LESSONS HOME

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Asymmetrical Scale Patterns
Posted by zylaxis on guitarwar.com - Dec 17, 2004 @ 11:38:33 PM

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More methods for constructing longer scale runs

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“Asymmetrical” scale patterns for guitar (patterns which use odd number groupings and follow an unpredictable contour) are particularly interesting to improvise with. They can be used to produce all sorts of cross-rhythmic and polyrhythmic effects.

These exercises are in the key of [A major/F# nat. minor]. They ascend in A Ionian fingering and descend in B Dorian.

They can be played using alternate picking, legato, economy picking, OR a combination (I tend to practice them using strict alternate-picking, and then use a combo when soloing).

Ex. #1 requires 3 strings per "cell" to run a complete iteration of the pattern, so when you reach the [B string ascending/A string descending], the pattern gets broken.

When descending, each pattern is a literal retrograde.

example #1 (from original article-extended tab)
E ||-----------------------------------------|
B ||-----------------------------------------|
G ||-----------------------------------------|
D ||-------------------------6-7-9-7-6-------|
A ||-----------5-7-9-7-5-7-9-----------9-7-5-|
E ||-9-7-5-7-9-------------------------------|

E |-----------------------------------------|
B |-----------------------------------------|
G |-------------------------6-7-9-7-6-------|
D |-----------6-7-9-7-6-7-9-----------9-7-6-|
A |-9-7-5-7-9-------------------------------|
E |-----------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------|
B |-------------------------7-9-10-9-7-------|
G |-----------6-7-9-7-6-7-9------------9-7-6-|
D |-9-7-6-7-9--------------------------------|
A |------------------------------------------|
E |------------------------------------------|

E |---------------------------7-9-10-9-7--------|
B |-----------7-9-10-9-7-9-10------------10-9-7-|
G |-9-7-6-7-9-----------------------------------|
D |---------------------------------------------|
A |---------------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------|

E |-------------7-9-10-9-7-9-10-|12-10-9-------------------------------------|
B |-10-9-7-9-10-----------------|-------12-10-9-10-12-10-9------------9-10-12|
G |-----------------------------|--------------------------11-9-7-9-11-------|
D |-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
A |-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
E |-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------------|
B |-9-10-12-10-9-----------------------------------|
G |--------------11-9-7-9-11-9-7------------7-9-11-|
D |------------------------------11-9-7-9-11-------|
A |------------------------------------------------|
E |------------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------------|
B |------------------------------------------------|
G |-7-9-11-9-7-------------------------------------|
D |------------11-9-7-9-11-9-7-------------7-9-11--|
A |----------------------------11-9-7-9-11---------|
E |------------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------------|
B |------------------------------------------------|
G |------------------------------------------------|
D |-7-9-11-9-7-------------------------------------|
A |------------11-9-7-9-11-9-7-------------7-9-11--|
E |----------------------------10-9-7-9-10---------|

E |----------------------------||
B |----------------------------||
G |----------------------------||
D |----------------------------||
A |-7-9-11-9-7-----------------||
E |------------10-9-7-10-9-7-5-||


example #2 (from original article-extended tab)
E ||-12-10-9-10-12-10-10-9--------------9-10-9---------|
B ||-----------------------12-10-9-10-9--------12-10-9-|
G ||---------------------------------------------------|
D ||---------------------------------------------------|
A ||---------------------------------------------------|
E ||---------------------------------------------------|

E |----------------------------------------------|
B |-12-10-9-10-12-10-9-------------9-10-9--------|
G |--------------------11-9-7-9-11--------11-9-7-|
D |----------------------------------------------|
A |----------------------------------------------|
E |----------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------|
B |------------------------------------------|
G |-11-9-7-9-11-9-7-------------7-9-7--------|
D |-----------------11-9-7-9-11-------11-9-7-|
A |------------------------------------------|
E |------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------|
B |------------------------------------------|
G |------------------------------------------|
D |-11-9-7-9-11-9-7-------------7-9-7--------|
A |-----------------11-9-7-9-11-------11-9-7-|
E |------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------|
B |------------------------------------------|
G |------------------------------------------|
D |------------------------------------------|
A |-11-9-7-9-11-9-7-------------7-9-7--------|
E |-----------------10-9-7-9-10-------10-9-7-|

E |-------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B |-------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G |-------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
D |-------------------------------------|--------------6-7-9-7-6------6-7-9|
A |---------------5-7-9-7-5-------5-7-9-|5-7-9-7-5-7-9-----------9-7-9-----|
E |-5-7-9-7-5-7-9-----------9-7-9-------|----------------------------------|

