Rethink your approach to pentatonic shapes by pushing the limits of your picking.
Advanced
Beginner
• Visualize different string groupings for pentatonic scales.
• Understand the basics of economy picking.
• Learn how to create lines in the style of Eric Johnson, Shawn Lane, and Joe Bonamassa.
When I first heard about economy picking, the simplicity intrigued me. The concept is relatively straightforward: After a downstroke, if you're moving to a higher string, you make another downstroke. If you travel to a lower string, that requires an upstroke. Many beginners often intuitively do this. It wasn't until a bit later that I adopted a regimen of strict alternate picking for scales and sweep picking for arpeggios. But the idea of economy picking echoed in my mind. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have one picking style that could fluidly transition from arpeggios to scales? As time went on, I explored players like Django Reinhardt, Frank Gambale, and George Bellas, and economy picking naturally found its way into more of my technique.
I want to preface this lesson by saying this picking option may be a useful addition to what you do, but not necessarily replace your picking style.
Picking can be related to drum sticking, where your upstrokes and downstrokes are similar to a drummer's right and left drum strokes. In a fill, the drum strokes aren't always going to alternate, and other sticking patterns are common to make the most efficient movement around the drum kit. For the audio examples here, I am playing everything on a nylon-string Martin 000C miked so that you can really hear the percussive attack, but the ideas in this lesson can be used on electric guitars and in any musical style.
Even early on in my economy picking exploration, I wanted to apply this technique to phrases built on pentatonic scales, which are typically played in a two-note-per-string (NPS), alternate-picking style. Consider this: Arpeggios are often associated with sweep picking, and they're often played in a one-note-per-string style. Major scales and modes typically use a three-note-per-string fingering. The examples presented in this lesson focus on combining these NPS numbers into what we'll refer to as "string groupings." All the examples in this lesson use the A minor pentatonic scale (A–C–D–E–G), so it should be familiar territory for you.
For Ex. 1, instead of playing the minor pentatonic as you commonly would with two NPS, we will play a string grouping that we'll call 2+1. That means we will play two notes on a string, then one on the next, and so on. Pay close attention to the picking directions here and think of it as a sweep picking effect, where the pick simply lands on the next string, ready to play it, without having to jump over it first or change direction.
As for the fretting hand, we'll use a bit of a rolling technique here: If two notes are played by the same finger on different strings, you roll your finger (from tip to pad or vice versa) to fret the next note. It's like a mini two-string barre chord, but the notes sound one at a time, rather than ringing out together.
Ex. 1
Ex. 2 has a different grouping: 1+1+2, i.e., one NPS, one NPS, then two. This will give us an even four-note phrase to ascend string sets, then descend. Also, notice how I tend to start with a downstroke but as the phrase continues, the next pattern starts on an upstroke. In the beginning, you have to really be mindful about the pick direction. But at some point, your hands will develop a synchronicity where your right hand naturally follows the notes that your left hand is playing. This requires less attention than alternate picking, and it allows you to just focus on the notes you're playing.
Ex. 2
Next up is a five-note phrase based on a 2+1+2 formula (Ex. 3). I've always been drawn to the rhythmic accents that phrasing in five gives you over a 16th-note subdivision. Also, pay attention to the left-hand fingering where you roll your index finger across strings. You don't want the notes to ring into each other; instead, strive for a clean separation when transitioning from note to note.
Ex. 3
Ex. 4 features another grouping of five. This example is a string grouping of 1+2+2 NPS. This has a similar sound to licks by Eric Johnson or the late Shawn Lane. Although both these players mostly used alternate picking for pentatonic scales, they would use economy picking to play phrases consisting of odd groupings.
Ex. 4
Ex. 5 delves into playing patterns across four strings at a time. This one uses a string grouping of 2+1+1+2 NPS. Notice that there is a string skip as the pattern begins on the next string set. For that leap, travel in the pick direction of the leap—this often yields two of the same pick directions in a row. Practice slowly and eventually this movement will become very natural.
