PATTERNS
Here is an example of a pattern that was my basic when I started to learn fast runs. The patterns below are played in a pentatonic E scale (E and A are most common in Rock).
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stroke towards the top E string side.
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stroke towards the bottom E string side.
P1
The 4 notes are played in a loop. I use my index and ring finger for this pattern but feel free to choose the fingers that suits you best. If you have trouble doing this exercise, you better first start playing the two notes on the E- string with the pick moving up and down.
Tip: do this "two-note" exercise on regular base for al your pairs of fingers: index + middle, index + pinky, middle + ring etc. on different places on the neck and on different strings.
The previous pattern can be done on other strings as well:
P2
Once you have the feeling that you control both patterns, you can combine the two patterns like this:
P3
If this is really new for you… have patience! Start playing slow and speed it up a bit. It's going to take some time but once you master this, you will be able to play a lot of patterns like these. They can be an important part of your soloing, because you can use it anywhere on the neck and expand the patterns with variations.
Eventually, you could expand the patterns over the whole neck from top to bottom and vv. For making a long run from E to E string these notes could be used:
So, the next tablature is long, I know….. but it's getting interesting now… so hold on.
P5
You've ended on the heavy low E-string but you want to go back to the top E string?
Here it is, a bit longer:
Not only will you learn this pattern but you will also train your ability to move your pick up and down on the strings, which is handy for fast runs and the synchronizing of both hands/fingers. Next time I will show some other common patterns in Rock that you can use. Of course you are free to invent your own patterns as long as it sounds logical and musical to you.