A World Without Squares

To understand fretboard navigation it helps if you can look at it from multiple perspectives. So far we've studied it from the perspective of squares, rectangles and root notes. Each one of these bring up images in your mind. Next we're going to look at the perspective of orange notes.

If squares were extinct, could we survive with only rectangles? Let's find out. Here we have two stepping squares with overlapping rectangles.

Two stepping squares with overlapping rectangles.

If we remove the stepping square outlines we're left with the orange note. This tells you that anytime you land on an orange note, in a minor pentatonic key, you're just a narrow interval away from rectangles and you're not far away from root notes.

Square with overlapping rectangles. Show narrow interval on either side of the orange corner notes. The narrow intervals connect to rectangles, row one on the right and row two on the left.

The major pentatonic version of this is similar. The root note is one narrow interval to the left of the orange note.

Rectangles separated by two narrow intervals in the major pentatonic key of C.

Realize that this perspective repeats itself.

Pattern of rectangles connection to orange notes.

Of course, you can add stacking Freedom Blocks.

Stacking squares on the rectangles.

Or, play notes in stepping squares before moving on to the next rectangle.

Showing stepping squares between side stepping rectangles.

If we go back to the first illustration and add two more overlapping rectangles, we get the following.

Two stepping squares with rectangles on both sides of the squares.

Once again we'll remove the stepping square outlines and leave the orange note. Imagine yourself on the orange note below. Of course, that's the junction of two overlapping squares, but ignore that and consider how you could move around in this perspective.

Rectangles surrounding an orange note.

Start anywhere on the fretboard and assume the note you're on is an orange note in a minor key. The note below it is the root note. Turn on a backing track in that key and start moving around, without loosing site of that orange note.

Here is the same illustration in a major pentatonic key. Find the orange note anywhere on your guitar, from that position figure out your major pentatonic root note and start a backing track in that key.

C major pentatonic rectangles surrounding an orange note.

Fortunately squares will never go extinct as long as we don't disturb their eggs.

Cracked egg with orange corner note where yoke would be.

"Life is a lot like jazz. It's best when you improvise." — George Gershwin

Stepping Rectangles

Stepping rectangles are similar to stepping-squares except rectangles don't overlap each other. The first rectangle below starts on the 3rd fret of the low E string. Try this sequence in both directions. Notice how the third rectangle, on the B and E strings is shifted up one fret.

(Notation: E3-6, A3-6, D5-8, G5-8, B string shift, B8-11, E8-11)

Three stepping rectangle starting on the 3rd fret of the low E string

In the previous examples, the entire rectangle landed on the B and E string, so the entire rectangle shifted up one fret. In this next example, only the top of the rectangle lands on the B string.
(Notation: E3-6, A5-8, D5-8, G7-10, B string shift, B8-11, E10-13)

Showing what happens when the top of a rectangle lands on the B string

Stepping rectangles and squares are intertwined with each other.

Show stepping squares on either side of stepping rectangles.

We can extract this easy to remember pattern.

Showing there is always two narrow intervals on either side of rectangles. They are part of the squares that the rectangle is overlapping. On the left side you have rows 1 and 2 of a square and on the right side you have rows 2 and 3 of a square.

And, like mad scientists, we can create super-stepper. Start on the 1st fret of the low E string and see what you can create using a C minor backing track.

Treating our new patter like one giant rectangle and stepping them up the fretboard. The first supper stepping is on the E and A strings. It starts on the first fret and extends up to the 8th fret. The second on starts on fret 3 of the D and G strings and extends up to the 10th fret. The third one is shifted up one fret (B string shift) it starts on the 6th fret and extends to the15th fret.

You can add pizzazz with blues notes next to every orange note.

Blues notes were added to the previous supper steppers. The are on the right side of every orange note.

Whenever you see a blues note, you're on row one of a square. You can switch between stepping rectangles and stepping squares.

Same as previous illustration but show that those narrow intervals on either side of the rectangles are squares and you can play them as square, switching from super steps to squares or stepping squares.

When we get to the diatonic scales we'll add back the two notes that we removed from the minor scale to get the minor pentatonic scale. As you can see below, it's not difficult to add those notes in while soloing, giving you more scale tone variations.

Check notation

"I'm sure if Shakespeare were alive today, he'd be doing classic guitar solos on YouTube."— Peter Capaldi

Solo on Two Strings

Here's the "super-stepper" shape from the previous section. Try playing this pattern of notes on your high B and E strings. You can start anywhere.

Showing there is always two narrow intervals on either side of rectangles. The are part of the squares that the rectangle is overlapping.

You can add a blues note that's always on the right side of every orange note.

Adding the blues note on the left side first row of rectangle.

Or switch into the the diatonic (7 note) major and minor scales by adding two notes left out of the pentatonic scales.

Inserted green notes in rectangle, notes left out of major scale to arrive at a pentatonic scale.

Try soloing with these two strings using a C major backing track. You can start on a root C at the 8th fret of the high E string. Play both directions.

(Notation: B1, B3+E3, B5+E5, B8+E8, B10+E10, E12, B13, B15+E15,
B17+E17, B20+E20, B22+E22)

Check notation

Now try the soloing with an Am backing track. Except for the root position it's exactly the same as C major. That's because A minor is the relative minor of C. You can start on the 5th fret of the high E string.

(Notation: B1, B3+E3, B5+E5, B8+E8, B10+E10, E12, B13, B15+E15,
B17+E17, B20+E20, B22+E22)

Check notation.

You can switch into the major or minor diatonic scales by adding in the two notes removed to create the pentatonic scales. These notes are different for major and minor scales, but their positions in the two-string pattern are the same. Here is an A minor version. (The extra notes are in bold in the notation.)

(Notation: B1, B3+E3, B5+E5, B6, E7,B8+E8, B10+E10, B12, E12,
B13, E13, B15+E15, B17+E17, B18, E19, B20+E20, B22+E22)

Check notation.

Here is a C major version. The pattern is the same as the A minor pattern and the extra notes are in the same position. All that changes is the note used as the root of your scale. The notation is identical, but I'll repeat it here.

(Notation: B1, B3+E3, B5+E5, B6, E7,B8+E8, B10+E10, B12, E12,
B13, E13, B15+E15, B17+E17, B18, E19, B20+E20, B22+E22)

Check notation.

Notice the following pattern of intervals which makes this easy to remember.

Square, Rectangle, Square, 2 frets, 1 fret, 2 frets, Square, Rectangle, and Square

This two string pattern works on any two adjacent strings except G and B.

"Music is the medicine of the breaking heart."— Leigh Hunt

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