Treble Chain

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This pattern is based on the same essential principle as the previous pattern; a set of arpeggios in X shapes combined with an underlying set of diamond patterns. The geometry yields a musical idea which follows a logical interval structure. Each X in this pattern is played as two arpeggios.

The diamonds are played; Root - 3rd - 7th - 9th. The green X is the exception, as it was in the previous pattern, consisting of a 10th and an Octave combined with a Tritone and a Whole Tone. 

Here are diagrams, notation and sound clips for each part of the pattern;

Dorian X
D minor 11th / F major 7th / E minor 7 (b9)

Lydian X
F major 9 / A minor 9th / G dom 9th

Aeolian X
A minor 11th / C major 7th / B minor 7 (b5 b9)

Ionian X
C major 10th / D Octave

The Big Picture

Here's the combined pattern covering the entire fret board in the key of C and as Roman numerals;

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This is the same pattern featuring Roman numerals which apply to all keys.

All contents of this blog are © Mark Newstetter

Argyle Chops

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The pattern of this exercise doesn't just look pretty, it expresses the innate symmetry of the diatonic system on the fretboard within the three low strings. The colored X shapes comprise a set of broken chords; the first half of each X is "Root, 5th, 7th" (no 3rd), the other half is "Root, 3rd, 7th" (no 5th), Each complete X is a type of 9th chord arpeggio, i.e.; EGBDF, GBDFA, etc. ... while the gray diamond shapes are 7th arpeggios; "Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th."

Each X can also be thought of as relating to the mode of its lowest note, so we can call the first (red) X the "Phrygian X" ... the central purple X is the "Mixolydian X" ... the orange X is the "Locrian X" and the green X is the "Dorian X." Each grey shape comprises a chord which is a step above the root of each X, with the exception of the small grey diamond within the green "Dorian X, which contains only two notes.

The seven arpeggiated chords in this pattern are; E minor b9th, F major 7th, G dominant 9th, A minor 7th, B minor 9 (b5),  C major 7th and D minor 9th.

Use the notation, diagrams and sound clips below to play each part of the pattern;

Phrygian X
E minor 7 (b9) / F major 7th

Mixolydian X
G dominant 9th / A minor 7th

Locrian X
B minor 9 (b5) / C major 7th

Dorian X
D minor 9th

Repeat each form a few times before going on to the next.



All contents of this blog are © Mark Newstetter

Superzone 3rds

There are two "Superzones" on the fretboard; the Phrygian and the Aeolian. In any key, the Phrygian Superzone  runs from the Phrygian Axis to the Aeolian Axis – that is; the fret position on which the notes on the 1st and 6th string are the 3rd key degree (Phrygian) and the 6th key degree (Aeolian). In the key of E, for instance, the Phrygian Axis is the 4th fret because G# is the 3rd key degree of that key.

Below is a diagram of all of the 3rds within the Phrygian Superzone in the key of E ...

Major 3rds are shown as green, minor 3rds are amber. Notice the minor 3rds in the "3rd rail" (the 2nd and 3rd strings) are the same shape as the major 3rds everywhere else.


... Phrygian Superzone 3rds, ascending and descending

Now lets look at the Aeolian Superzone, this time we're in the key of B. In this key the Aeolian Superzone occupies the same fret span as the Phrygian Zone/Key of E in the above example. Compare the two patterns ...

... Aeolian Superzone 3rds, ascending and descending

You may want to focus on the positions of the major 3rds (I, IV, V) in each of the patterns. Notice in the Phrygian zone, that lower five major 3rds form a symmetrical sequence starting with A Major: IV - V - I - IV - V. See how central the V - I - IV grouping is.

In the Aeolian zone there are four major 3rds in the lower group, aligned in pairs starting with B Major: I - IV - V - I.

Look for the groupings of minor 3rds as well and practice them, and the major 3rds independently of one another. Be careful with your fingering so that you can feel the shapes of the double-stops as you play. Major 3rds may, at one time or another, be fingered 1-2, 2-3, or 3-4. Minor 3rds are fingered 1-3 or 2-4 outside the "3rd rail" (the 2nd and 3rd strings)  and 1-2 or 3-4 in the 3rd rail.


All contents of this blog are © Mark Newstetter

Revisiting the VII Zone as an Arpeggio Zone

The VII Zone is one of two fretboard positions which require no hand shifts. It contains a full two octave range in the Locrian (VII), Ionian (I) and Dorian (II) modes. Shown below in the key of C, it is broken into two arpeggio paths, the blue-green path is treated as the primary line running from B on the 6th string to D on the 1st string. The secondary grey line runs from the Tonic (C) on the 6th string two octaves to the 1st string tonic. The C Major 7th (tonic) chord running from the 4th to the 1st string is the most prominent aspect of the overall pattern.

Notice that any three consecutive notes in each line comprise triads. The notation below the diagram shows how these extended arpeggios can be played as a series of triads.

