John Petrucci Wild Modes/Scale Pattern - Shred-tastic!

Learn the fretboard and play wickedly fast and "complicated" sounding phrases by playing scale patterns that move up and down the neck of the guitar in our two string regions. (Just like learn in the Fretboard Infinity Loop System). 

A great example of this is example 1. This sounds, to my ears, very much like something John Petrucci of Dream Theater would play. 

This example is in common time (4/4), but, thanks to the note groupings the line sounds kind of like it is in an odd meter. (Sounds more complicated than it is). The faster you play this, the cooler it gets! 


The feel is straight 16th notes (one-e-and-a-two-e-and-a etc) and the scale pattern repeats every 14 notes, creating a 14 against 16 feel: or kind of a 7/8 against 4/4 sound. 

In other words the phrase repeats an eighth-note sooner each time and you’ll notice one fret higher each time which is how the pattern carries you up the string set as you move higher and higher up the fretboard! 

It’s based in E Aeolian (natural minor) and it travels up the scale with the first 14 note cycle starting on a B, the next on C and so on (as shown)

Once you can master this pattern going up the neck - you should practice it going down the neck as well (Example 2).

Then to really kick this idea into high gear - you can try it on the other two string sets (region 3 and region 1).This pattern, and others like it, really sound wickedly shred-tastic on the highest strings! 

Try this pattern in different keys and with different 3 note per string scale fragment shapes. (You’ll have this in the scale library in the Guitar Dojo App for reference, as well as in the Infinity Loop System materials)

Then you’ll really be able to learn your layout of the modes up and down your fretboard!

Enjoy!

PS - I’d LOVE to see some filmed examples of this posted into the FB group! Or - if you’re a member, in the Volley community! Don’t forget you can ask me direct questions there and get feedback for your playing, for this or any other piece of music as well! 

 

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