G major scale, three notes per string: tab and practice loop
The G major scale from the 3rd fret, three notes on every string across all six. It covers two octaves without shifting and links up with the shapes above and below it, which makes it the basis of playing scales across the whole neck. The whole-step reaches also stretch the fretting hand.
Opens in the player looped and counted in, with the metronome on, and speeds up 5 % every 2 loops to 100 bpm. No account or microphone needed.
- Goal tempo
- 100 bpm
- Starts at
- 60 bpm
- Length
- 3 bars, looped
- Tuning
- E standard
How to play it
Stretch for the whole steps rather than moving the hand; the thumb stays behind the neck.
The scale starts on the G at the 3rd fret of the low E string and climbs three notes per string to the high E, then comes back down, in triplets. On the two lowest strings the notes are two whole steps apart, at the 3rd, 5th and 7th frets, the widest stretch in the shape.
Keep the thumb behind the neck, roughly behind the 2nd finger, so the hand can open for the stretches. The shape climbs a fret on the D string and again on the B, and the hand climbs with it.
Mistakes to watch for
- Moving the whole hand for each stretch instead of reaching with the fingers.
- Forgetting the shift up a fret on the D and B strings.
- The 4th finger flattening and muting the next string up.
A speed plan
The player starts at 60 % of the goal and plays each tempo twice before stepping up:
- 60
- 65
- 70
- 75
- 80
- 85
- 90
- 95
- 100
That's 16 loops and about 3 minutes before you're playing at 100 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, three notes per string?
The goal is 100 bpm in eighth-note triplets, which is 5 notes a second. Start wherever every note is clean: the player begins at 60 bpm. Signed in, you can set a goal of your own, slower or faster, on the Exercises page.
Is three notes per string better than the CAGED shapes?
They're different tools. Three notes per string is easier to pick evenly and to play fast; the CAGED shapes connect more directly to chords. Most players end up knowing both.
How do I use this shape in other keys?
Move it so the first note on the low E is on the new root: the 5th fret for A major, the 8th for C major. The fingering and stretches stay the same.