Playing Scales in 4ths, 5ths, etc.

**JohnW400** · 11-22-2011, 10:29 AM

thirds/seconds backwards (e-c, g-e, b-g, c-b, ect 2 octaves)
fifths/fourths ( c-g, e-b, g-c, b-e, ect ect 2 octaves)
sevenths/ sixths (c-b, e-c, g-e, b-g ect 2 octaves)
octaves
tenths/ninths if your so inclined

of course you can do them in any direction and as double stops.

**JonR** · 11-22-2011, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by bobsguitars09

Would it be just as important to apply all these concepts to playing through chords in a key? Cmajor7 Em7 Dm7 Fmajor 7?

How would one apply these concepts to playing arpeggios?

Some of the patterns are arpeggios

. (Eg if you play a scale as CEG DFA EGB etc.)
IOW, rather than adapting arpeggios to this technique, I'd go vice versa: look for ways of drawing arps out of a scale when practising melodic patterns.
As well as the obvious triads up (as above), you can try one up one down (CEG AFD EBD CAF etc) - that way you get voice-leading between arps. In reverse (from the top down) that could be GEC BDF ECA GBD etc). But you can of course start anywhere in the scale.
And you can go for 7ths (arguably more useful for jazz than triads):CEGB CAFD EGBD ECAF etc.

Running through chords in a progression (ie of a song), I'm not sure how adaptable the melodic pattern idea is, but there are many good ways of applying arps - alternate up-down being a good one, because of the voice-leading it teaches you: always lead from the end of one arp to the nearest note in the next arp - and then run the arp in the opposite direction to the previous one, so you don't move too far away on the neck.
Again, don't always start from the chord root! 3rds and 7ths are good starting points for arp exercises. When you lead from one chord to the next, the nearest note might be 2 or even 3 choices, so there's plenty of variety available, even just for this alternate up-down idea.

Take this for the Autumn Leaves sequence (just one arp per chord to keep it simple):

Code:

Dm7          G7        Cmaj7     Fmaj7     Bmb75     E7b9      Am
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-10-----------------8--8------------------------------------6--5---------------------
----10---------7-10------9------------9-10-10-7-----------7------5-----------------
-------12-10-9-------------10-9--7-10-----------9-7--6-9-----------7-6--7-----------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  A F  D  C  B D F  G  G E C  B  A C  E F   F D B A  G# B D F  E C A G# A
  5 3  R  7>>3 5 7  R  5 3 R  7>>3 5  7 R   5 3 R 7>>3  5 7 b9 5 3 R 7  R

">>" shows guide tone moves. Other changes are from root to 5th - which is always the same note (at least here) but you can make that more interesting by using a 9th in place of the root as I have on the E7b9 chord (making that a G#dim7 arp).
You could work out an alternative where 3rds lead to 7ths, and 5ths to roots. (I've just done it, and it sounds better than the above example. 5ths lead to roots better than vice versa.)

IOW, the idea of melodic patterns is to cement your knowledge of scale patterns and note positions - you can only play them properly and smoothly when your fingers thoroughly know their places. And also to inspire little melodic ideas when it comes to improv. (Those ideas might apply on any chord harmonized from that scale.)
The idea of arpeggio drills (at least their best application) is to rehearse the chord progressions of songs you plan to improvise on, by checking you know all the places on the neck you can find the arpeggios of each chord.

**bobsguitars09** · 11-26-2011, 03:57 AM

Thank you! this really is the best forum ever.

**bobsguitars09** · 11-30-2011, 04:36 PM

as far as what fingers you should use. would anyone be against using the same fingers you use to play the scale shapes? for consistency? or? some of the 7ths would be awkward to finger the same way you would a scale shape but.?

**bako** · 11-30-2011, 04:53 PM

I use 2 basic approaches.

One is staying within the confines a scale fingering as you mentioned.

The other is consistently using the same string group for the interval and shadowing a scale fingering.

Ex. 7ths in G (based on 3 notes per string fingering)

E&D------------A&G----------D&B-------------G&E
GF#-AG-BA // CB-DC-ED // F#E-GF#-AG // BA-CB-DC //

**octatonic** · 11-30-2011, 05:06 PM

Very useful skill to have.

I'd have to say that having someone work out the formula for you is counterintuitive to the point of the exercise.

You learn by doing it- sit down with a pen and paper and map it out on a guitar neck, or tab or whatever.
Good luck.