your hands. The average length of a guitars fretboard is about 18 - 20 inches (give or take). So you can easily see that the largest shifting interval possible is well under 2 feet. *The same principle can be applied to the interval between each string.* If you consider this fact, you will realize that: there is a limited range of motion that you will ever need to utilize in playing a guitar. So if you can train your hand to shift from the 1st fret to the 22nd - 24th fret and vice versa smoothly, then there is no position shift or interval that you wont be able to play with accuracy & control. ******************************************************************************

***Potentially you could go back to the start and repeat the process up to*** this point with each of your other fingers (2nd, 3rd, & 4th fingers). *************************************************************************

A metronome or drum machine is invaluable to help you with your timing, and making sure you are not missing any beats as you play. An additional side note regarding use of a metronome is to think in terms of odd time signatures when & where they apply. For example, in the 5s groupings- you can set your metronome to 5/8 time. When doing the 7s groupings, you can then set your metronome to 7/8 time, etc... Ive notated time signatures with each exercise & would suggest that you use them, or something similar to keep you honest. 5/4 could = 5/8, 6/4 could = 6/8, 7/4 could = 7/8 etc... *only in 5/4 youd have twice as many notes as 5/8 at the same tempo*25 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

STRING SKIPPINGExercise group (14) through (26x) is based on all of the previous exercises. But now we will begin to use string skipping sequences. Basically, you will play the given fingering pattern, and then you skip one string to play the next. Then you fall back a string and repeat the process until you reach the last string. For Example: ***play strings*** E6-D-A-G-D-B-G-E1 then reverse: 1 E -G-B-D-G-A-D-E6

E B G D A E

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

As you move forward through the following groups, you will add larger string skipping motions. For example, in the next group of exercises, you will be skipping over 2 strings instead of one at a time. You then fall back a string, then skip over 2 more strings- back a string, skip 2 more; continuing the same way etc... This process repeats in further groups with triple & quadruple string skipping sequences as well.

E B G D A E

1 1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1

1

1

Each section, ( PARALLEL, REVERSE, & ALTERNATING ) will all be laid out in exactly the same way. So once you get the hang of this 1st section, youll know what to expect for the other 2 sections.

Now, lets move on to the actual string-skipping exercises.26

Exercises (14) through (26x) are based on all the previous exercises. The only difference here is that now you will apply single string skipping to each pattern.

1 1 2

2

1 1 2

2

1 1 2

2

1 1 2

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2

2 2 1

1

2 2 1

1

2 2 1

1

2 2 1

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1

1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3

2

3

1

2

3 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

3 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1

2

1

3

2

1 3 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

27


1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

2

3

4

1

2

3

4 1 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

4 4 4 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

3

2

1

4

3

2

1 4 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 3 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

1 1 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

28

5 5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

5 5 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

29


6 6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

6 5 4 3 2

1 6 5 4 3 2 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

30

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Exercise (26x), continue up through frets 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, +, etc... Ascend & descend just like in the previous exercises. Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc...Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc........

12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

Mere philosophy will not satisfy us. We cannot reach the goal by mere words alone. Without practice, nothing can be achieved. -Swami Satchidananda31 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

Exercises (27) through (39x) follow the same exact flow as previously. But now you are applying double string skipping. ***play strings*** E6-G-A-B-D-E1 then reverse: E1-D-B-A-G-E6 with given frets per string.

1 1 2

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2

2 2 1

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 3 1 2 1 2 3 3 3

3 1 2 3

1 2

3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3 3 1 2 3

3 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 1

2

1 3 2 1

3

2

1 3 3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1

32

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4

2

3

4

1

2

3

4 1 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

4 4 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

3

2

1

4

3

2

1 4 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

33


5 5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

6 5 4 3 2

1 6 5 4 3 2 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

34

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 1

1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

35


Exercises (40) through (52x) continue the same as all previous exercises, but with triple string skipping now. ***play strings*** E6-B-A-E1 then reverse: E1-A-B-E6

1 2 1 2 1 2

1 2

1 2 1 2

1 2 1 2 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

1 1 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3

2

3

1

2

3 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 3

3 3 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1

2

1

3

2

1 3 3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1

1 2 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 1 2 3 4

3

4

1 2

3

4 1 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 3 4

4 3 4 3 4 3 2 1 2 1 4 3 2 1

2

1

4 3

2

1 4 3 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 2 1

36

1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

2

3

4

5

6

1 2

3

4

5

6 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 3 4 5 6

37


6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

6

5

4

3

2

1 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2

3

4

5

6

7

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7

7 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

5

4

3

2

1 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

38


12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

******************************************************************Exercises (53) through (65x) continue the same as all previous exercises, but with quadruple (quad) string skipping. ***play on strings*** E6-E1 then reverse: E1-E6