Ex. 5
Now let's move into some three-note-per-string pentatonic scales. Ex. 6 includes all the notes of a pentatonic scale, but in a grouping of 3+1 NPS. This may be a bit of a stretch, but the sounds and sequenced patterns available in this approach are really captivating.
Ex. 6
One of the patterns achieved from this stretched-out pentatonic shape is found in a string grouping of 3+1+2, as shown in Ex. 7. Hopefully you can hear the smooth sound economy picking offers you. While you could play these same exact notes using two-NPS alternate picking, that would yield a different sound from how it's notated here.
Ex. 7
Now for a fun seven-note grouping: Ex. 8 uses a string grouping of 3+1+3. When you have an odd pattern of notes like this superimposed over a steady current of 16th-notes, it creates an interesting sound. Now, instead of isolating the ascending and descending versions, try playing each grouping up and then back down. Invent your own combinations!
Ex. 8
Since we have stretched to this wider scale shape, let's try it with some of the previous string groupings. Ex. 9 uses the three-note-per-string pentatonic stretch, but only plays the outer two notes. This example is with a 2+1 string grouping that gives you some interesting interval leaps—some notes are far apart and others close together.
Ex. 9
Our last example (Ex. 10) uses a wider stretch in a 2+1+2 string grouping. It moves around vertically in its five-note phrase. Notice how this is more like arpeggio sweep picking than some of the previous examples.
Ex. 10
Take the ideas presented here and elaborate on them. Imagine these economy picking examples transposed into the four other pentatonic shapes and into other keys. Another approach I love to play with is side-slipping a fret higher or lower in and out of key. Also, instead of playing long streams of notes without pause, try isolating each grouping with sustained notes between them, or use different rhythmic subdivisions, such as triplets. One of the cool things about economy picking is how a specific combination of pick directions can yield a cascade of notes from one smooth movement. Happy picking.
This article was last updated on August 20, 2021
Carlos Delgado [CC BY-SA 3.0], from Wikimedia Commons
Progressive metal’s most influential guitarist combines immaculate picking technique with aggressive tones to create the most technically demanding licks around.
Chops: Advanced
Theory: Advanced
Lesson Overview:
• Gain a deeper understanding of complex, shifting time signatures.
• Learn fast-paced, alternate-picked riffs.
• Create phrases that use legato, sweeping, tapping, and alternate picking. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
Formed in 1985 at Boston's Berklee College of Music by drummer Mike Portnoy, bassist John Myung, and guitarist John Petrucci, Dream Theater continues to be one of the titans of progressive rock and metal. While the group would consist of this basic trio at the core until Portnoy left in 2008, over the years they've had a handful of keyboard players and several vocalists. (Current keyboardist Jordan Rudess has been in the band since 1999, and singer James LaBrie has been in the fold since the band's second album, released in 1991.)
There's no disputing that Dream Theater is the quintessential prog band for fans of proficient instrumental skills and metal. For over 30 years, Petrucci's trademark style has influenced generations of players through the group's 13 full-length studio albums. The band's sound has evolved a lot over the years, from the softer rock albums like Falling into Infinity, to the classic prog-rock of Images and Words, grand concept albums like Octavarium, and heavy metal shred-fests like Train of Thought. Each one is underpinned by Petrucci's astonishing technique. He's developed into an absolute master of picking, legato phrases, sweeping, tapping, and more.
In regard to his tone, any nice humbucker-equipped guitar through a modern high-gain amp will do the trick. However, if you'd like to be a little more authentic, Petrucci has signature guitars, amps, and pedals from Ernie Ball Music Man, Mesa/Boogie, and TC Electronic, respectively.
Because the examples in this lesson are going to get pretty hard, I thought it would make sense to start with a simple-ish riff that sticks to 4/4. Petrucci likes to flesh out his voicings beyond the basic power chords heard in most metal, and with his thick distortion, certain intervals create a lot of dissonance.
In Ex. 1, beginning around the E5 chord, there's a rich cluster added on the high strings that contains both E and F#. These notes are a whole-step apart and create a pleasing tension. The final measure features a rich Csus2 chord, as the 2 works a lot better with distortion than the 3. This allows you to let the chord ring out as you arpeggiate it.
