G major scale in groups of four
The G major scale in second position, played as a sequence: four notes up from each note of the scale in turn, a group a beat, up to the high G, then two groups down and home to G. Sequences break the habit of running a scale straight up and down, so its notes come out as phrases, and they test that every finger knows the shape from any note, not only from the root.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with drums playing along, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 90 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 90 bpm
- Starts at
- 54 bpm
- Length
- 4 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
- Time
- 4/4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Plays with
- Drums
How to play it
Accent the first note of each group; the hand stays in one place, one finger a fret from the 2nd.
Second position puts the 1st finger on the 2nd fret. From the low G at the 3rd fret of the E string, the scale runs G A B C D E F♯ G up through the strings to the G at the 3rd fret of the high E, two octaves.
The sequence plays four notes up from the first note, then four from the second, four from the third, and so on: G A B C, A B C D, B C D E. Each group is a beat of 16ths. After twelve groups you reach the high G; the last bar comes down in fours and lands on the G on the D string.
Accent the first note of each group lightly. It keeps you in time and makes the sequence sound like phrases rather than a scale.
Mistakes to watch for
- Losing the place in the sequence. Each group starts one note higher than the last one started; say the starting note to yourself.
- Moving the hand. Everything here is in one position, one finger a fret from the 2nd.
- Rushing the string changes, which come at different places in each group.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 54
- 59
- 63
- 68
- 72
- 77
- 81
- 86
- 90
That's 16 loops and about 4 minutes before you're playing at 90 bpm. If it stops being clean on the way, stop the ramp there and loop that tempo until it is. With a microphone or an audio interface you can record while you play instead: Demiurg checks every loop and steps up only after two clean ones in a row, and back down after a poor one.
Questions
How fast should I play G major in groups of four?
The goal is 90 bpm in 16th notes, which is 6 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 54 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
What other sequences are there?
Threes (as in the Pentatonic in 3s exercise), fours, thirds (skipping a note: G B, A C, B D) and sixths. Each makes the same scale sound different, and each is a set of phrases you can use.
Can I do this in other keys?
Yes: move the whole shape. With the 1st finger on the 4th fret it's A major, on the 7th fret it's C major.
More fundamentals exercises
All 22 fundamentals exercises · Fretboard notes trainer · Scales on the neck · All 107 exercises