1

2

1

2

2

1

2

1

1

2

1

2

2

1

2

1

1

2

3

1

2

3

3

2

1

3

2

1

1

2

3

1

2

3

3

2

1

3

2

1

1 2

3

4

1 2

3

4

4

3

2

1

4

3

2

1

1 2

3

4

1 2

3

4

4 3

2

1

4

3

2

1

39


1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

1

2

3

4

5

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

3

4

5

6

1

2

3

4

5

6

6

5

4

3

2

1

6

5

4

3

2

1

6

5

4

3

2

1

6

5

4

3

2

1

1 2 3

4

5

6

7

1 2 3

4

5

6

7

1 2 3

4

5

6

7

1 2 3

4

5

6

7

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

7 6

5

4

3

2

1

7 6

5

4

3

2

1

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

40

For Exercise (65x), Im sure youve got it by now; you continue up the fretboard as far as you can. Etc...etc...etc...etc...etc...etc...etc...

12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

************************************************************************* So now, unless you have 7 or more strings on your guitar, you will have exhausted most string to string combinations in the 1st part of the parallel motion sequences. However, you may have noticed that the string skipping sections have other possible variations to explore as well. For example: With single string skipping, you could use these string flows also: ***play strings*** E6-D-B and return with E1-G-A. Or E6-D-B-A-G-E1 and return with E1-G-A-B-D-E6. With double string skipping, you could use this string flow: ***play strings*** E6-G-D-E1 and return with E1-D-G-E6.

You will nd there are some variations that I havent included in this study. I have exhausted a good deal of them, but I encourage you to ll in any blanks that you may nd in this series.41


An Introduction to

INTERVAL ANALYSIS

42

INTERVALSAt this point you should start to observe the shapes and characteristics of the various intervals. In short, an interval is the distance from one note to another note. Generally when playing in a key (or diatonically) the distance from the root note to the given note is the most important one to remember. However in this study, the intervals are mostly chromatic (non-diatonic). So you should focus more on the sound of moving from fret to fret, or from one note to the next as you play through the various intervals (listed below). Get familiar with the different sounds in all the various intervals you are hearing & playing in these exercises. It will get you thinking more in terms of actual music theory & playing in key rather than just playing a lot of random notes.*********************************************************************************** ***Pay attention to the feeling and the sound created by moving***

************************************************************************* Root 1st- All intervals are directly related to the root note & all tend to feel resolved when returning to their root. The interval names are based on the distance from the root note (stepwise) to the given note. See below: Minor 2nd Major 2nd Minor 3rd Major 3rd Perfect 4th Flat 5th Perfect 5th Minor 6th Major 6th Dominant 7th Major 7th Octave - this is a 1 - this is a 2 - this is a 3 - this is a 4 - this is a 5 - this is a 6 - this is a 7 - this is a 8 - this is a 9 - this is a 10 - this is a 11 - this is a 12 fret interval/ or one step fret interval/ or 1 full step fret interval/ or 1 steps fret interval/ or 2 steps fret interval/ or 2 steps fret interval/ or 3 steps (diminished) fret interval/ or 3 steps fret interval/ or 4 steps (augmented) fret interval/ or 4 steps fret interval/ or 5 steps (or flat 7th) fret interval/ or 5 steps fret interval/ or 6 steps

through all of the following intervals:

There are a lot more intervals to be covered, but for now, these will be the only ones well be concerned with. Memorize all of these interval steps! In the following Books in this Series I will dig deeper into the actual feels, moods, & tensions that each of these intervals tend to create.43 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

PARALLEL MOTION

( (part 2)

Exercise (66) through (89) are different than the previous exercises in that they make use of arpeggio, or sweep phrasing; from string to string instead of string string the linear phrasing fret to fret. However they do carry the same ascending/ fret fret descending approach, as well as moving up and down in position.

You will notice the wide interval & position shifting will get increasingly dicult as you move through these following exercises. Again, remember RELAXED. to BREATH & stay RELAXED. Concentrate on fretting each note clearly & accurately as you get around the fretboard. Do NOT barre your finger across the entire fret, (unless you really want to practice barring specifically). Make sure you continue to fret each note cleanly & with the tip of your finger only. Focus & repetition are crucial! And of course, accuracy & quality are far more important than speed & quantity. So take your time, and really try to PLAY YOUR BEST!!!

************************************************************** ese arpeggio exercises are great for working on your picking hand as well. So this is a perfect time for you to practice your sweep picking technique throughout this section. Concentrate on clean, smooth, cascading down-strokes & upstrokes as you move from string to string.************************************************************************* Exercises (66) and (67) both move up in position one fret at a time, or chromatically (minor 2nd intervals or by tones). As you move forward through the following arpeggio exercises, the intervals from fret to fret will get wider apart from each other. Those are the intervals you should pay attention to, not so much the intervals from string to string. The intervals from string to string are all mostly Perfect 4ths throughout the next section.

