Octave Method for 6-String Guitar : Major Scales & Arpeggios


CAGED octaves method for 6-string guitar

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eBook :


Octave Method for Six String Guitar


Fretboard navigation method for 6-string guitar based on an instrument specific modification of the CAGED guitar method, using linked octave shapes rather than open position chord shapes for ease and simplicity of use.


Lulu logo

Paperbook Book :


Octave Method for 6-String Guitar


Fretboard navigation method for 6-string guitar based on an instrument specific modification of the CAGED guitar method, using octave shapes rather than open position chord shapes for ease and simplicity of use.

Octave Method for 6-String Guitar Paper Book


John Petrucci

John Petrucci

Sterling JP50

Mesa Boogie rig

John Petrucci is the Berklee educated guitarist and member of US hard rock band Dreamtheater.

Suspended Animation tab book cover

Alfred produce a huge array of DVDs and TAB books covering Mr Petricci's tuition advice and best recorded works.


Music Man produce a John Petrucci Sterling JP50 guitar and his amplification needs are taken care of by Mesa Boogie.


E phrygian mode box shapes

EDCAG octaves logo

The table that follows lists previous BLOGoZON issues where the MAJOR SCALE MODES have been detailed:-

BLOGoZON ISSUE No.
MODAL FORMULA
MAJOR SCALE MODE NAME
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Ionian
1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7
Dorian
-
1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Phrygian
1 2 3 #4 5 6 7
Lydian
1 2 3 4 5 6 b7
Mixolydian
1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7
Aeolian
-
1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7
Locrian

This issue demonstrates the perfect mode to improvise guitar solos over MINOR chords to produce a hard rock feel a la John Petrucci - the PHRYGIAN MODE.

In the key of C major (or A minor) the SCALE chords built starting on the second note (E natural) are listed in the next table:-

CHORD SYMBOL
CHORD NAME
FORMULA
Em minor 1 b3 5
Em7 minor seventh 1 b3 5 b7
Em7b9 minor seventh flat nine 1 b3 5 b7 b9
Em11b9 minor eleventh flat nine 1 b3 5 b7 b9 11
Em13b9 minor thirteenth flat nine 1 b3 5 b7 b9 11 13

The reason this mode works over these chords is that they are both essentially derived from the same thing i.e the Em13b9 chord is the PHRYGIAN MODE stacked in thirds.

The easiest example of the phrygian mode is rooted on E natural - as it is really the C major scale re-arranged so that it starts with the third note (E) rather than the first (C).

Hence the EDCAG octaves sequence is shown for E natural in the diagram that follows:-

EDCAG octaves E natural

GuitarPro6 E natural octaves

The diagrams that follows show all of the E phrygian mode notes plotted over the 6-string guitar's fretboard in both the Guitar Pro and EDCAG octaves styles:-

GuitarPro6 fingerboard

EDCAG octaves E phrygian mode notes

As always a more long term solution to fretboard navigation is to see scales/arpeggios as INTERVAL shapes rather than note names - as these are universal to all scales, arpeggios and chords rather than specific to one particular root note - with this in mind the intervals for the E phrygian mode are detailed below in the EDCAG octaves manner:-

EDCAG octaves E phrygian mode intervals

The table and tabbed panel below details all five box shapes for the E phrygian mode in the EDCAG octaves style.


EDCAG octaves - E phrygian mode box shapes

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6Em4Em1 pdf
4Dm2 pdf
5Cm2 pdf
5Am3 pdf
6Gm3Gm1 pdf
6Em4Em1 at 12 pdf

  • 6Em4Em1
  • 4Dm2
  • 5Cm2
  • 5Am3
  • 6Gm3Gm1
  • 6Em4Em1 at 12

6Em4Em1 E phrygian mode box

4Dm2 E phrygian mode box

5Cm2 E phrygian mode box

5Am3 E phrygian mode box

6Em4Em1 e phrygian mode box

6Em4Em1 E phrygian mode box at 12


John Petrucci

Octavarium....Zon Brookes

Systematic Chaos


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