Contents

Introduction
Introductio n
4NPS versus
versus 3NPS
Nextt Note,
Nex Note, Next Finger
Different Scales
Scales,, Different Stretches
Melodic Minor
How to Practic
Practicee
Harmonicc Minor
Harmoni
Natu
Natural Minor/Aeolian Mode
Mode
Merging 4NPS and
and 3NPS Patterns
4NPS Guide Patterns
Patterns
Alternate
Alternate Pickin
Pi cking
g
Th Mir ror Image (Beyond the 12 th Fret
Thee Mirr Fret))
Techniquess (1)
Technique
The Modes
Modes
Improving
Improvi ng Speed and Accuracy
Accurac y
Interlocking Patterns
More 4NPS
4NPS Per
P erm
mutati
utation
onss
Symmetrical
Symmetrical Scales
Techniques
Techniques (2)
Tapping
Tapping
Tappi
apping
ng wi
with
th Slides
Legato
So far, so good?
Other
Other Useful Scale
Sca le Patterns
Altered Scale (1,b2,b3,b4,b5,b6,b
( 1,b2,b3,b4,b5,b6,b7)
7)
Super Locrian (1,b2,#2,3,#4,#5,b7)
Lydian b7 (1,2,3,#4,5,6,b7)
Mixolydian b6 (1,2,3,4,5,b6,b7)
Phrygian
Phrygian Dominant
Dominant (1,b2,3,4,5,b6
(1,b2 ,3,4,5,b6,b7)
,b7)
Hungarian Minor (1,2,b3,#4,5,b6,7)

2
 Harmonic Major (1,2,3,4,#5,6,7)
Lydian Augmented (1,2,3,#4,#5,6,7)
Lydian Minor
Minor (1,2,3
(1,2,3,#4,5,b6,
,#4,5,b6,b7)
b7)
Eight Tone Spanish Scale (1,b2,#2,3,4,b5,b6,b7)
Enigmatic (1,b2,3,#4,#5,#6,7)
More from Unlock the Guitar

3
Introduction
While building up speed is an important part of being able to play shred
guitar,
guitar, an equally important,
important, and often overlooked
overlo oked side
sid e of shred
s hred playing
pl aying is
fretboard dexteri
dexterityty:: the
the abil
ab ility
ity to use all
al l four
four fingers
fingers of the
the fretting hand
hand to
execute fast passages without having to compensate for a weak or unused
finger. In the upper echelons of fast but accurate playing you’ll find the likes
of Allan Holdsworth, Shawn Lane, Jason Becker and a few select others.
What distinguishes these players is their mastery of fretboard dexterity i.e.
the
the use of all
al l four fingers
fingers in equal proporti
pr oportionon and
and with
w ith equal strength.
strength. In this
this
eBook we’ll
we’ ll look at how to achieve this this dexterity throu
throughgh the
the exploration
explor ation of
four-note-per-string (4NPS) scales. This is not a scale theory book; what
we’re concerned with here are the mechanics of this aspect of speed playing
and how to develop them. 4NPS scales are the perfect vehicle to explore
these mechanics and apply them to your playing, especially if you’ve
already
alr eady gotten
gotten your
your 3NPS or CAGED patterns patterns down,
do wn, and are looking for for
that extra something to take your shred playing to the next level.
Let’s get started!
Graham
www.unlocktheguitar.net

4
4NPS versus 3NPS
Grab your guitar and take a minute to play through this 3NPS pattern:

I’ll bet that you

you played it with
w ith the
the followi
foll owing
ng fingeri
fingering
ng from low to high:
high: 1-2-
4, 1-2-4, 1-2-4, 1-2-4, 1-3-4, 1-3-4.

If you study your hand while you play this scale, you’ll notice that on the
first four strings the third finger becomes trapped or does nothing, and on the
B and E string
stri ngss the second
sec ond finger
finger is just there
there in mid-
mid-air.
air.

You should
should (if
(i f you wanted to develop
deve lop shred-master type fretboard spans)
play th
this pattern with th
the following fing
fingering from low to high
high:

1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3

This
This way you free
free up the
the fourth and second fingers
fingers respective
res pectively
ly as you play
the pattern. This might be a bit of a stretch down at the nut, but the further up
the fretboard you go, the more relevant this becomes, and the more
possibilities
possibi lities are
ar e opened
opened up.
up. As men
mention
tioned,
ed, Shawn
Shawn Lan
Lanee did this,
this, as did
Jason Becker, and of course the legendary Allan Holdsworth, and even
Eddie Van Halen. It’s quite recognizable as it’s a different hand
position/grip
position/grip to when you play 3NPS
3NPS scales thethe ‘standard’
‘standard’ way.
way.