*Experiment with other string to string intervals on your own as well*44

Exercise (66) ascend the string-to-string shape in step- minor 2nd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2

2 3 3 3 3 3

3 4 4 4 4 4

4 5 5 5 5 5

5 6 6 6 6 6

6 7 7 7 7 7

7 8 8 8 8 8

8

9 9 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 10

10 11 11 11 11 11

11 12 12 12 12 12

12 13 13 13 13 13

13 14 14 14 14 14

14 15 15 15 15 15

15 16 16 16 16 16

16

16 16 16 16 16 16 15 15 15 15 15

15 14 14 14 14 14

14 13 13 13 13 13

13 12 12 12 12 12

12 11 11 11 11 11

11 10 10 10 10 10

10 9 9 9 9 9

9

8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7

7 6 6 6 6 6

6 5 5 5 5 5

5 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3

3 2 2 2 2 2

2 1 1 1 1 1

1

Exercise (67) descend the string-to-string shape in step- minor 2nd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5 5

6 6 6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9 9 9

10 10 10 10 10 10

11 11 11 11 11 11

12 12 12 12 12 12

13 13 13 13 13 13

14 14 14 14 14 14

15 15 15 15 15 15

16 16 16 16 16 16

16 16 16 16 16 16

15 15 15 15 15 15

14 14 14 14 14 14

13 13 13 13 13 13

12 12 12 12 12 12

11 11 11 11 11 11

10 10 10 10 10 10

9 9 9 9 9 9

8 8 8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2 2 2

1 1 1 1 1 1

45


Exercise (68) ascend the string-to-string shape in 1 step- Major 2nd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3

3 2 2 2 2 2

2 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 3 3 3

3 5 5 5 5 5

5 4 4 4 4 4

4 6 6 6 6 6

6

5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7

7 6 6 6 6 6

6 8 8 8 8 8

8 7 7 7 7 7

7 9 9 9 9 9

9 8 8 8 8 8

8 10 10 10 10 10

10

9 9 9 9 9 9 11 11 11 11 11

11 10 10 10 10 10

10 12 12 12 12 12

12 11 11 11 11 11

11 13 13 13 13 13

13 12 12 12 12 12

12 14 14 14 14 14

14

12 12 12 12 12 12 14 14 14 14 14

14 11 11 11 11 11

11 13 13 13 13 13

13 10 10 10 10 10

10 12 12 12 12 12

12 9 9 9 9 9

9 11 11 11 11 11

11

8 8 8 8 8 8 10 10 10 10 10

10 7 7 7 7 7

7 9 9 9 9 9

9 6 6 6 6 6

6 8 8 8 8 8

8 5 5 5 5 5

5 7 7 7 7 7

7

4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6

6 3 3 3 3 3

3 5 5 5 5 5

5 2 2 2 2 2

2 4 4 4 4 4

4 1 1 1 1 1

1 3 3 3 3 3

3

Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible. -Frank Zappa46

Exercise (69) descend the string-to-string shape in 1 step- Major 2nd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

3 3 3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2 2 2

4 4 4 4 4 4

3 3 3 3 3 3

5 5 5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4 4 4

6 6 6 6 6 6

5 5 5 5 5 5

7 7 7 7 7 7

6 6 6 6 6 6

8 8 8 8 8 8

7 7 7 7 7 7

9 9 9 9 9 9

8 8 8 8 8 8

10 10 10 10 10 10

9 9 9 9 9 9

11 11 11 11 11 11

10 10 10 10 10 10

12 12 12 12 12 12

11 11 11 11 11 11

13 13 13 13 13 13

12 12 12 12 12 12

14 14 14 14 14 14

12 12 12 12 12 12

14 14 14 14 14 14

11 11 11 11 11 11

13 13 13 13 13 13

10 10 10 10 10 10

12 12 12 12 12 12

9 9 9 9 9 9

11 11 11 11 11 11

8 8 8 8 8 8

10 10 10 10 10 10

7 7 7 7 7 7

9 9 9 9 9 9

6 6 6 6 6 6

8 8 8 8 8 8

5 5 5 5 5 5

7 7 7 7 7 7

4 4 4 4 4 4

6 6 6 6 6 6

3 3 3 3 3 3

5 5 5 5 5 5

2 2 2 2 2 2

4 4 4 4 4 4

1 1 1 1 1 1

3 3 3 3 3 3

47


Exercise (70) ascend the string-to-string shape in 1 step- minor 3rd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 4 4