Click here for Ex. 1
Ex. 2moves between 5/4 and 9/8 time. If you're new to time signature changes, I covered them in detail in my Obsessive Progressive lesson “Get a Grip on Odd-Time Signatures."
In my mind, I'm counting: 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 |
This yields a measure with five full beats, and then a bar where the fifth beat has been cut in half. It's possible to count to nine, but since the number seven contains two syllables, it can be easier to count both measures as “five" and throw out the extra count. If you're going to count to nine, you want to count one, two, three, four, five, six, sev, eight, nine.
Click here for Ex. 2
Ex. 3is conceptually similar to the previous idea. There's a measure of 4/4, which could be thought of as a full measure, and then a measure that's just short of being full. This creates a jarring sensation—like the music trips.
I've written this as a measure of 4/4, then a measure of 7/8, but you'll often see the same idea written as 15/8.
Click here for Ex. 3
The next example (Ex. 4) changes time signatures every measure and moves between 4/4, 7/8, and 3/4. This is a pretty tricky example, so spend time to really come to grips with the counting before learning the part. Rather than attempting to maintain a strict count when tackling a passage like this, try to internalize it—so you can feelthe line as you play it—especially as the note choice doesn't conform to any key or scale.
Click here for Ex. 4
Ex. 5is as rhythmically complex as it's likely to get, shifting between four different 16th-note-based time signatures. The secret here is breaking down each bar into smaller groupings and counting those (an idea that's integral to mastery of the Indian Konnakol system). I've grouped the notation with this counting in mind, so it's easier to see.
Measure one consists of a group of three (an eighth-note followed by a 16th-note), which is repeated, before playing a group of four, then a group of three to end. This gives us the following pattern:
1 2 3 | 1 2 3 | 1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 |
See if you can break down each of the remaining measures with this method.
Click here for Ex. 5
The final three examplesshowcase Petrucci's technical prowess in soloing, beginning with his formidable legato chops. Ex. 6 moves from the 2nd fret up to the 15th rather quickly. In essence, you repeat an eighth-note motif played within the three-note-per-string patterns before shifting up to the next shape (using the first finger) to repeat. To get this one down at speed, you'll need to be confident of your three-note-per-string patterns, which in this case are in the key of G.
Click here for Ex. 6
The next idea (Ex. 7) is a tricky lick combining sweep picking, tapping, and a tough stretch on the fretting hand. Taken from the E Lydian mode (E–F#–G#–A#–B–C#–D#), the idea requires you to stretch between the 12th and 18th frets, with a gap between each finger. This applies to both the sweeping arpeggios and the legato moves on the top string.
Another interesting part of this lick is the “glitch" in the sweep, where you repeat the note as you change direction. At speed, these create a cool sound. (Note: They're also a big part of Tosin Abasi's style.) It also makes the lick a little easier, as you never have to skip over a string.
The final bit of advice here is to sweep with the pick over the fretboard as you're going to need to come in and tap at the 19th and 21st frets. Keeping your picking hand hovering over the pickups will make this extremely tricky.
Click here for Ex. 7
The final example (Ex. 8) takes cues from Petrucci's unison and harmony runs with keyboardist Jordan Rudess. These are common in Dream Theater's music with “In the Presence of Enemies Pt. 1," “This Dying Soul," and “In the Name of God" being great examples.
There's no hiding from the fact that this example requires some astonishingly accurate alternate-picking skills. Petrucci's picking is known for being near perfect. Combine that with the tight harmony with Rudess, and you can see how any picking fluctuations will completely ruin the overall effect. In this example, I added a keyboard a third away from the guitar line. Naturally, you'll want to take this lick extremely slowly and build up speed over time.
Click here for Ex. 8
Look beyond playing the “right” notes.
Theory: Intermediate
Lesson Overview:
• Understand how to phrase “outside” notes.
• Learn how to add tension to speedy passages.
• Strengthen your alternate-picking technique. Click here to download a printable PDF of this lesson's notation.
