Mastering the Higher Positions

The purpose of this article is to introduce guitarists to reading and improvising in higher positions on the fretboard using learned scale patterns as a guide. Guitarists tend to be somewhat comfortable with note names in open position, but become disoriented and frustrated when they attempt to move up the neck. Using the five scale patterns presented here and a basic knowledge of the Circle of Fifths you will be able to play in any key over the entire neck of the guitar. Just go slowly and don’t quit!

Many of the exercises in this chapter ask the player to read a melody in a particular position using a “closed” left-hand fingering. That just means that we are not going to be using any open strings. If we avoid open strings, the patterns become as movable as any simple bar chord. This approach will give you more options when playing and be the “key” to unlocking the mysteries of the higher frets.

The Five Patterns

I believe that the easiest way to master the higher positions is through the memorization of five scale patterns. These patterns cover the fretboard in a given key, showing you very clearly where all of the “in” notes are. They can then be transposed to other keys by moving them up or down the neck without any change to your fingering. Here are the five patterns in the key of C major:

Pattern 1 (Frets 12-15) (numbers in circles indicate which string to play note on – (6) is low E, (5) is A, etc.; numbers beside the note indicate which finger to use to fret the note – 1 is index finger, 2 is middle finger, etc.,)

Pattern 2 (Frets 2-5)

Pattern 3 (Frets 5-8)

Pattern 4 (Frets 7-10)

Pattern 5 (Frets 8-13)

Second and Third Position
Try reading the following melody, which falls nicely into the second and third positions with Pattern Two in C major. Remember that the second string shifts into third position so that we can reach the F on the sixth fret with the fourth finger. If you would like to read it once in open position in order to familiarize yourself with the sound of the melody its not a bad idea.

Exercise 1

Transposition
Now let’s try reading the same line in a different key without changing positions. We’ll try G major for now because it shares many of the same notes with C major. What pattern would you use for second position in G major? If you said pattern four you would be right. I put the lower leading tone (F#) and the high A in parenthesis in order to emphasis the tonic G.

Here is the melody from Exercise 1, which we read in C, now transposed to G. Use pattern four as the guide for the frets.

Exercise 2

Now let’s give D major a try. Use Pattern One in to play this next exercise in second position.

Exercise 3

Any diatonic (in a key) piece of music may be approached in this way. Simply figure out the key, the position or positions in which most of the notes fall, and then apply the appropriate pattern. This pattern-oriented system will enable you to easily find your way around in any key or mode anywhere on the fretboard.

Vibrato

Playing melodic passages without using lots of open strings can also give you a few more options musically. For example, you can add vibrato to a closed note, but not an open string. A “classical” vibrato is created through the rhythmic raising and lowering of a pitch by pulling and pushing the string horizontally to the fretboard. A steel-string guitarist usually creates vibrato by bending sharp, pulling the string either up or down, and then relaxing back to pitch. I have always believed that the best way to get the feel of a natural vibrato is by listening to a really good cellist or violinist. There is also much to be learned from a good singer.

One of the aspects of vibrato technique that needs attention is the speed at which the note vibrates. A good rule of thumb is to use a slower vibrato for low notes and a faster vibrato for high notes. Just imagine a soprano singing a high C with a slow vibrato or a baritone using a fast one. The soprano would sound like she has had a bit too much to drink and the baritone would sound like he was having an anxiety attack.

Fourth and Fifth Positions
Just like before, find the key and then a pattern that fits the general area of the neck that most of the notes fall. For this next example in A minor, play in the fifth position using pattern number three (C major/A minor). Don’t forget to raise the G to G# in the fifth measure.

Exercise 4

Here is the same melody that we read earlier (Exercise 3) in D major (second position) transposed now to E major. Simply move Pattern One up to fourth position for this one.

Exercise 5

For this next melody in A major/fourth position you use Pattern Four.

Exercise 6

Improvisation
The pattern-oriented approach is not only useful for reading music; it is also extremely helpful when improvising. Using a learned scale pattern to improvise is not anything new to most players; however, there are some exercises that can make us even more comfortable in the higher positions. It’s a fact that many guitar players will learn only one or two patterns and use them almost exclusively. The problem with that is that it limits you to one spot on the neck for all of your solos. With five different patterns you will be free to move anywhere in the key all over the neck. Practice connecting the patterns so you can easily jump from one to another without any trouble.

Practice Challenge No. 1: Try to play scales through the Circle of Fifths without shifting more than one or two frets away from where you start. For example if you decide to try this in second position you would go through the following patterns:

• C major/Pattern Two
• G major/Pattern Four
• D major/Pattern One
• A major/Pattern Three
• E major/Pattern Five
• B major/Pattern Two
• F# major/Pattern Four
• C# major/Pattern One etc…

Practice Challenge No. 2: Play every position for a given key by shifting from one pattern to the next while ascending and then descending the fretboard. For instance, if you start with an ascending C major scale in second position (Pattern Two) shift up into Pattern Three on the first string and then descend. When you reach the bottom of the Third Pattern in fifth position, shift to Pattern Four in seventh position and ascend. Continue like this until you complete the fretboard and then try it in a different key.

Final Thoughts

While this article has focused mainly on using the patterns for major and the relative minor, they can also be used for Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, and Locrian. You don’t even need to learn different patterns, simply recognize the new tonic. In other words, if you’re thinking about a pattern in major, focus on the second degree of the scale and make it the new “home base”. Now you’re playing a Dorian pattern. It’s just that easy!

A word of caution: do not think only in patterns while ignoring individual note names. Too many guitarists play patterns without any idea which notes they are fingering. What you really need to do is practice scales slow enough that you can say the names of the notes to yourself as you go. After all, learning the names of the notes was the whole point.

About the Author

Dr. Scott Morris, DMA, is the Coordinator of Guitar Studies at California State University in Dominguez Hills, California.