4 2 2 2 2 2

2 5 5 5 5 5

5 3 3 3 3 3

3 6 6 6 6 6

6 4 4 4 4 4

4 7 7 7 7 7

7

5 5 5 5 5 5 8 8 8 8 8

8 6 6 6 6 6

6 9 9 9 9 9

9 7 7 7 7 7

7 10 10 10 10 10

10 8 8 8 8 8

8 11 11 11 11 11

11

9 9 9 9 9 9 12 12 12 12 12

12 10 10 10 10 10

10 13 13 13 13 13

13 10 10 10 10 10

10 13 13 13 13 13

13 9 9 9 9 9

9 12 12 12 12 12

12

8 8 8 8 8 8 11 11 11 11 11

11 7 7 7 7 7

7 10 10 10 10 10

10 6 6 6 6 6

6 9 9 9 9 9

9 5 5 5 5 5

5 8 8 8 8 8

8

4 4 4 4 4 4 7 7 7 7 7

7 3 3 3 3 3

3 6 6 6 6 6

6 2 2 2 2 2

2 5 5 5 5 5

5 1 1 1 1 1

1 4 4 4 4 4

4

48

Exercise (71) descend the string-to-string shape in 1 step- minor 3rd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

4 4 4 4 4 4

2 2 2 2 2 2

5 5 5 5 5 5

3 3 3 3 3 3

6 6 6 6 6 6

4 4 4 4 4 4

7 7 7 7 7 7

5 5 5 5 5 5

8 8 8 8 8 8

6 6 6 6 6 6

9 9 9 9 9 9

7 7 7 7 7 7

10 10 10 10 10 10

8 8 8 8 8 8

11 11 11 11 11 11

9 9 9 9 9 9

12 12 12 12 12 12

10 10 10 10 10 10

13 13 13 13 13 13

10 10 10 10 10 10

13 13 13 13 13 13

9 9 9 9 9 9

12 12 12 12 12 12

8 8 8 8 8 8

11 11 11 11 11 11

7 7 7 7 7 7

10 10 10 10 10 10

6 6 6 6 6 6

9 9 9 9 9 9

5 5 5 5 5 5

8 8 8 8 8 8

4 4 4 4 4 4

7 7 7 7 7 7

3 3 3 3 3 3

6 6 6 6 6 6

2 2 2 2 2 2

5 5 5 5 5 5

1 1 1 1 1 1

4 4 4 4 4 4

49


Exercise (72) ascend the string-to-string shape in 2 step- Major 3rd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 5 5 5 5 5

5 2 2 2 2 2

2 6 6 6 6 6

6 3 3 3 3 3

3 7 7 7 7 7

7 4 4 4 4 4

4 8 8 8 8 8

8

5 5 5 5 5 5 9 9 9 9 9

9 6 6 6 6 6

6 10 10 10 10 10

10 7 7 7 7 7

7 11 11 11 11 11

11 8 8 8 8 8

8 12 12 12 12 12

12

9 9 9 9 9 9 13 13 13 13 13

13 10 10 10 10 10

10 14 14 14 14 14

14 10 10 10 10 10

10 14 14 14 14 14

14 9 9 9 9 9

9 13 13 13 13 13

13

8 8 8 8 8 8 12 12 12 12 12

12 7 7 7 7 7

7 11 11 11 11 11

11 6 6 6 6 6

6 10 10 10 10 10

10 5 5 5 5 5

5 9 9 9 9 9

9

4 4 4 4 4 4 8 8 8 8 8

8 3 3 3 3 3

3 7 7 7 7 7

7 2 2 2 2 2

2 6 6 6 6 6

6 1 1 1 1 1

1 5 5 5 5 5

5

Practice doesnt make perfect. Practice reduces the imperfection. -Toba Beta

50

Exercise (73) descend the string-to-string shape in 2 step- Major 3rd intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

5 5 5 5 5 5

2 2 2 2 2 2

6 6 6 6 6 6

3 3 3 3 3 3

7 7 7 7 7 7

4 4 4 4 4 4

8 8 8 8 8 8

5 5 5 5 5 5

9 9 9 9 9 9

6 6 6 6 6 6

10 10 10 10 10 10

7 7 7 7 7 7

11 11 11 11 11 11

8 8 8 8 8 8

12 12 12 12 12 12

9 9 9 9 9 9

13 13 13 13 13 13

10 10 10 10 10 10

14 14 14 14 14 14

10 10 10 10 10 10

14 14 14 14 14 14

9 9 9 9 9 9

13 13 13 13 13 13

8 8 8 8 8 8

12 12 12 12 12 12

7 7 7 7 7 7

11 11 11 11 11 11

6 6 6 6 6 6

10 10 10 10 10 10

5 5 5 5 5 5

9 9 9 9 9 9

4 4 4 4 4 4

8 8 8 8 8 8

3 3 3 3 3 3

7 7 7 7 7 7

2 2 2 2 2 2

6 6 6 6 6 6

1 1 1 1 1 1

5 5 5 5 5 5

51


Exercise (74) ascend the string-to-string shape in 2 step- perfect 4th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 6 6 6 6 6