The Leading tone rooted triad series (blue-green line) played two different speeds, ascending and descending.
... The Leading Tone (7th fret) Arpeggio

Next you see the same arpeggio pattern with the visual emphasis reversed;

The tonic arpeggio in the VII zone has one less note than the leading tone run; eight as opposed to nine. You may find that the different numbers of notes and the different fingering present different rhythmic possibilities. For instance, the Tonic 3rd sound clip below begins on an upstroke. Play these patterns using alternate direction flat-picking. Down/Up/Down/Up/ etc.

... The Tonic (8th fret) Arpeggio

Below are the two versions of the arpeggio pattern side by side;

VII Zone Arpeggio Scale

Ascending triads (root-3rd-5th); B dim, C maj, D min, E min, F maj, G maj, A min, B dim, C maj, D min, E min, F maj, G maj. Reverse to descend.

If you click on any image you will see full screen versions of the images in this post which you can compare by toggling using the arrow keys on your computer.

All contents of this blog are © Mark Newstetter

Moveable 3rds with Bass Drone

3rds riffs add a lot to any musical vocabulary. In this blog we've looked at a number of ways to approach 3rds on the fret board. This exercise comprises the first four 3rds in the key of E  (E Major, F# minor, G# minor, A Major) with the repetition of a fingered E in the bass.

Because there are no open string in this riff, you can move it to other keys, but it must be played using the same strings as shown. Notice that the bass note (5th string, 7th fret E) is played with the 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st fingers in consecutive order while the 3rds double stops begin with the 1st and 2nd fingers and end with the 3rd and 4th (E Major and A Major). The 1st and 4th fingers play both of the minor 3rds (F# and G# minor).

Play slowly and pay careful attention to the fingering.

It should sound something like this, played ascending and descending;

All contents of this blog are © Mark Newstetter

Up and Down

The image of the guitar above is positioned essentially as you would see it holding it in playing position.

Perhaps one of the worst habits you can acquire in your pursuit of guitaristic fluency is connecting the idea of "up" and "down" on the fretboard with anything other than pitch.

It has nothing to do with how close a particular string is to the floor or ceiling.Think of how the same terms – up and down – are applied on the piano, an instrument who's lowest note is the same distance from the floor as its highest. Think of the fretboard as if the floor and ceiling of the room you're in are not musical directions. They aren't. Up can only mean "Up in pitch." in music – not "Away from the floor of the room I'm sitting in."

If you don't get this idea out of your head you will be plagued for life, confusing UP and DOWN on the fretboard. You will think "up" but the note will get lower. Is this what you want your brain to deal with when you're playing?

If you're still reading, your answer is "no."

If course, although this truth applies to the fretboard, the movements of the right hand and arm are another story. A down-strum or down-pick does refer to the directional movement across the strings made by the right hand and arm.

Yes – it's sort of schizoid. But the right and left hands on the guitar are not living in the same world. Their reference points are different. The right hand is not concerned with the grid of the fretboard (much) and the left is not thinking about gravity (much).

All these factors have to exist in harmony ... and rhythm. Just as the right hand fingers are named and the left hand fingers are numbered, the left and right sides have to deal with up-and-down in different ways.

My basic way of thinking about this is that gravity (floor to ceiling motion) is the exception made for the strumming arm/hand when it's strumming.

A trickier problem is that the right hand almost always goes from a lower to a higher note as it gets closer to the floor. A downstroke rises in pitch ... an upstroke goes from high to low.

Does all this matter?

What matters is that – as a guitarist – you are 100% clear when you think about the concepts of "up" and "down" and that it is also clear to others. If you are used to referring to notes using physical, rather than musical reference points, you may, at some point, find yourself telling the keyboard player in your band something like "... I slide up the neck from G to A ... a 7th lower." You won't likely notice the keyboardist roll their eyes and you won't hear them thinking "... um ... yeah ... sure, dude ... whatever you say."

"... lower, up the neck" seems like an oxymoron to me.

As for strumming. The piano player watching you strum your guitar may need to know if your playing a certain beat on an upstroke or a downstroke, but it's more likely they want to know if you're going to arpeggiate the chord ascending or descending, so I say; lead with pitch.

Up and down are first and foremost musical terms when you're talking about music, they refer primarily to pitch, not physical direction.



All contents of this blog are © Mark Newstetter

Inner Orbit Arpeggio

The notes of the "Orbit Pattern" in the previous post can be played in a smaller pattern I like to call the "Inner Orbit"

Notice that the green and orange forms contain the same notes and comprise a symmetrical pair. The pink and blue 'L' shaped patterns and gray elliptical half-step clusters are included to reinforce the overall symmetry.

Each half of the Inner Orbit can be played in a single hand position since they each span four frets. Use the fingering in the notation below the diagram.

All contents of this blog are © Mark Newstetter