3-5 · Diagonal Pentatonic Pathways

The last two lessons worked vertically: we built in-position shapes and then explored them with melodic sequences. Now we move across the neck. Nothing new is being added. We are following the same rectangles and stacks diagonally.

Stack pathways

A stack spans exactly one octave. Its lowest note and its highest note are the same scale degree, twelve semitones apart, which means a new stack begins exactly where the last one ends. That makes stack-to-stack movement one of the most natural pathways on the instrument.

Memorize this: A stack spans an octave, so the next stack up the neck starts on the same note the current one ends on. Consecutive stacks share a string, and that shared string carries three notes instead of two.

There are two stack pathways. The first runs through the middle of Form 1, up into the top of Form 2, and down into the bottom of Form 5. The Form 2 piece is sometimes called the "house of the blues" because of its little upside-down house shape, and if you have played guitar for any length of time, you have almost certainly used this path already. It also reaches the top string of Form 3, though in practice you might choose to bend the upper note in Form 2 rather than shift position to get there. The second pathway connects the bottom of Form 3 to the middle of Form 4 and the top of Form 5, picking up the bottom string of Form 2 on the way.

Play through a stack pathway in groups of three, as in 3-4. You are not switching shapes, but you are shifting your hand each time you move from one stack into the next. Going up, I usually slide into the new position with my ring finger. Coming down, I slide with my index finger.

As you shift positions, stay aware of the root and the ♭3. When the notes are passing quickly, you don't need to worry much about bending the ♭3. It is when you land on it or lean on it that it wants a bend.

Rectangle pathways

The same movement works with rectangles, with one complication. A rectangle does not span a full octave, because it is missing the 4. To move from one rectangle to the next, you have to put that note back.

Slide into that note rather than reaching for it, and your hand will arrive in position to play the next rectangle. Crossing the warp shifts the pattern here exactly as it does vertically.

There are two rectangle pathways as well, differing from each other because of the warp. They are not used as often as the stack pathways, which makes them a good source of phrases that don't sound like everybody else's. Groups of three are trickier here because of the slides, but your hands will adapt to the pattern quickly.

Diagonal pathways are one of the most efficient ways to cross the fretboard without feeling like you are jumping between boxes, so it is worth spending some time on this technique.

Exercise 3-7: Choose a root and make a drone, minor at first and then major. Follow one stack pathway upward, either in groups of three or simply ascending the scale, then descend back through the same path. Then choose a rectangle, practice adding the connecting 4, and move diagonally between rectangles. Start slowly and focus on precision rather than speed, staying aware of the root and the ♭3 as you shift. Over a major drone, give the ♭3 a slight bend; you will find that the faster you play, the less it needs one. Start without a metronome if you need to, and add one once the movements feel steady.