The 4th Position - Online Guitar Lesson Video

lesson summary

Lesson 16 of 54 in our Rock Series: The 4th Position

Move even farther up the neck in this lesson by learning the 4th pattern of the minor pentatonic and minor blues scales.

Chapter 1: (0:48) Introduction In lesson 16, Brad brings you the fourth installment of his blues/pentatonic scale lessons. He improvises briefly in this position to kick off the lesson.

Chapter 2: (3:36) Fourth Position of the Blues Scale The fourth position or �box� of the A minor blues scale is played entirely in 12th position. This means that the first finger will play all the notes in the scale pattern that occur at the 12th fret. Make note of where the b5, or blues note, occurs within the pattern. Like always, this note is indicated by a yellow circle in the fretboard diagram. Eb, the blues note of the scale, is found at the 13th fret of the D string.

Optional Fingering of the Scale

Brad plays this pentatonic box using all four fingers. However, many guitarists prefer to alter the fingering of the pentatonic boxes that are played in 12th position or higher on the fretboard. Brad demonstrates the scale by playing the notes at the 14th fret with the third finger. He plays all notes at the 15th fret with the pinky finger. Guitarists with larger hands often find it more comfortable to play the 14th fret notes with the second finger, and the 15th fret notes with the third finger. The C note on the 13th fret of the B string is then fingered with the first finger. This fingering also accommodates bends performed at the fifteenth fret. It is much harder to bend strings accurately with the pinky finger than with the stronger third finger. It is not wrong or improper to use this fingering. The fingering you choose for this particular box is simply a matter of preference. Experiment with both fingerings to see which you feel more comfortable with.

When this particular box is played in different keys, this box may occur lower on the neck. For example, if this box were played in C minor, it would be played at the 3rd fret in third position. When this box is played low on the neck, use the fingering that Brad demonstrates.

Note: The fingering of the notes on the D string remains unchanged when playing the blues scale. When playing the pentatonic version of the scale, the 14th fret of the D string is played with the second finger.

Brad closes this scene with some blues licks played in the 4th box.

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Brad Henecke: Performing Classic Rock Guitarist

Brad Henecke was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on May 5th of 1963. He has been a fan of music for as long as he & his family can remember. You could always find him running around the farm wailing on his cardboard guitar, pretending to be a member of the rock band KISS. Additional inspiration came during his first concert when he got the chance to see Boston & Sammy Hagar in the early 1970's. This opened up a whole new world of rock and roll music for him; his parents noticed his growing interest in music and enrolled him into guitar lessons when he was 13.

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He currently jams on his all-time favorite guitar: a Paul Reed Smith Custom 24. Beyond guitar, he plays also plays drums & bass guitar. He has also been known to thrash a banjo from time to time. He is still actively playing & passing his 31 years of playing experience on to others (you!).

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The 4th Position | Free Online Guitar Lesson