IM-136 • Building Melodic Patterns

[tobyjenner]

Oh yes I know it well and that sounds like an good exercise to actually work out the melody, rather than look it up. As long as I don't start having nightmares about Julie Andrews, I'll give it a go 

[captainamerica]

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[captainamerica]

I do have a few questions I'll pose:

1) might have missed it in the video/text, but is the picking supposed to be all down, up or alternative picking when doing the 4 patterns Justin provided, and any new ones we create?  Doing these patterns would be FAR easier if all were one direction...

2) if it should be alternative, should it always retain the same direction as when doing the entire scale from the root onward?  Meaning note #1 is always down, #2 will always be up, etc, all the way through, so that each of the 16 possible notes is "hardwired" facing a certain picking direct, or can/should that be varied?

So even if we start from note #5 in the pattern, if that was "down" in the "regular" pattern of 1-16 when alternate picking, will it always be down in any new patterns? 

I've noticed it is rather challenging to do the variant patterns while always keeping the same precise picking direction from the "base" scale; it requires another layer of thought that slows me down.  If all the picking were to be "allowed" as variable, then the patterns would flow much faster (I hope I'm explaining this clearly).

[jtbrown1]

I do have a few questions I'll pose:

1) might have missed it in the video/text, but is the picking supposed to be all down, up or alternative picking when doing the 4 patterns Justin provided, and any new ones we create?  Doing these patterns would be FAR easier if all were one direction...

2) if it should be alternative, should it always retain the same direction as when doing the entire scale from the root onward?  Meaning note #1 is always down, #2 will always be up, etc, all the way through, so that each of the 16 possible notes is "hardwired" facing a certain picking direct, or can/should that be varied?

So even if we start from note #5 in the pattern, if that was "down" in the "regular" pattern of 1-16 when alternate picking, will it always be down in any new patterns? 

I've noticed it is rather challenging to do the variant patterns while always keeping the same precise picking direction from the "base" scale; it requires another layer of thought that slows me down.  If all the picking were to be "allowed" as variable, then the patterns would flow much faster (I hope I'm explaining this clearly).

As you mentioned, when playing the straight major scale, I made sure the alternate picking lines up exactly the way it's supposed to go. But when doing the melodic lines I'm using alternate picking but I'm not worrying about if the picking is the same each time through. Not sure if it's "right," but it works for me so far.

The only pattern that makes sense to me to use all downstrokes is the 1-3-2-4-3-5-etc. All other patterns I alternate pick. That's what feels right to me.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[jtbrown1]

My plan is to put these patterns on the metronome just like the straight major scale. That's the only way to get them so familiar to my fingers that I can throw them in when improvising.

It's a plan, at least...

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[captainamerica]

Have to admit, I was not very happy with this exercise; felt it was not useful and while it might have been good for lead guitarists - which is not my goal, the time being invested was not paying/going to pay much back in dividends.

BUT...having decided to put more time/thought/effort into it, I am realizing the benefits, at least for me, are these:

1) it forces you to master the notes of the scale and eliminate them as something you need to think of.  My brain is simply not powerful enough to have to think what is the next note in the scale of this pattern while playing it - I can only concentrate on one thing, either the scale or the pattern - not both.

2) it will force your picking hand to improve in picking the proper strings as you go back and forth between them.  Do I make mistakes and pick the wrong strings?  Sure, but not as bad as when I began approaching this exercise.

3) it improves your ear where you can better judge the proper notes in the pattern and how they should sound.  Some patterns work better than others, but you still end up developing a better ear to judge how they sound, or should sound.  I just started the aural training lessons - better late than never - and will also start focusing more on the Justin ear training, which I admit I've spent less time on than the technical stuff. 

4) Your creativity in playing will improve as it forces you to think of the scale positions - I, IV, V, etc as you build a pattern and play through it.  As a next step, I might start including some of these patterns from Justin and those I created as part of the Improv Practice over a backing track.  A lot of Justin's exercises can be combined to improve your playing, and this I believe might also be a good one.

[stitch101]

A lot of Justin's exercises can be combined to improve your playing,

Just one correction.

