HEXATONIC SCALE MASTERCLASS: LEVEL 2

SCALE OVERVIEW

SCALE REVIEW

Here are the 5 hexatonic scale shapes again, incase you need a quick reminder.

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SKIPPING SHAPES
In the Beginner section, we learned how to connect and link the five shapes up
and down the fretboard using all six strings. To further familiarize ourselves with
the shapes, we’re now going to try shifting to non-adjacent shapes. This is an
important discipline. When improvising, our licks and patterns may require us to
jump and skip shapes, and these first few exercises will really help with that
concept.

We’ll start with the first shape, jump to the 3rd, move back to the 2nd, jump to
4th, and so on: 1-3-2-4-3-5-4-1- etc..

Exercise 1 will start by ascending the fretboard using all six strings, then we'll
switch to groups of strings - First E,A, then E,A,D, then, E,A,D,G, etc.- until we get
through all strings, and all 5 shapes. Then we'll repeat these exercises going
backwards down the neck. (Exercises 6-10)
LICK 1

This lick begins by ascending through Shape 1, sliding into Shape 3, playing a few
notes on Shape 4 and then sliding into Shape 1, but an octave higher.
LICK 2
This moves back and forth between Shapes 4 and 2. Don’t forget the slight bend
on the first note.

LICK 3

This one’s a bit longer. We start with a little phrase in Shape 2, slide into the
Shape 4, move back to Shape 3 and finish o on Shape 1.

LICK 4

Using a Cmaj7 tonality, we start in Shape 3, slide into the Shape 5, move back to
the Shape 3 and end on Shape 1.
BLUES NOTES

ADDING THE FLAT 5

When we use the pentatonic scale, we often add the flat 5th, creating the ‘blues
scale’, and we can do the same with the hexatonic scale. Technically it’s not a
hexatonic scale anymore, but I’m thinking of this note as more of a passing tone,
not part of the actual scale.

The next few exercises and licks will help us incorporate the flat 5th (blue note)
into all five shapes. We’re in A minor, so the flat 5th is Eb. Here are the five basic
shapes, with the added flat 5th Blue note
EXERCISE 11
To get familiar with the new note, play each scale up and down.
BLUES PHRASES
Let’s look at a few go-to phrases that are good for starting or connecting licks.
This will also help you to familiarise yourself with the position of the blue note in
our hexatonic shapes. We’ll move each phrase around the fretboard.

EXERCISE 12
Here’s a simple 10-note phrase that you can play whenever the 4th, b5th and 5th
(D Eb E) fall on the same string.
EXERCISE 13
Here’s another phrase I use all the time. This one works well when the 2nd, 3rd,
4th and b5th (B C D Eb) all fall on the same string.
LICK 5
This lick uses the phrase from exercise 13 in Shape 2.

LICK 6
This lick starts in Shape 4, using the phrase from exercise 12, then slides up and
finishes in Shape 5.

LICK 7

This lick starts in Shape 2, briefly slides into Shape 3, then ascends through Shape
1, adding the b5th as well.
SEQUENCES

BLUES NOTE SEQUENCES

As I mentioned in the first level, a sequence is a fixed pattern of notes that moves
through the scale. We use them to connect licks together and move up and down
the scales in more melodic and interesting ways.

Here are a few sequences using our scale with the added b5th note (Eb). Aside
from using these as an improvisation and soloing tool, practising these sequences
will help us build fluency and technique within our scale.

EXERCISE 14
This is a 3 string group sequence. We’re just going to ascend three strings starting
on the low E string -- then ascend another three strings starting on the A string --
and repeat that pattern until you get to the high E string -- then do the same
thing backwards (E B G, B G D, G D A, D A E)
EXERCISE 15
This is similar to the previous sequence, but instead of three strings we ascend
just three notes, and then the starting point moves to the next note: 123, 234,
345, and so on.
EXERCISE 16
The same concept as Ex15, but with a four-note sequence: 1234, 2345, 3456
EXERCISE 17
This my favourite sequence, moving up and down the scale in a “two steps
forward, one step back” pattern. Basically, it’s 1-3, 2-4, 3-5 and so on. Most of the
time, you’re playing 3rd intervals, but there are exceptions (D-E is a major 2nd, E-
A is a 4th). If you find this sequence a bit awkward for your fingers, experiment
with di erent fingerings to get the best “flow”.
LICK 8
This lick starts with a short blues phrase in Shape 3 before ascending to Shape 4
using the 4 note sequence from Ex16 on strings DGB.

LICK 9

This one starts in Shape 2, ascends through the three-string sequence from Ex14
in Shape 1 and then finishes back in Shape 2.
LICK 10

This lick uses the 3rds sequence from Ex17 in both Shape 5 and Shape 3, creating
one long descending run from the high E string to the A string.