5
Next Note,
Note , Next Finger
Finger
Wasted fingers on the fretboard mean a reduction in finger stretching, and a
reduction in possibilities for the sake of a ‘comfortable’ hand position. What
we need to do is capitalize on those wasted fingers and apply the, ‘next
note, next finger’, rule i.e. adjacent notes are always played by the adjacent
finger, so there should be no trailing or dangling fingers in between any two
notes being played in succession.

Look at the following 4NPS pattern:

This is a 4NPS Major Scale pattern starting on the low F. 4NPS patterns that
start on F are the hardest to play because they involve the widest stretches.
Play through the pattern SLOWLY using alternate picking from the low
F to the high A and back again. If the stretch is too much for you at this
point, feel free to start the pattern on the low A or further up the neck
where it’s more comfortable . As you play moremore of these
these scales
scal es your
your
stretch will widen, even if you have small hands, and you can work down to
the F.
Remember: You don’t have to learn this as a scale pattern to replace your
3NPS knowledge, we’re more interested in the mechanics of it in order to
leverage
leve rage them and transform our overall
over all shredding
shreddi ng ability
abil ity..
Here’s
Here ’s a 4NPS
4 NPS pattern
patte rn startin
sta rting
g on the Bb on the A string:
string:

Play through it SLOWLY up and down using alternate picking, or move it up

the fretboard if the stretch is too much at this point.

6
Notice
Notice that
that 4NPS
4NPS patterns
patterns transcen
transcend
d scale shapes and
and pass throug
through h all of
them. If you know your 3NPS shapes well, you may see them appear as you
move through
through the
the 4NPS pattern. This
This is what we want as it’ll
it’l l help us to
leverage 4NPS patterns.
As you play through these patterns you’ll notice some initial discomfort but
keep going (as long as the pain isn’t
is n’t unbearabl
unbearable)
e) and play through
through it; stop if
if
you feel anything
anything mor
moree than mil
mildd stretching
s tretching and move further up the
fretboard.
Note
Note also the
the chang
changee in th
the position of
of you
yourr hand,
hand, which should
should now be
more ‘spread’
‘sp read’ compared
compared to the
the 3NPS hand
hand position,
pos ition, and don’t be
discouraged by the initial discomfort.

7
Different Scales, Different Stretches
The different interval permutations of different scales will provide new
stretches in 4NPS scale patterns.

8
Melodic Minor
Here’s
Here ’s the Melodic
Melodic Minor
Minor scale pattern
patte rn startin
sta rting
g on the low F:
F:

And
And the sam
s amee scale startin
sta rting
g on Bb:

Make
Make sure
s ure you play throu
through
gh these
these scales
scal es slowl
sl owly
y and
and precis
pr ecisely;
ely; there’s
there’s no
rush. As you play through these patterns you may find you need to lift the
previous fing
finger
er in order for th
the adjacent fing
finger to be able to
to fret the
the note;
note;
this
this is perfectly okay.
okay.

9
How to Practice
Play through the scale using alternate picking, then move the whole pattern
up a semi-tone until you reach the F on the 13 th fret. You can also start on the
F at the 13 th fret and work
w ork down,
dow n, whichever you find
find more comfortabl
comfortable. e.
Remember to take a rest if you tire, or you feel more than mild stretching.

10
Harmonic Minor
The Harmonic Minor scale is an excellent one to practice as it features a
gap of 3 semi-tones to negotiate.

Here’s the Harmonic Minor scale starting on the low F:

And
And the sam
s amee scale startin
sta rting
g on Bb:

11
Naturall Mi
Natura Minor/Aeol
nor/Aeoliian Mode
Once you’ve gotten the hang of the Harmonic Minor pattern, try the less
demanding natural minor pattern which should feel fairly comfortable by
now.
Here’s the pattern starting on F:

And here it is starting on Bb:

Continue to practice with all patterns we’ve covered so far; as you get past
the initial discomfort you should start to see any previously learned scale
patterns
patterns appear as you
you move throug
through
h the
the 4NPS pattern
patterns.
s. Wh
When this
this happens,
happens,
you’re ready for the next chapter.

