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>Dick Lovgren

MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭)
C pentatonic major scale - pseudo 3nps : General

In BLOGoZON No.768 the standard box shapes for the C pentatonic major scale were presented
using the BAFED octaves methodology for MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭).

BAF#ED octaves logo: Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (F Bb Eb Ab)

In this BLOGoZON we take a second look at the C pentatonic major scale, but with pseudo 3nps
patterns, and join them all together to form one long BAFED octaves chain.


The BAFED octaves sequence is shown for C natural in the diagram that follows.

BAF#ED octaves fingerboard : C natural octaves

GuitarPro8 fingerboard : C natural octaves

GuitarPro8: C natural octaves

The diagram that follows shows all five of the BAFED octaves shapes for use with the
box shapes for a MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭).

BAF#ED octave shapes

BAF#ED octaves : C natural octaves pdf

The diagram that follows shows all five of the BAFED octaves shapes for use with the
pseudo Three-Notes-Per-String patterns for a MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭).

C natural octaves (pseudo 3nps)

The diagrams that follows show all of the C pentatonic major scale notes plotted over the
MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭) guitar's fretboard in the BAFED octaves style.

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) : C pentatonic major scale fingerboard notes

As always a more long term solution to fretboard navigation is to see scales 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
C pentatonic major scale are detailed below in the BAFED octaves manner.

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) : C pentatonic major scale fingerboard intervals

The tables and tabbed panels below detail all five box shapes for the C pentatonic major scale
in the BAFED octaves style for MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭).


MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭)
C pentatonic major scale - pseudo 3nps
YouTube videos & pdf files

YouTube icon

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3B1:4A1 box shape (pseudo 3nps) pdf
Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 4A1:4F#2 box shape (pseudo 3nps) pdf
Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 4F#2:2E* box shape (pseudo 3nps) pdf
Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 2E*:3D* box shape (pseudo 3nps) pdf
Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3D*:3B1 box shape (pseudo 3nps) pdf
Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3B1:4A1 box shape at 12 (pseudo 3nps) pdf

MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭)
C pentatonic major scale - pseudo 3nps : YouTube videos

  • 3B1:4A1

  • 4A1:4F#2

  • 4F#2:2E*

  • 2E*:3D*

  • 3D*:3B1

  • 3B1:4A1 at 12

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3B1:4A1 box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 4A1:4F#2 box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 4F#2:2E* box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 2E*:3D* box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3D*:3B1 box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3B1:4A1 box shape at 12 (pseudo 3nps)


MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭)
C pentatonic major scale - pseudo 3nps : Box shapes & TAB

  • 3B1:4A1

  • 4A1:4F#2

  • 4F#2:2E*

  • 2E*:3D*

  • 3D*:3B1

  • 3B1:4A1 at 12

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3B1:4A1 box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 4A1:4F#2 box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 4F#2:2E* box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 2E*:3D* box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3D*:3B1 box shape (pseudo 3nps)

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale - 3B1:4A1 box shape at 12 (pseudo 3nps)


Once the individual box shapes have been assimilated all five shapes should be linked together and played in one continuous exercise (with the first shape - 3B1:4A1 - being repeated at the 12th fret).

The complete TAB for the previously described exercise follows:-

GuitarPro8 TAB: Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale box shapes


The box shapes for the previous exercise follow:-

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale box shapes

MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭)
C pentatonic major scale - pseudo 3nps
Box shapes pdf & GuitarPro7 TAB pdf

Flash iconGuitar Pro 6 icon

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale box shapes pdf

GuitarPro8 TAB: Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale box shapes pdfGuitarPro8 TAB: Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale box shapes pdf


MESHUGGAH's 4-string bass tuning (F B♭ E♭ A♭)
C pentatonic major scale - pseudo 3nps
Overall fretboard box shapes

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale box shapes : entire fretboard notes

Meshuggah's 4-string bass tuning (FBbEbAb) C pentatonic major scale box shapes : entire fretboard notes


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