MelodicAdvanced
Descending in groups of four
Four groups, each one note below the last.
Notation
1♭345♭7
e
B
G
D
A
E
1
2
3
4
8
5
8
5
5
8
5
7
8
5
7
5
5
7
5
7
7
resolves here— next bar
6 strings · A minor pentatonic · box 1 (5th fret)scroll the tab →
Degrees involvedAll five degrees, in descending order
The gestureAlternate picking, or a pull-off on the second note of each pair if you want it more fluid. The fretting hand doesn’t move: it’s all inside the box.
Target noteThe root, on beat one of the next bar: the cell fills a whole bar and resolves outside it.
Over which chordOver the whole progression. It’s neutral vocabulary: it colours whoever plays it, not the harmony.
The rhythmEven sixteenths. The point is the mechanical regularity you later break against.
Common mistakeSpeeding up as you descend: the fourth group almost always comes out faster than the first, because the hand relaxes toward the lower strings. The metronome exposes it in two seconds — on your own, you won’t hear it. A second, more musical mistake: accenting the first note of every group, which makes the four-note structure audible and makes the phrase sound like an exercise instead of music.