6 2 2 2 2 2

2 7 7 7 7 7

7 3 3 3 3 3

3 8 8 8 8 8

8 4 4 4 4 4

4 9 9 9 9 9

9

5 5 5 5 5 5 10 10 10 10 10

10 6 6 6 6 6

6 11 11 11 11 11

11 7 7 7 7 7

7 12 12 12 12 12

12 8 8 8 8 8

8 13 13 13 13 13

13

8 8 8 8 8 8 13 13 13 13 13

13 7 7 7 7 7

7 12 12 12 12 12

12 6 6 6 6 6

6 11 11 11 11 11

11 5 5 5 5 5

5 10 10 10 10 10

10

4 4 4 4 4 4 9 9 9 9 9

9 3 3 3 3 3

3 8 8 8 8 8

8 2 2 2 2 2

2 7 7 7 7 7

7 1 1 1 1 1

1 6 6 6 6 6

6

Exercise (75) descend the string-to-string shape in 2 step- perfect 4th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

6 6 6 6 6 6

2 2 2 2 2 2

7 7 7 7 7 7

3 3 3 3 3 3

8 8 8 8 8 8

4 4 4 4 4 4

9 9 9 9 9 9

5 5 5 5 5 5

10 10 10 10 10 10

6 6 6 6 6 6

11 11 11 11 11 11

7 7 7 7 7 7

12 12 12 12 12 12

8 8 8 8 8 8

13 13 13 13 13 13

8 8 8 8 8 8

13 13 13 13 13 13

7 7 7 7 7 7

12 12 12 12 12 12

6 6 6 6 6 6

11 11 11 11 11 11

5 5 5 5 5 5

10 10 10 10 10 10

4 4 4 4 4 4

9 9 9 9 9 9

3 3 3 3 3 3

8 8 8 8 8 8

2 2 2 2 2 2

7 7 7 7 7 7

1 1 1 1 1 1

6 6 6 6 6 6

52

Exercise (76) ascend the string-to-string shape in 3 step- flat 5th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 7 7 7 7 7

7 2 2 2 2 2

2 8 8 8 8 8

8 3 3 3 3 3

3 9 9 9 9 9

9 4 4 4 4 4

4 10 10 10 10 10

10

5 5 5 5 5 5 11 11 11 11 11

11 6 6 6 6 6

6 12 12 12 12 12

12 7 7 7 7 7

7 13 13 13 13 13

13 8 8 8 8 8

8 14 14 14 14 14

14

8 8 8 8 8 8 14 14 14 14 14

14 7 7 7 7 7

7 13 13 13 13 13

13 6 6 6 6 6

6 12 12 12 12 12

12 5 5 5 5 5

5 11 11 11 11 11

11

4 4 4 4 4 4 10 10 10 10 10

10 3 3 3 3 3

3 9 9 9 9 9

9 2 2 2 2 2

2 8 8 8 8 8

8 1 1 1 1 1

1 7 7 7 7 7

7

Exercise (77) descend the string-to-string shape in 3 step- flat 5th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

7 7 7 7 7 7

2 2 2 2 2 2

8 8 8 8 8 8

3 3 3 3 3 3

9 9 9 9 9 9

4 4 4 4 4 4

10 10 10 10 10 10

5 5 5 5 5 5

11 11 11 11 11 11

6 6 6 6 6 6

12 12 12 12 12 12

7 7 7 7 7 7

13 13 13 13 13 13

8 8 8 8 8 8

14 14 14 14 14 14

8 8 8 8 8 8

14 14 14 14 14 14

7 7 7 7 7 7

13 13 13 13 13 13

6 6 6 6 6 6

12 12 12 12 12 12

5 5 5 5 5 5

11 11 11 11 11 11

4 4 4 4 4 4

10 10 10 10 10 10

3 3 3 3 3 3

9 9 9 9 9 9

2 2 2 2 2 2

8 8 8 8 8 8

1 1 1 1 1 1

7 7 7 7 7 7

53


Exercise (78) ascend the string-to-string shape in 3 step- perfect 5th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 8 8 8 8 8

