Scales on single strings – Following up from my earlier mini-lessons on single string playing, here’s a great way to really expand your knowledge and understanding of chord scales. It’s a more advanced exercise than I’ve posted before on this topic and one that I’ve found very useful in my practice sessions.

Using the scale diagrams posted below, learn each scale on a single string going from the open string (if available) right up to the highest available note within the chosen scale.

Remember to ascend and then descend on each string before going onto the next. The ultimate aim is to be able to play these scales on any single string without hesitation. It may take a few weeks!

Following that, then practice improvising using the single string scales over a II V7 I chord progression in C (Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7) and where the G7 is altered (so that you can use the various altered scale options given over G7 (e.g. G Altered, G Phrygian Dominant, G H/W Diminished and G Whole Tone) 

Initially, keep to one string at a time when you are improvising, and then as you become more familiar with the approach, you can move to pairs of strings and beyond.

The C major scale will work fine for the Dm7 and the Cmaj7 chord.

Enjoy!