LESSON > FRETBOARD WORKSHOP
wanted to sound like Yngwie or EJ right
away. I set out to create some example riffs
that took me across the fretboard, almost as
if I were composing a riff for a guitar solo.
Check out Fig. 1 for an example of what
I’m talking about.
Since the example only consists of E,
A, and B major triad arpeggios (I–IV–V
in the key of E), I was able to play the
example whenever I was playing in the
key of E, and it always sounded good to
me. In time, I moved the shapes around
the neck and was able to learn more about
arpeggios when the tracks I was playing
Recently, I was thinking about different
ways to play scales. After 17 years, even
soloing with scale shapes can get a bit stale,
so I looked at the neck and tried to come
up with something different. I’ve played
scales in positions, and in string group-
ings, but I’d never played them like in Fig.
2, sliding like a snake down the fretboard.
This led me to think about composing riffs
down the fretboard, rather than just stick-
ing in vertical shapes all the time.
Finding examples like Fig. 2 was reinvig-
orating. What else could I do differently?
I’ve always loved arpeggios and chords, but
finding creative ways to play them is often
difficult. Going back to my roots led me to
Fig. 3, an Eric Johnson-style grouping of
arpeggios that skip a string.
All I’m doing is playing major triads
with a string skip immediately followed
by the same arpeggio in the first inversion
down the neck a few frets. Once the second
shape is concluded, I start over one fret
higher and keep going up the neck, dropping down 12 frets when I run out of room
on my Tele. Now, you might be thinking,
“That looks a whole lot like disciplined
practice to me.” And you’d be right.
Once I played the exercise a few times
to get the shapes down, I got bored because
it keeps looping and changing keys in the
cycle of fourths. It’s not that musical on its
own, so I set out to make it more musical.
Fig. 4 takes the same idea, locks it into a
single key, and makes a riff out of it.
Fig. 4 takes the shapes of Fig. 3, adds
the minor shape, and moves the patterns down one string a few times. It
reminds me a little bit of Neil Zaza’s “I’m
Alright,” which is another combination
of spread arpeggios across the neck. By
˙
˙
˙
Fig. 2
4 4 &##
oe oeoeoeoe oeoeoeoe oeoeoeoe oeoeoe
Fig. 2
oe oeoeoeoe oeoeoeoe oeoeoeoeoeoeoe
15 14
17 15
14 12
15 14
12 10
14 12
10 9
12 10
9
7
10 8
7
5
87
5
3
75
32
53
Fig. 3
12 8 &
C
oeoe
Fig. 3
C/E F
oe
oeoeoe
F/A
oeoeoeoeoeoe
B¨
oeb oe
B¨/D oe
oeoe
E¨
E¨/G
5
8
6
5
10
8
10
10
12
15
13
13
15
15
5
8
3
7
6
8
8
10
13
11
&
A¨
oeb oeb
A¨/C oe
oeoe
D¨
D¨/F
G¨ G¨/B¨
oeb oeb oeb oe
oeb
oe
oeoeb oeb
B B/D©
oe
oen oe# oe# oe# oen oe#
13
4
6
9
2
4
7
11
13
6
6
11
11
11
4
4
9
3
4
8
9
1
2
6
&
E E/G© A A/C©
oeoeoe oe oeoe n oeoeoe #
oe oeoe
D D/F© G G/B C
oeoeoe oe oeoeoeoeoeoeoeoe
oeoeoeoe™ OE™ OE™
7
9
9
11
14
12
12
14
14
4
7
5
5
7
7
9
12
10
10
12
12
14
17
15
3
5
5
Fig. 4 Fig. 4
7 4 &bbb
C‹ B¨/D E¨ E¨/G
oe>oeoeoe>oeoeoe>oeoeoeoeoeoe
A¨ B¨
oe>oeoeoe>oeoeoe>oeoeoeoeoeoe
4
6
898
3
5
787
5
8
8
8
3
5
6
6
6
6
8
8
3
4
6
6
taking the example in Fig. 4 and playing
it in a bunch of different keys, I’m get-
ting the same benefit that Fig. 3 has, but
I’m having more fun doing it, and it’s
more creative. Heck, it even led to a song
idea. That’s what practice is supposed to
be about: inspiring your creativity and
improving your skills.
As I’ve gotten older and my life has
changed, it’s become even more impor-
tant to use my time wisely when I play.
Between family, writing, work, and making music, I don’t get as much time to
play as I used to. When I do play, I make
sure that I’m reinforcing the building
blocks that enable me to make music, but
I always focus on creativity. I hope this
helps you think about practicing a bit differently, and helps you take an otherwise
boring concept and make it work for
you—especially if you don’t have a lot of
time to play the guitar.
66 PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012
premierguitar.com
