'Broaden Up Your Reach' article.

[Alan(Lost)]

I read that latest article/lesson thing on using 4 nps patterns and stuff. I'm amazed why he didn't include slides as a solution to the physical limitations. I don't know anyone who could possibly fret and hold all the different 4nps shapes. It's just too awkward.
There's the trademark Yngwie run which he does on single strings doing the broken scale with ascending and decending groups of four notes. Initially I tried it fretting each note with a different finger and couldn't figure out how someone could play it. Then I realised that he must play 3 of the notes and slide to the fourth. It's the logical way out.
Anyway, it was a big article/lesson, so I'm amazed why sliding the fourth note wasn't mentioned as it's clearly the first option for most people (or all people in my opinion).

[fader198]

I was thinking the same thing. I don't know anyone who can reach those patterns without any slides. That being said, I think that mixing the 3nps and 4nps is a really cool idea. I'll bet some awesome licks can be made this way. :D

[GuitarLausing]

how long have you been playing? i can do all of them. Not fast, but I can handle the stretches and hold the positions. I've only got a little trouble when spreading my two middle fingers. I've played for 2 years.

[davidvanhalen]

i can do it too, not real fast yet, because i'm used to 3 note patterns but i have been tryin' it for about a month and it's working well.i have been playing for 2 years too.

[Alan(Lost)]

I've been playing for around 6 years and can sweep/economy/'all that crap' as good as anyone round here. My hands are not small; above average size (going by the sizes everyone was posting in that topic on finger sizes). I just think it's crazy that the sliding idea wasn't mentioned. I don't believe anyone (with anywhere near human hands) could play something like the top of a harmonic minor scale around the low frets, like:

D|2-3-6-7-|

...fretting and holding each finger down on the notes. Sure, anyone can play the E and F, and then lift off to the other two notes. But that's not the point of these 4nps patterns.
Yeah, I can play various different 4nps patterns. As I said, I don't know anyone who could do all* the shapes and combinations. But for harmonic minor stuff (which I do a lot of) with that 3 semitone gap, it's just out the window for me and 95% of people. Sure, this is where the link is made to 4nps and 3nps patterns, but the sliding is such a common part of play 4nps that I don't know why it wasn't even mentioned, nevermind given examples of.

[GuitarLausing]

But hey thats a crazy example. And besides all that what do you need it for? It doesn't sound very good musically, and what the hell, if you're gonna use it, you can just shift strings. It's just an exercize- or at least I look at it as an exercize

[oRg]

I've been practicing 4nps licks for the past 6 months and doing something like D|--2-3-6-7--| is crazy. For the most part I practice on the lower strings becuz it's an easier stretch and that way I can work on left-right hand, and finger coordination. Basically the shapes I do are:

D|--7-9-10-12--|

D|--7-8-10-12--|

D|--7-9-11-13--|

D|--7-9-11-12--|

D|--7-10-11-13--|

The last one is the one I'm working on right now. I just fret the 7th fret with the side of my index finger.

[davidvanhalen]

Anyway, it was a big article/lesson, so I'm amazed why sliding the fourth note wasn't mentioned as it's clearly the first option for most people (or all people in my opinion).


well, i think maybe he didn't mentioned the sliding approach because it has already been covered by eric vandenberg and other guys around the web. eric vandenberg covered it preety good on one of his articles, i think it was scales, scales, scales pt1,
so maybe he just wanted to show another approach that worked out for him

[Alan(Lost)]

Yeah maybe.

The example I gave might have seemed crazy because it could be moved to lower strings. But what if the riff is coming from the lower strings and you've gotta play the 4nps there. What I'm saying is that almost everyone is limited to certain limitations with 4nps patterns. It's just something like the last four notes of the harmonic minor scale would have that 3 fret gap which would be near impossible on a lot of the fretboard, mainly the lower (in pitch) strings.