E |-------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B |-------------------------------------|--------------7-9-10-9-7------7-9-10|
G |---------------6-7-9-7-6-------6-7-9-|6-7-9-7-6-7-9------------9-7-9------|
D |-6-7-9-7-6-7-9-----------9-7-9-------|------------------------------------|
A |-------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E |-------------------------------------|------------------------------------|

E |-----------------7-9-10-9-7---------7-9-10-||
B |-7-9-10-9-7-9-10------------10-9-10--------||
G |-------------------------------------------||
D |-------------------------------------------||
A |-------------------------------------------||
E |-------------------------------------------||

example #3
E ||---------------------9-10-12-10-9---------------------------|
B ||-12-10-12-10-9-10-12--------------12-10-9-10-12-10-9--------|
G ||-----------------------------------------------------11-9-7-|
D ||------------------------------------------------------------|
A ||------------------------------------------------------------|
E ||------------------------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------------------|
B |------------------9-10-12-10-9------------------------|
G |-11-9-11-9-7-9-11--------------11-9-7-9-11-9-7--------|
D |-----------------------------------------------11-9-7-|
A |------------------------------------------------------|
E |------------------------------------------------------|

E |----------------------------------------------------|
B |----------------------------------------------------|
G |------------------7-9-11-9-7------------------------|
D |-11-9-11-9-7-9-11------------11-9-7-9-11-9-7--------|
A |---------------------------------------------11-9-7-|
E |----------------------------------------------------|
                                                   (transition fragment)
E |----------------------------------------------------|------------|
B |----------------------------------------------------|------------|
G |----------------------------------------------------|------------|
D |------------------7-9-11-9-7------------------------|------------|
A |-11-9-11-9-7-9-11------------11-9-7-9-11-9-7--------|------5-7-9-|
E |---------------------------------------------10-9-7-|-5-7-9------|

E |---------------------------------------------|
B |---------------------------------------------|
G |---------------------------------------------|
D |---------------------------------------6-7-9-|
A |-5-7-5-7-9-7-5-----------5-7-9-7-5-7-9-------|
E |---------------9-7-5-7-9---------------------|

E |---------------------------------------------|
B |---------------------------------------------|
G |---------------------------------------6-7-9-|
D |-6-7-6-7-9-7-6-----------6-7-9-7-6-7-9-------|
A |---------------9-7-5-7-9---------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------|

E |----------------------------------------------|
B |---------------------------------------7-9-10-|
G |-6-7-6-7-9-7-6-----------6-7-9-7-6-7-9--------|
D |---------------9-7-6-7-9----------------------|
A |----------------------------------------------|
E |----------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------7-9-10-||
B |-7-9-7-9-10-9-7-----------7-9-10-9-7-9-10--------||
G |----------------9-7-6-7-9------------------------||
D |-------------------------------------------------||
A |-------------------------------------------------||
E |-------------------------------------------------||

example #4 (this one is in groups of 17)
E ||--------------------9-10-12-10-9--------------|
B ||-9-10-12-10-9-10-12--------------12-10-9------|
G ||-----------------------------------------11-9-|
D ||----------------------------------------------|
A ||----------------------------------------------|
E ||----------------------------------------------|

E |------------------------------------------|
B |-----------------9-10-12-10-9-------------|
G |-7-9-11-9-7-9-11--------------11-9-7------|
D |-------------------------------------11-9-|
A |------------------------------------------|
E |------------------------------------------|

E |----------------------------------------|
B |----------------------------------------|
G |-----------------7-9-11-9-7-------------|
D |-7-9-11-9-7-9-11------------11-9-7------|
A |-----------------------------------11-9-|
E |----------------------------------------|
                                        (transition fragment)
E |----------------------------------------|-------------|
B |----------------------------------------|-------------|
G |----------------------------------------|-------------|
D |-----------------7-9-11-9-7-------------|-------------|
A |-7-9-11-9-7-9-11------------11-9-7------|---------5-7-|
E |-----------------------------------10-9-|-7-5-7-9-----|

E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G |-----------------------------------|-------------------------------6-7-|
D |-------------------------------6-7-|-9-7-6-7-9-7-6-----------6-7-9-----|
A |-9-7-5-7-9-7-5-----------5-7-9-----|---------------9-7-5-7-9-----------|
E |---------------9-7-5-7-9-----------|-----------------------------------|

E |-----------------------------------|----------------------------------7-9-|
B |-------------------------------7-9-|-10-9-7-9-10-9-7-----------7-9-10-----|
G |-9-7-6-7-9-7-6-----------6-7-9-----|------------------9-7-6-7-9-----------|
D |---------------9-7-6-7-9-----------|--------------------------------------|
A |-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
E |-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------|

  (transition fragment)
E |-10-12-10-9-------||
B |------------12-10-||
G |------------------||
D |------------------||
A |------------------||
E |------------------||