12
Merging
Merging 4NPS and 3NPS
3 NPS Patterns
If you haven’t already, try improvising using the 4NPS concept (not the
scale patterns); use the scale shapes you’ve learned from the 3NPS or
CAGED systems. Remember the next note next finger rule and see what
happens.
What you’ll find is that as you expand your hand reach on the fretboard, your
‘fretboard
‘fretboar d visio
vi sion’
n’ (the picture of the fretboard in your
your mind) expands
expands too as
the 4NPS concept will always force you to go outside of any 3NPS or
CAGED scale pattern.
Notice
Notice the
the difference
difference between
between th
the position of you
yourr hand
hand in th
the 4NPS
position and
and when playing
playing 3NPS and
and CAGED
CAGED patterns.
patterns. You
You may need to
adjust your stance and your strap a little, but these initial discomforts will
soon pass.

13
4NPS Guide
Guide Patterns
P atterns
The next thing to do is bring the 4NPS patterns back in as a guide to
movement on the fretboard. The very nature of a 4NPS pattern implies
movement. When you were applying the 4NPS concept over 3NPS or
CAGED scale shapes, you probably
prob ably noticed that you
you hit
hit a lot of repeating
r epeating
notes, or the same notes on adjacent strings, or you moved your hand in
much the same way as you did before. 4NPS patterns come into their own
when they’re used in conjunction with horizontal and diagonal movement on
the fretboard. Using the 4NPS patterns as a guide will help you avoid
repeating notes, although these can be used to great effect in some situations.

14
Alternate Picking
You may have noticed I’ve been suggesting you use alternate picking when
playing
playing 4NPS scales. There’s
There’s a good
good reason forfor this
this because we have an
even num
number of notes
notes on each string, and
and since
s ince alternat
al ternatee pickin
pi cking
g is strictly
stric tly
up-down-up-down or vice versa, it’s very consistent. Refine your
alternate picking skills by varying whether you start on an upstroke or
a downstroke; both are just as efficient.

15
 (Beyond the 12th Fret)
The Mirror Image (Beyond
When using 4NPS patterns it’s a good idea to see patterns beyond the 12 th
fret as a mirror image, almost as if they were two separate fretboards. 4NPS
patterns
patterns become
become very usable the 12 th fret due to the close
usable above the clos e proxim
pr oximity
ity
of the frets themsel
themselves.
ves.
Take a look
l ook at our F Major
Majo r scale the 13 th fret.
s cale starting on the

As you can see the pattern doesn’t complete

complete on a guitar
guitar with
wi th 24 frets (4NPS
patterns
patterns can span up
up to 17 frets),
frets), but there are e nough
ough note
notess to ‘ge
‘ gett us
into’ the 4NPS concept so that you can fill in the gaps with your knowledge
from other scale systems. Allan Holdsworth uses this idea to great effect
when he plays above the 12 th fret.
Choose any of the scale patterns we’ve looked at and see if you can
replicate them starting on the 13 th fret. Use the pattern to get into the 4NPS
concept and see what you can come up with.

16
Techniques (1)
Once you’re comfortable with the hand position for 4NPS scales, you can
start to bring
br ing in techn
techniques
iques such
s uch as slides,
sli des, hamm
hammer-ons,
er- ons, pull-offs
pull- offs and bends.
I’d suggest over-using your pinky here to bring it up to speed.
Slides. You
You can slide
sli de using any
any fing
finger
er and slides
sli des are a good way
w ay to expand
expand
your ‘fretboard vision’ even further, just be sure to maintain the 4NPS hand
position and
and not
not revert back to 3NPS
3NPS or CAGED
CAGED grips.
Hammer-ons and Pull-offs. These are the key to legato playing. Again,
make sure you incorporate your pinky, and that the volume is consistent for
all notes.
Bends. Your original bending technique will be just as effective in 4NPS
playing
playing, just be sure
sure to bend
bend with you
yourr pinky
pinky to bring
bring it up
up to speed.
This is the perfect stage to bring in these techniques as they all serve to
again widen your ‘fretboard vision’ and further break free from scale
patterns
patterns and
and into
into some
some interesting
interesting shred terri
territory
tory..

17
The Modes
Let’s check out the 4NPS patterns for the modes of the major scale. We’ve
already looked at the major scale (Ionian mode), so let’s continue with the
Dorian mode.