8 2 2 2 2 2

2 9 9 9 9 9

9 3 3 3 3 3

3 10 10 10 10 10

10 4 4 4 4 4

4 11 11 11 11 11

11

5 5 5 5 5 5 12 12 12 12 12

12 6 6 6 6 6

6 13 13 13 13 13

13 6 6 6 6 6

6 13 13 13 13 13

13 5 5 5 5 5

5 12 12 12 12 12

12

4 4 4 4 4 4 11 11 11 11 11

11 3 3 3 3 3

3 10 10 10 10 10

10 2 2 2 2 2

2 9 9 9 9 9

9 1 1 1 1 1

1 8 8 8 8 8

8

Exercise (79) descend the string-to-string shape in 3 step- perfect 5th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

8 8 8 8 8 8

2 2 2 2 2 2

9 9 9 9 9 9

3 3 3 3 3 3

10 10 10 10 10 10

4 4 4 4 4 4

11 11 11 11 11 11

5 5 5 5 5 5

12 12 12 12 12 12

6 6 6 6 6 6

13 13 13 13 13 13

6 6 6 6 6 6

13 13 13 13 13 13

5 5 5 5 5 5

12 12 12 12 12 12

4 4 4 4 4 4

11 11 11 11 11 11

3 3 3 3 3 3

10 10 10 10 10 10

2 2 2 2 2 2

9 9 9 9 9 9

1 1 1 1 1 1

8 8 8 8 8 8

54

Exercise (80) ascend the string-to-string shape in 4 step- minor 6th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 9 9 9 9 9

9 2 2 2 2 2

2 10 10 10 10 10

10 3 3 3 3 3

3 11 11 11 11 11

11 4 4 4 4 4

4 12 12 12 12 12

12

5 5 5 5 5 5 13 13 13 13 13

13 6 6 6 6 6

6 14 14 14 14 14

14 6 6 6 6 6

6 14 14 14 14 14

14 5 5 5 5 5

5 13 13 13 13 13

13

4 4 4 4 4 4 12 12 12 12 12

12 3 3 3 3 3

3 11 11 11 11 11

11 2 2 2 2 2

2 10 10 10 10 10

10 1 1 1 1 1

1 9 9 9 9 9

9

Exercise (81) descend the string-to-string shape in 4 step- minor 6th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

9 9 9 9 9 9

2 2 2 2 2 2

10 10 10 10 10 10

3 3 3 3 3 3

11 11 11 11 11 11

4 4 4 4 4 4

12 12 12 12 12 12

5 5 5 5 5 5

13 13 13 13 13 13

6 6 6 6 6 6

14 14 14 14 14 14

6 6 6 6 6 6

14 14 14 14 14 14

5 5 5 5 5 5

13 13 13 13 13 13

4 4 4 4 4 4

12 12 12 12 12 12

3 3 3 3 3 3

11 11 11 11 11 11

2 2 2 2 2 2

10 10 10 10 10 10

1 1 1 1 1 1

9 9 9 9 9 9

55


Exercise (82) ascend the string-to-string shape in 4 step- Major 6th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 10 10 10 10 10

10 2 2 2 2 2

2 11 11 11 11 11

11 3 3 3 3 3

3 12 12 12 12 12

12 4 4 4 4 4

4 13 13 13 13 13

13

5 5 5 5 5 5 14 14 14 14 14

14 6 6 6 6 6

6 15 15 15 15 15

15 6 6 6 6 6

6 15 15 15 15 15

15 5 5 5 5 5

5 14 14 14 14 14

14

4 4 4 4 4 4 13 13 13 13 13

13 3 3 3 3 3

3 12 12 12 12 12

12 2 2 2 2 2

2 11 11 11 11 11

11 1 1 1 1 1

1 10 10 10 10 10

10

Exercise (83) descend the string-to-string shape in 4 step- Major 6th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

10 10 10 10 10 10

2 2 2 2 2 2

11 11 11 11 11 11

3 3 3 3 3 3

12 12 12 12 12 12

4 4 4 4 4 4

13 13 13 13 13 13

5 5 5 5 5 5

14 14 14 14 14 14

6 6 6 6 6 6

15 15 15 15 15 15

6 6 6 6 6 6

15 15 15 15 15 15

5 5 5 5 5 5

14 14 14 14 14 14

4 4 4 4 4 4

13 13 13 13 13 13

3 3 3 3 3 3

12 12 12 12 12 12

2 2 2 2 2 2

11 11 11 11 11 11

1 1 1 1 1 1

10 10 10 10 10 10

56

Exercise (84) ascend the string-to-string shape in 5 step- flat 7th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 11 11 11 11 11

11 2 2 2 2 2

2 12 12 12 12 12

12 3 3 3 3 3

3 13 13 13 13 13

13 4 4 4 4 4

4 14 14 14 14 14

14

5 5 5 5 5 5 15 15 15 15 15

15 6 6 6 6 6

6 16 16 16 16 16

16 6 6 6 6 6

6 16 16 16 16 16

16 5 5 5 5 5

5 15 15 15 15 15

15

4 4 4 4 4 4 14 14 14 14 14

14 3 3 3 3 3

3 13 13 13 13 13

13 2 2 2 2 2

2 12 12 12 12 12

12 1 1 1 1 1

1 11 11 11 11 11

11

Exercise (85) descend the string-to-string shape in 5 step- flat 7th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

