This question gets asked almost daily by guitarists just like you.

I wrote this book to answer that question.

Look. Everybody knows you're supposed to practice scales if you want to know your way around the guitar fretboard. But nobody really talks about how to turn those scales into musical phrases rather than just playing the notes up and down, up and down.

Melodic patterns-also known as scale sequences-have been used by composers and songwriters from Bach to the Beatles. They show up in every era and genre of music. Practicing sequence patterns rather than just going up and down the scale is the first step to TURN THE NOTES INTO MUSIC.

It's no wonder that scale sequences have been used for centuries to train basic technique and musicianship skills on practically every instrument. I'm, now, presenting this same practice to you, the guitar player.

The secret to great lead playing is melodic phrasing. That's exactly what scale sequences teach you, to connect your ideas-no more wandering around the fretboard hoping to play something that sounds good.

Each sequence is shown ascending and descending through one octave of the C major scale and presented in both standard notation and TAB. The scale shape and fingering used for the sequences are shown, along with a breakdown of the cell or melodic idea that was used to create the pattern.

Examples shown in each chapter are clearly demonstrated, so you can hear what they sound like. I've also demonstrated many of the sequences, both slow and fast, to help you get the feel for how to practice these patterns. In addition, you'll get 12 backing chords-one in each key-for you to use while practicing these patterns.