The interesting thing here is the way 4NPS modal patterns lend themselves
to very modal type phrasing if you stick within the 4NPS pattern. You’ll
almost certainly play things you never would have thought of with the
confines
confines of 3NPS or CAGED patterns.
patterns.
The Phrygian Mode

Use these modal patterns to practice diagonal and horizontal fretboard

movement while observing the subtle change in sound and dynamics.
The Lydian Mode

The Lydian mode provides some demanding stretches on the lower strings;
for these you’ll
you’ll probably
proba bly need to ‘snak
‘s nake’
e’ your
your hand
hand up the
the fretboard,
fretboar d, which
w hich
is perfectly alright. Be sure to keep your fingers as close to the strings as
possible
possibl e when doing this.
this.
The Mixolydian Mode

18
The Mixolydian pattern is a comfortable one which you should take
advantage of to build up speed.
The Aeolian Mode

The Locrian Mode

19
Improving Speed and Accuracy
You can improve your speed and accuracy by zeroing in the different string
permu
permutations
tations and
and practicing them
them separately.
separately. In the
the diagram below you’ll
you’ll
see the four permutations that feature in the major scale (shown here in the
Aeolian
Aeoli an diagram). Practice
Pra ctice these
these fragment
fragmentss one
o ne at a time,
time, using
usi ng alternat
alter natee
picking
picking, and
and slow enou
enoug gh to iron out
out any
any inconsistencies
inconsistencies in either
either your
your
technique, or each repetition. Pay special attention to the quality of each
repetition as this is the key to solid technique.

20
Interlocking Patterns
As we saw in a previous chapter, you can also start 4NPS patterns from a
5th string root. Here we have each mode again, but this time starting on the F
at the 8th fret of the A string. Notice how these pattern interlock with the 6 th
string
stri ng root pattern
pa tterns.
s.
Ionian (Major Scale)

Dorian

Phrygian

Lydian

Mixolydian

21
Aeolian

Locrian

22
More 4NPS Permutations
Time for some more stretching. If you look again at the Harmonic Minor
scale patterns, you’ll see that they feature permutations that are not found in
the Major and Melodic Minor scales such as the following:

You may want to start a little higher up the fretboard when practicing
fragments with wide stretches so as not to damage your hand. Remember
that it’s perfectly acceptable to make little jumps from one note to the next,
especially between the 2 nd and 3rd fingers
fingers..

23
Symmetrical Scales
The 4NPS patterns for symmetrical scales also make for good repetition
practice as well
wel l as some
some sick-sounding
sick-sounding runs.
runs. Check out this Diminished
Scale pattern starting on the low E string.

When you’re practicing with symmetrical scales, take the opportunity to

concentrate on what your fretting hand is doing, especially when changing
strings. Make sure your transitions are smooth, and that you’re muting any
unwanted noise from other strings.
The Whole Tone Scale pattern below runs from the first to the 23 rd fret of
the guitar (if you have one), and is definitely a workout for the fingers.

The
The followi
foll owing
ng Six Tone Symmetrical Scale will help you practice the jump
the 2nd and 3rd fingers
between the fingers..

The Augmented Scale below has som s omee of the

the widest
w idest stretches
stretches available,
avai lable,
and runs from the first fret right up to the 24 th (if you have one). Make sure
you’re warmed up before attempting this one.

24
25
Techniques (2)
Now that
that you
you’ve
’ve gotten
gotten the
the han
hangg of 4NPS
4NPS patterns,
patterns, and
and have
have developed
better
better control
control and techn
technique,
ique, you
you can try out
out some
some of th
the more
more advanced
techniques.

26
Tapping
Try tapping the fourth note on each string as you ascend and descend the
pattern.
pattern. Here’s an exam
example
ple using
using the
the Dorian scale, but feel free
free to use
use any of
the others.

27
Tapping with Slides
Another common technique used by shredders such as Steve Vai and John
Petrucci is to extend the scale up the string by using a combination of a tap
and a slide with your tapping finger, usually between the third and fourth
notes on the string as shown here.

Again, experiment with any of the scales we’ve already covered, and see if
you can come
come up with
w ith your
your own
ow n licks and
a nd runs;
runs; these wil
w illl be
b e far more
memorable than just playing through a bunch of generic examples.