11 11 11 11 11 11

2 2 2 2 2 2

12 12 12 12 12 12

3 3 3 3 3 3

13 13 13 13 13 13

4 4 4 4 4 4

14 14 14 14 14 14

5 5 5 5 5 5

15 15 15 15 15 15

6 6 6 6 6 6

16 16 16 16 16 16

6 6 6 6 6 6

16 16 16 16 16 16

5 5 5 5 5 5

15 15 15 15 15 15

4 4 4 4 4 4

14 14 14 14 14 14

3 3 3 3 3 3

13 13 13 13 13 13

2 2 2 2 2 2

12 12 12 12 12 12

1 1 1 1 1 1

11 11 11 11 11 11

57


Exercise (86) ascend the string-to-string shape in 5 step- Major 7th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 12 12 12 12 12

12 2 2 2 2 2

2 13 13 13 13 13

13 3 3 3 3 3

3 14 14 14 14 14

14 4 4 4 4 4

4 15 15 15 15 15

15

4 4 4 4 4 4 15 15 15 15 15

15 3 3 3 3 3

3 14 14 14 14 14

14 2 2 2 2 2

2 13 13 13 13 13

13 1 1 1 1 1

1 12 12 12 12 12

12

Exercise (87) descend the string-to-string shape in 5 step- Major 7th intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

12 12 12 12 12 12

2 2 2 2 2 2

13 13 13 13 13 13

3 3 3 3 3 3

14 14 14 14 14 14

4 4 4 4 4 4

15 15 15 15 15 15

4 4 4 4 4 4

15 15 15 15 15 15

3 3 3 3 3 3

14 14 14 14 14 14

2 2 2 2 2 2

13 13 13 13 13 13

1 1 1 1 1 1

12 12 12 12 12 12

Exercise (88) ascend the string-to-string shape in 6 step- Octave intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1 13 13 13 13 13

13 2 2 2 2 2

2 14 14 14 14 14

14 3 3 3 3 3

3 15 15 15 15 15

15 4 4 4 4 4

4 16 16 16 16 16

16

4 4 4 4 4 4 16 16 16 16 16

16 3 3 3 3 3

3 15 15 15 15 15

15 2 2 2 2 2

2 14 14 14 14 14

14 1 1 1 1 1

1 13 13 13 13 13

13

Exercise (89) descend the string-to-string shape in 6 step- Octave intervals.

1 1 1 1 1 1

13 13 13 13 13 13

2 2 2 2 2 2

14 14 14 14 14 14

3 3 3 3 3 3

15 15 15 15 15 15

4 4 4 4 4 4

16 16 16 16 16 16

4 4 4 4 4 4

16 16 16 16 16 16

3 3 3 3 3 3

15 15 15 15 15 15

2 2 2 2 2 2

14 14 14 14 14 14

1 1 1 1 1 1

13 13 13 13 13 13

58

So there you have it. That concludes part 1 & 2 of the PARALLEL MOTION section. If youve taken the time and put forth the effort to run through all of these exercises with each of your fingers, then you should have gotten a good feel for what this whole book is about. The more you do this, the more you will notice a strong and steady improvement in your position shifting & slide technique (which are both crucial in getting around the fretboard). And likely youll feel some muscles in your hands working more than they are accustomed to, and thats definitely a good thing! There are a lot of frets on the guitar, plenty of notes that are there for you to experiment with. If you find you dont generally play the full scale of the neck as much as youd like to, then this book will definitely get you moving more in that direction. This is one great way of getting familiar with each and every fret on your guitar neck. Of course theres nothing wrong with playing in one position all the time. And just because you have the ability to play all over the neck, that doesnt necessarily mean that you should. Music is about style, taste, and having a healthy imagination (among many other things). But one of the greatest things is having the freedom to play whatever you want, however you like to do it. Self expression can be an extremely rewarding & powerful thing for any musician. The main idea in this book is to strengthen your hands, your technique/chops, but mostly your ability- to play anything that you want to play without your hands holding you back from doing it. Of course you can always SAY something simply in one clear way, and get straight to the point. That bluntness is often a favorable way to go about things. But having the option of variety (multiple perspectives/ points of reference) at your disposal is invaluable for enriching so many elements of music that can easily become boring, predictable, & lifeless.

