Run The Fretboard

A four-note-per-string path to real fretboard freedom.

Learning the G major scale as a four-notes-per-string pattern is one of the fastest ways to build real fretboard command. Instead of memorizing scattered shapes, you’re training your hands and brain to see the neck as one continuous highway. The wide stretches force you to develop clean finger placement and efficient motion — and the signature third-to-fourth-note pinky slide trains you to shift smoothly without breaking the line. You’re not just learning a scale; you’re learning how to move.

Four-note groupings also unlock improvisation. Because the pattern repeats predictably as you climb the neck, you start hearing the scale directionally rather than positionally. That gives your phrasing more flow — fewer boxy licks, more melodic runs. The pinky slide becomes your “bridge” between octaves, letting you extend ideas effortlessly. Suddenly you’re connecting licks across the entire fretboard instead of being stuck in one spot.

There’s a huge technical payoff too: 4NPS patterns build speed, accuracy, and synchronization better than almost anything else. Using a metronome here is non-negotiable — start slow, lock the timing of each four-note cell, and let the click force consistency between picking and fretting. Descending lines tighten your alternate picking, ascending lines clean up your string transitions, and the repeated shifting builds hand awareness. Stack all that together and this exercise becomes exactly what it’s meant to be: a path toward real freedom on the neck. RUN THE NECK TAB PDF

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