In my earlier years as a guitarist, I was intimidated by the idea of expanding musical lines with notes that weren’t in the scale that was diatonic to the progression or chord I was playing over. What helped me get pass this fear? Studying how some of my favorite players incorporate non-diatonic notes in a systematic way. In this lesson, I’ll share some of the ideas I discovered. We’ll explore the concept of chromatic playing and see how you can include non-diatonic notes in your phrases. I’ll examine how a couple of my favorite players have used the chromatic concept—Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs and Deep Purple) and Ian Thornley (Big Wreck). I’ll also show you an example of how I incorporated chromatic playing into a solo from one of the songs on my latest album. Okay, let’s get started.
First off, let’s define the term chromatic. A quick internet search gives us this definition: Music relating to or using notes not belonging to the diatonic scale of the key in which a passage is written.
When we think of using notes that are outside of a given key, it’s easy to think they sound wrong or that we’ve made a mistake. Well, that could be the case, but it’s also possible to use those “outside” notes in a musical way. So how do we use chromatic notes musically? One way is to use chromatic notes to “fill in” spaces between the diatonic scale tones.
For instance, if we were playing an A minor pentatonic (A–C–D–E–G) scale, it would be easy to simply fill in the notes between the root (A) and the b3 (C). An important thing to remember: Don’t dwell on the chromatic, or outside, notes. Instead, emphasize the diatonic notes.
You can accomplish this by playing chromatics with shorter note values or just as part of a faster musical line. Aim to land on the diatonic notes on important rhythmic points in your musical lines—possibly on downbeats or even the “and” of a beat when dealing with 16th- or 32nd-note passages.
Using some musical examples, let’s take a look at how the aforementioned players handle this.
First up is the incredible Ian Thornley. We’ll dissect a musical line reminiscent to a phrase from his solo on the Big Wreck song “A Million Days.” In Ex. 1, I simply outline the G# minor pentatonic (G#–B–C#–D#–F#) scale that Ian seems to be using as a foundation for the solo.
Click here for Ex. 1
Ex. 2 illustrates how he fleshes out the musical idea by using many chromatic notes. Ian does two things: He plays the chromatic tones very quickly and doesn’t dwell on any of them. Also, he lands the diatonic notes on the more important beats. Because he’s playing the line using 16th-note sextuplets, those points would be the first and fourth note of each group of six. Only once does he play a chromatic note on an important beat, but he gets away with it because of the sheer speed of the line.
Click here for Ex. 2
Now let’s see how Steve Morse uses similar concepts. I’ve chosen several lines similar to what he plays in “Simple Simon.” In Ex. 3, I simply outline the G minor pentatonic (G–Bb–C–D–F) pattern that underlies the next phrase.
Click here for Ex. 3
Ex. 4 shows how Steve uses the concepts we’ve discussed. One interesting point: Steve adds tension to the first 16th-note line by starting on C# over the C5. This creates a unique sound, and since Steve keeps this line moving until ultimately resolving by landing firmly on G, it works out well. In the faster sextuplet line that closes out the example, Steve passes very quickly through the chromatic notes and lands the diatonic notes on the important beats.
Click here for Ex. 4
The final musical examples are from “Twisted Impression,” a song from my latest album, Brief Eclipse. In Ex. 5 and Ex. 6, I outline the scale fragments of A minor pentatonic and A Dorian (A–B–C–D–E–F#–G) that I use as my foundation scales.
Click here for Ex. 5
Click here for Ex. 6
In Ex. 7, we have an Am–C progression with a long 32nd-note line that uses the same two principles that popped up in Steve and Ian’s lines: chord tones on strong beats and keep it moving!
Click here for Ex. 7
Ex. 8 demonstrates a simple A minor pentatonic shape that’s great to have under your fingers.
Click here for Ex. 8
Finally, Ex. 9 is a pretty twisted line that wraps up everything we’ve talked about in this lesson. Even though we’re hearing a stream of 32nd-notes, our ears latch onto the tones that land on the strong pulses.
Click here for Ex. 9
I hope these examples can help you incorporate chromatic sounds into your soloing and spark some new and inspiring ideas.
