I find that scale sequences are one of the best ways to add or release tension in a solo. Sometimes a solo just calls out to end on a low note. In that case, descending scale patterns are a great way to get there. Other times, you want to lead up to a searing high note. An ascending scale sequence can do the job nicely there.

Hopefully these exercises will get you interested in scale patterns. These are just a few common examples. If you search hard enough, you will find tons of other out there. Or you can come up with your own!

Memory is a funny thing. The memories associated with things I like (music, etc) tend to be crystal clear. In fact, I remember the very instant I discovered the scale sequence from this guitar lesson. I was paging through Guitar For The Practicing Musician (I still can't believe such a great publication stopped its prints...) and there was a column dedicated to scale sequences. The sequence from this guitar lesson was one such pattern and it has always stuck out in my mind, even though I hadn't played it in years til recently.

This scale pattern is fairly straight forward. You start on the first note of the scale, play three consecutive notes, then skip a note and lastly descend 3 consecutive notes. Then you go to the second note of the scale and continue the pattern. So consider G Major. You would play G, A and B; then you would skip a note and play D, C and B. From there you would start the pattern again this time from A. Make sense?

Above is the tab for this scale sequence. As you can see it lends itself to triplets. However, feel free to accent the notes as you see fit. I prefer to accent the first descending note of each repeat of the pattern. I also prefer to play the piece entirely with alternate picking.

As an exercise, see if you can figure out the logical descending pattern for this sequence to take you back down to the low G.

Later,

Brian