Pentatonic and Major Scale

For both the pentatonic scale and major scale, you will take System 5’s three string sets and play them on two strings, which will help you to see the neck laterally rather than in “boxes.” You will then be able to make melodies along the neck while moving seamlessly from position to position. As I mentioned in a previous system, famed studio session ace Tim Pierce says that he sees position playing like being on a subway. He’ll play at one “stop” (one of the CAGED positions) and then jump on the subway line (move up or down along the neck) to the next position, where he gets off and plays. Knowing how to play laterally along the neck allows you to “get on the subway” and take it to the “next stop.” 

You will now begin to break free from simple box playing and begin to have your ears direct your hands, not your hands directing your ears. The CAGED system arpeggios, pentatonics, and major scales are vital. The 3-on-a-string modes are essential. But, the goal is to break free from those confines, and see the entire neck melodically not as a geometrical shape. By the time you finish System 6, you will be on yourt way to having that happen.

If you master System 6, you will gain accuracy and flexibility in your left hand; the ability to play through common changes more quickly (seeing smaller sets of guide tones); and the ability to play well laterally along the neck rather than just in “boxes.”