28
Legato
One of the most interesting applications of 4NPS scales is legato—using a
combination
combination of hamm
hammer-ons
er- ons and pull-off
pull-o ffss to produce fluid lines
li nes like
li ke players
such as Allan Holdsworth. If you’re used to pulling off legato runs with
3NPS scales, 4NPS legato runs will throw you off at first because your
instinct is to play a with triplet feel, which will often lead to the fourth note
you play kind of not fitting in. I’m not a big fan of metronomes but get hold
of something with a steady pulse so that you can practice with four-note
ideas while keeping time.

29
So far, so good?
If you’ve reached this point in the book, well done! You should be feeling
fairly
fairl y comfortable
comfortable with
wi th 4NPS
4NPS patterns, and I im i magine
agine they’ve
they’ve started to
creep into your playing. If not, you must surely have noticed the difference
in hand position and fretboard movement compared to the way you played
before picking
picking up this
this book, and
and hopefu
hopefully
lly you
you’ll
’ll have broken
broken out
out of scale
boxes
boxes a little. Keep applying
applying these
these concepts
concepts to you
yourr playing
playing as part of your
our
practice session
sessi ons,
s, and you’ll
ou’ll soon
s oon start to
to see results.

30
Other Useful Scale Patterns
Try varying the
the scales
scal es you use to practice
pr actice by incorporating
incorpora ting more exotic-
sounding scales such as the ones below. You’ll also come across some new
stretches to further
further widen
wi den your
your reach
rea ch on the
the fretboard.
fretboar d.

31
Altered Scale (1,b2,b3,b4,b5,b6,b7)

32
Super Locrian (1,b2,#2,3,#4,#5,b7)

33
Lydian b7 (1,2,3,#4,5,6,b7)

34
Mixolydian b6 (1,2,3,4,5,b6,b7)

35
Phrygian Dominant (1,b2,3,4,5,b6,b7)

36
Hungarian Minor (1,2,b3,#4,5,b6,7)

37
Harmonic Major (1,2,3,4,#5,6,7)

38
Lydi
ydian
an Aug
Augmented
mented (1,2,
(1,2,3,#4,#5,
3,#4,#5,6,7)
6,7)

39
Lydi
ydian
an Mi
Minor
nor (1,2,
(1,2,3,#4,5,
3,#4,5,b6,b7)
b6,b7)

40
Eig
Eight Tone
Tone Spani
Spanish
sh Scale (1,b2,#2,3,
(1, b2,#2,3,4,b5,b6,
4,b5,b6,b7)
b7)

41
Enigmatic (1,b2,3,#4,#5,#6,7)

42
More from Unlock the Guitar
Visit www.unlocktheguitar.net for more insight into all things guitar on the
blog, and our extensive selection of eBooks on scales, chords, and the
bestsellin
bestselli ng guitar hacks
hacks series.

43
Indice

Introduction 4
4NPS versus 3NPS 5
Next
Next Note,
Note, Nex
Nextt Fing
Finger 6
Different Scales, Different Stretches 8
Melodic Minor 9
How to Practice 10
Harmonic Minor 11
Natu
Natural Minor/Aeolian Mode 12
Merging 4NP S and 3NP S P atterns 13
4NPS Guide Patterns 14
Alternate Picking 15
The Mirror Image (Beyond the 12th Fret) 16
Techniques (1) 17
The Modes 18
Improving Speed and Accuracy 20
Interlocking Patterns 21
More 4NP S Permutations 23
Symmetrical Scales 24
Techniques (2) 26
Tapping 27
Tapping with Slides 28
Legato 29
So far, so good? 30
Other Useful Scale P atterns 31
Altered Scale (1,b2,b3,b4,b5,b6,b7) 32
Super Locrian (1,b2,#2,3,#4,#5,b7) 33
Lydian b7 (1,2,3,#4,5,6,b7) 34
Mixolydian b6 (1,2,3,4,5,b6,b7) 35
Phrygian Dominant (1,b2,3,4,5,b6,b7) 36
Hungarian Minor (1,2,b3,#4,5,b6,7) 37

44
 Harmonic Major (1,2,3,4,#5,6,7) 38
Lydian Augmented (1,2,3,#4,#5,6,7) 39
Lydian Minor (1,2,3,#4,5,b6,b7) 40
Eight Tone Spanish Scale (1,b2,#2,3,4,b5,b6,b7) 41
Enigmatic (1,b2,3,#4,#5,#6,7) 42
More from Unlock the Guitar 43

45