Transform your life through the practice of music

Benefits

• One of the fastest ways to develop muscle memory of position shapes on the guitar

• By pairing “like” forms, we develop a better understanding of the relationship between the CAGED shapes as well as the fingerboard as a whole when considering vertical / position playing

• Similar to an athletic workout, we develop stronger fingers, more LH / RH agility, and more independence between LH digits

How to practice

• For each key, practice Chord > Scale x2 > Chord then proceed to the next key by moving down the page

• Say (out loud) each new key as you play the first chord therein

• Always start on the root (red) of the scale, ascending to the highest pitch, descending to the lowest pitch, and then returning to the root to finish

Notes about the exercise

• Pairing of like (E and A), (G and C), and (A and D) forms because of their physical similarities

• Practice in the cycle of 4ths beginning with C

• Notice the cycle of 4ths follows a simple pattern across the E and A strings (moving only 2 strings and 2 frets)

• Always practice at a comfortable metronome tempo, slowly increasing BPM as your become more proficient

• Fingerings are suggested and typically one fret per finger. Everyone’s hands are different, however the most common finger-ings are provided such that shifting fingerings utilizes a compression > expansion technique so that stretches are minimized

• Get off page ASAP, these pages outline an exercise and can be read as such however, the concept is repetitive and should be internalized

Suggested prerequisite knowledge

• Left hand fingerings

• Names of the natural pitches ( on the E, A, and D strings) and the direction of sharps (#) and flats (b) on the fingerboard

• Familiarity with reading chord and scale charts

• Apprehension of the CAGED system (5 forms as chords/triads and scales)

• Apprehension of the major modes