Variety is the spice of lifeThe following sections: REVERSE MOTION & ALTERNATING MOTION are formatted almost identically to the PARALLEL MOTION section. So lets take a look forward into the next sections at some different ways you can phrase these one finger exercises.59 The 1-2-3-4 Guitar System, Part 1

60

The only way we could remember would be by constant re-reading, for knowledge unused tends to drop out of mind. Knowledge used does not need to be remembered; practice forms habits and habits make memory unnecessary. The rule is nothing; the application is everything. -Henry Hazlitt

61


This section is formatted exactly the way that the PARALLEL MOTION section is. For example: all of the exercises ascend & descend through each of the frets (1-2-3-4-5-6-7, etc...12+). And they all have single, double, triple, & quadruple string skipping variations in the same manner as in the PARALLEL MOTION section. Its the same basic flow of ascending from string to string, but this time you are reversing the motion on the return of each exercise. ************************************************************************* Execute each fret fingering properly as explained in the FORM & PRACTICE TIPS sections. *************************************************************************

REVERSE MOTION

( (part 1)

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

2

Notice in Exercise (1) and (2) that you ascend from string to string from your low E6 string to your high (E1) string exactly how you did for all of the PARALLEL MOTION section. But then you descend from the (E1) string to the (E6) string with the reverse fretting pattern. You can see how it works clearly in the TAB & notation examples, but to clarify: you ascend from string to string with a (1-2) fretting pattern & descend from string to string with a (2-1) fretting pattern. And you do this all one finger at a time. The rest of the REVERSE MOTION section continues the same way.62

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3

2

3

3

2

1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

3 3 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1

2

1

1

2

3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

63


1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4

2

3

4

4

3

2

1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

4 4 4 4 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

3

2

1

1

2

3

4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

5

4

3

2

1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

64

5 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

1 2

3

4

5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

6 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

1 2

3

4

5

6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

65


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 5 5 6 7

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

For Exercise (13x), continue up through frets 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, +, etc... Ascend & descend just like in the previous exercises. These above the 7th fret (__x) exercises continues exactly the same way through the remainder of this book.

12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

66

Exercises (14) through (26x) are based on all the previous exercises. The only difference here is that you apply single string skipping. *Just the same as before*

1 1 2

2

1 1 2

2

1 1 2

2

1 1 2

2

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2 2 1

1

2 2 1

1

2 2 1

1

2 2 1

1

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3

2

3

3

2

1 3 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

3 3 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1

2

1

1

2

3 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

67


1 1 1 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

2

3

4

4

3

2

1 4 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

4 4 4 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

3

2

1

1

2

3

4 1 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

1 1 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

68

5 5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

5 5 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

2

3

4

5

6

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

6 5 4 3 2

1 6 5 4 3 2 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 1

69


6 6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

70

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

For Exercise (26x), continue up through frets 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, +, etc... Ascend & descend like in the previous exercises. Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc...Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc........

12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

71


Exercises (27) through (39x) are based on all the previous exercises. The only difference here is that you apply double string skipping. *the same as before*

1 1 2

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2 2 1

1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1

2 1 2

1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 3 3 1 2 1 2 3 3 3

3

3

2

1 3 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1

3 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 1

2

1

1

2

3 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 3 1 2 3

72

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 2 3 4

2

3

4

4

3

2

1 4 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

4 4 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1

3

2

1

1

2

3

4 1 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

73


5 5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

1 1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6

2

3

4

5

6

6 5 4 3 2

1 6 5 4 3 2 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

6 6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

74

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7 6 5 4 3 2

1 7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 1

1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

For Exercise (39x), continue up through frets 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, +, etc... Ascend & descend like the previous exercises. Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc...Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc........

12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10 11 12

75


Exercises (40) through (52x) are based on all the previous exercises. The only difference here is that you apply triple string skipping. *same as before*

1 2 1 2 1 2

1 2

2

1 2 1

2

1 2 1 2 1

2

1 2 1

2

1

1 2 1 2

1 2 1 2

1 1 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3

2

3

3

2

1 3 3 2 1 3 2 1 2 1

3 3 3 2 1 2 1 3 2 1

2

1

1

2

3 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 2 3

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 4 1 2 3 4

4

4

3

2

1 4 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1

4 4 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

3

2

1

1 2

3

4 1 2 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 3 4

76

1 1 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

5

4

3

2

1 5 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1

5 5 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5

1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

2

3

4

5

6

6

5

4

3

2

1 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1

77


6 6 6 5 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 3 4 5 6

1 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2

3

4

5

6

7

7

6

5

4

3

2

1 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1

7 7 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7

78

For Exercise (52x), continue up through frets 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, +, etc... Ascend & descend. Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc...Etc...Etc..Etc...Etc........

12 11 10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Documents

ONE FINGER EXERCISES FOR THE FRETTING HAND, Part 1 from THE 1234 GUITAR SYSTEM