Back to Flatpick Page The tablature is in ASCII format, so you can save it and print it. I've written a brief explanation of how tablature works, for those who are not familiar with it.
Here are a variety of exercises that may be of use in learning to move around the fingerboard. Pieces of some of the scale patterns often appear in some fiddle tunes, such as "Arkansas Traveler", "Blackberry Blossom", and "Molly Bloom".
To avoid using two-digit numbers, I use the following notation for
frets above 9.
A = 10
B = 11
C = 12
D = 13
E = 14
F = 15
h = hammer-on
p = pull-off
s = slide
. = preceding note is stacatto
Four-note scale patterns
Two-note scale patterns
G-runs Up the Neck
Descending Banjo Lick
The first and fifth note of each measure is a scale note, followed by the next two notes in the scale, then the scale note again.
Ascending two-octave G scale in first position.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-------------0---|---0-2---0-2-4-0-|
|-----------------|-----0-----0-2---|-0-2-4-0-2-4---2-|-4-----4---------|
|---0-2---0-2-3-0-|-2-3---2-3-----3-|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3-----3---------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Descending two-octave G scale in first position.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----0-----0-2---|-0-2-3-0-2-3-5-2-|-3---------------|
|---0-1---0-1-3-0-|-1-3---1-3-----3-|-----------------|-----------------|
|-2-----2---------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-3-2-0-3-2-0---2-|-0-----0---------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------3---|---3-1---3-1-0-3-|-1-0---1-0-----0-|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----2-----2-0---|-2-0---2-0-----0-|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----4-----4-2---|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-4-2-0-4-2-0---2-|-0-----0---------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------3---|---3-2---3-2-0-3-|-2-0---2-0-----0-|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----3-----3-2---|-3---------------|
Ascending one-octave G scale in seventh position:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----7-----7-8---|-7-8-A-7-8-------|
|-----------------|-----7-----7-9---|-7-9---7-9-----9-|-----------------|
|---7-9---7-9-A-7-|-9-A---9-A-----A-|-----------------|-----------------|
|-A-----A---------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Descending one-octave G scale in seventh position:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-8-7---8-7-----7-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----9-----9-7---|-9-7---9-7-----7-|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----A-----A-9---|-A-9-7-A-9-7---9-|-7-----7---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-------------A---|---A-9---A-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Ascending two-octave G scales in first position:
Each odd note is a scale note, and the even note following it is two notes up the scale.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Each even note is a scale note, and the odd note preceding it is one note up the scale.
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------0---2-|-0-3-2-5-3-------|
|-----------------|---------------0-|---1-0-3-1---3---|-----------------|
|-----------------|-------0---2-0---|-2---------------|-----------------|
|-----------0---2-|-0-4-2---4-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---2-0-3-2---3---|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Descending two-octave G scales in first position:
|-----------------|-----------------|-------------0---|-2-0-3-2-3-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-0---1-0-3-1---3-|-----------------|
|-----------------|---------0---2-0-|---2-------------|-----------------|
|-------------0---|-2-0-4-2---4-----|-----------------|-----------------|
|-0---2-0-3-2---3-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---3-------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Each odd note is a scale note, and the even note following it is two notes down the scale.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Each even note is a scale note, and the odd note preceding it is one note down the scale.
|-3-0-2---0-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------3---1-3-0-|-1---0-----------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|---2---0-2---0---|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------4---2-|-4-0-2---0-------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-------3---2-3-0-|-2---0-----------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|---3---2-3-------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-2-3-0-2---0-----|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------3---1-3-|-0-1---0---------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----2---0-2---0-|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-------------4---|-2-4-0-2---0-----|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|---------3---2-3-|-0-2---0---------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----3---3-------|
Here are three G-runs, in the key of G, that go up the neck. I find them a useful way to get from one position to another when improvising.
Each one starts where the previous one left off. Left hand fingering is shown below the tab. Depending on speed, the notes marked 3 3 3 can be picked individually or just done as a slide. At higher speeds I often play the notes in parens () as pull-offs, or even omit them altogether if I have trouble getting to the next note. The three runs are fingered exactly alike, except for the very last note of each.
| | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-5---------------|
|-----------5-7(5)|-----------------|
|-3---5-6-7-------|-----------------|
1 3 3 3 1 3(1) 1
| | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-8---------------|
|-----------7-9(7)|-----------------|
|-5---7-8-9-------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
1 3 3 3 1 3(1) 1
I've linked all three G-runs together here, each ending at the start of the following bar, where the next one begins.
| | | | | | | |
|-----------A-C(A)|-F---------------|
|-8---A-B-C-------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
1 3 3 3 1 3(1) 3
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |When I've ended up playing around frets 3, 4, and 5 on the three high strings, I often play a kind of broken G-run to get up the neck:
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------A-C(A)|-F---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-8---A-B-C-------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------7-9(7)|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-5---7-8-9-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------5-7(5)|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-3---5-6-7-------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
1 3 3 3 1 3(1) 1 3 3 3 1 3(1) 1 3 3 3 1 3(1) 3
| | | | | | | | | | | |
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------3h5(3)|-8---------------|
|-----------------|-----0h3h4-------|-----------------|
|-------------0h4-|h5---------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
0 2 3 0 1 2 1 3(1) 3
This is an imitation of a Scruggs-style banjo lick. It starts with a slide from an indeterminate location up to the 15th fret. I'll show this lick ending two different ways.
The first ends with a G-run back up to the 15th fret.
| | | |
|------------sF-F-|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
3 3
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |The second keeps moving down, ending with an open G string. This will give you a chance to return to first position (or anywhere else on the neck).
|-F.--C.--A---C.--|-----A-AhC-A-----|-----------A-C.--|-F.--------------|
|-----------------|-BsC---------CpA-|-8---A-B-C-------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
3 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 1 3 1 1 3 3 3 1 3 3
| | | |
|------------sF-F-|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
|-----------------|
3 3
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|-F.--C.--A---C.--|-----A-AhC-A-----|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-BsC---------CpA-|-8---------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----9.--7h9-----|-0---------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-------------8h9-|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
3 1 1 3 3 3 1 1 3 1 3 1 1 2 1 3 2 3 0