All of Justin's exercises can be combined to improve your playing

For example When learning a new scale, riff, arpeggio etc combine it with the minimum movement
exercise. You need to learn it slowly any way. 

The one minute change isn't just for chord changes. When change patterns in a solo practice going
from one the the other then back get the movement between licks fluid and automatic.

Ear training is for everything you learn and should be the #1 thing you rely on when practicing
anything.

You can take everything taught in the BC and apply to everything you are learning and will learn
latter on.

I am realizing the benefits, at least for me

Good to see you've seen the light. 

[jeff00]

When I try to play these patterns in reverse (high notes to low) there are certain note that sound particularly funny to me. For example in the G major scale I try doing the 1234 2345 etc starting on the high A string I play it like:

A G F# E
G F# E D
F# E D C       <------this C sounds bad
...
...
F# E D C      <-------this C also sounds bad

Now that I took the time to write it out I found a pattern of which sounds funny. The F# E D C pattern. It's weird because it sounds perfectly normal playing the pattern from low to high. I just sounds bad from high to low.

Am I getting the notes wrong? Are my ears out of tune? (I double checked an my guitar is in tune). Does this sound funny to anyone else?

[embishop]

I'm working on the patterns from this exercise as well, had just played them all through as part of my practice before I checked out the Forum. To my ears the C sounded fine. It could be though because when you start on the F# your ears might be thinking that's the key, not the G scale, and you'd expect to hear C# in that scale. However, you'd also get sharps on the D and the E! But, the sound not seeming right could I think just be because of the starting note.

Mari

[coboy]

Hi hello been working on this but not making any headway tried numbering the scale end up with more notes. When I try to create a pattern im lost ends up sounding terrible and forget how to back track where I was. I wonder what it is im missing here just cant figure it out.

[embishop]

Hi coboy, are you having problems with all or some of the patterns? My best input I think would be to go slow. I was finding it challenging to work on alternate picking speed playing the scale up and down, then switching to melodic patterns. I slowed them all down and then i could play them, and start speeding them up.
Mari

[coboy]

Thanks for the reply Mari ill slow it down and keep working on it.

[Chrono1894]

Hi all-

I'm having a really hard time in this lesson. Any tips to create the melodic patterns? I've seen that other people in this thread have numbered the Maj and Min scales with 7 numbers instead of 16 or 12 respectively, but I don't really understand the logic behind this.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

[TChalms]

I came here with a question on these exercises, and I see that there are lots of questions. I can clear up a few things first.

I've been starting these exercises on C, 6th string 8th fret. Then all the notes in the major scale have no sharps or flats. C get the number 1, D is 2, E is 3, F is 4, G is 5, A is 6, B is 7, C is 1 and we're into the 2nd octave with the different scale fingering pattern. When we arrive at C on the 1st string 8th fret, we play the D as Justin suggests and then start down.

On the way down the numbering goes C is 1, B is 7, A is 6, G is 5, F is 4, E is 3, D is 2, C is 1, B is 7 and we carry on down to C then B then C.

When we do a different pattern, the numbers stay with those notes. So 1321 is C E D C, and so on. As we go up a scale we count up, as we come down a scale we count down.

When we have one pattern in one key mastered we have a choice to go to a different key with the same pattern, or do a different pattern in the same key.

I found it interesting that by mastering the major scale pattern in C, I would make mistakes when I started on A or G. So I practiced that.

And then I mastered a second pattern in all keys and I'm getting close to a third pattern and a fourth pattern. So I'm getting close to bumping the metronome up.

The question I have was asked by someone else above. I found it easy to do alternating picking  on the major scale. And I can start the major scale with either a down stroke or an up stroke and I can do alternating picking either way. Some of the other patterns are not so easy to do both ways. I find myself getting tangled up in my alternating picking when switching strings. Sometimes two up strokes or two down strokes is quicker and easier. So the question is if alternating picking is to be strictly practiced at this point?

But my goal with these scales is to learn to pick the right string at the right time, and use minimal motions with my fret hand. But no more than 5, maybe 10, minutes of scales per day - or else I would go crazy.