2 NOTE PER STRING

RE ARRANGING THE SCALE

Our five basic scale positions have a mixture of two or three notes per string. The
advantage here is that they form a neat “box” shape, keeping your hand in the
same fretboard position. Also, if you’re familiar with the five PENTAtonic shapes,
it’s easy to add the extra note and learn the new shapes.

Having said that, we guitarists often find it easier to play longer and faster runs
when the scale patterns are more symmetrical, with the same number of notes
on each string. So in this section, we’ll be tweaking the hexatonic shapes to fit a 2-
note-per-string structure.

When playing through the following exercises, you’ll notice that you often move
UP through the strings while moving DOWN the fretboard. This might seem
counter-intuitive, but it’s a very interesting way to play, because it opens up new
possibilities and ideas when improvising.
Another important point: we’re going to build these shapes from all SIX notes of
the hexatonic scale, giving us six shapes instead of the five we’ve used so far.

Because of the 2-note-per-string structure, these shapes cover a wide area of the
fretboard. If we start Shape 1 from the 5th fret, we’ll run out of frets before we
complete the scale. Therefore, we’ll be starting these exercises on the 2nd shape.

Here are the 6 shapes:

EXERCISE 18

To get familiar with these shapes, play each scale up and down.
LINKING THE 6 SHAPES

To really get these new shapes down and move around them comfortably, you
want to be able to e ortlessly link and connect all 5 shapes together. So just like
we practiced in the beginner section when we learned the scales, these next few
exercises will focus on linking the shapes up and down the fretboard using all 6
strings, then 2, 3, 4 and 5 string sets. This is a pretty tedious workout, so take your
time in getting it as clean and smooth as you can.
2 NPS Sequencs

MORE SEQUENCES

Now that we’re a little more familiar with the basic concept, we’ll learn some
pentatonic-style sequences that will fit very nicely over our 2nps hexatonic
shapes. If you have any favourite pentatonic patterns, try adapting them to fit the
hexatonic scale. It’s all about using 2-note-per- string patterns, because they feel
so comfortable on guitar.

The first two sequences are very basic and exactly the same as the ones we
worked on previously. The ones after that are a bit more interesting.

EXERCISE 24
This is a six-note descending pattern, featuring a pull-o between the first two
notes. Repeat the pattern for every pair of strings.
EXERCISE 25
Now we ascend three strings at a time, working up through the string groups and
then descending in the same way. I hammer on the first two notes of each
pattern when ascending, and pull o the first two notes of each pattern when
descending.
EXERCISE 26
This sequence is based on an eight-note down/up pattern, starting with a pull-o .
It moves up through the strings and then reverses.
EXERCISE 27
This one is a bit different – each time the pattern repeats, we move up to another
shape. I use this a lot to connect different areas of the neck in a musical way.

LICK 11

This lick uses the six-note pattern from Ex24 in Shape 2 and Shape 4, but this
time ascending instead of descending.
LICK 12

This is the three-string pattern from Ex25. It moves from Shape 1 to the Shape 5,
but an octave lower (3rd fret area).

LICK 13

This one uses the slide sequence from Ex27. It begins in Shape 2 and ends in
Shape 4.
LINEAR SEQUENCES

REPEATING PATTERNS ACROSS SHAPES

A great way to come up with new ideas is to move a sequence through the
shapes, going up or down the fretboard. I use this all the time to add energy to a
solo, or to transition to different parts of the neck in a more musical way.

Here are a few ideas using the hexatonic scale to get you started with this
concept. We’ll only be playing these on the E/B and G/D strings, but you can play
these sequences on any pair of strings.

EXERCISE 28
This is a pretty simple pattern with a short rest enabling you to shift position
smoothly.
EXERCISE 29
There’s no gap between the shapes here, so you have to shift position very
carefully.

EXERCISE 30
I use this idea all the time. The basic pattern is five notes, but there’s that slide
adding interest to the final note.
LICK 14

This lick uses the pattern from Ex28. The sequence starts in Shape 2, and moves
up the fretboard till we reach Shape 4, bending the 15th fret

LICK 15

This lick uses the pattern from Ex30. We start in Shape 1 with a short phrase that
slides into Shape 2, and from here we start the sequence, moving up through all
five hexatonic shapes.
LICK 16

This lick uses the pattern from Ex29. Once again we start with a short phrase in
Shape 1 that takes us into Shape 2, where the sequence starts, using the B and G
strings. Continue moving the pattern up the fretboard until you reach Shape 4,
and finish o with a bend.

ARPEGGIOS

QUICK SUMMARY

In LEVEL 1, I mentioned that a lot of my playing is based on small groups of triads

and 7th arpeggios, and most of them are built right into this hexatonic scale.
We learned the main shapes for each arpeggio, and how to move them up and
down the strings. In this section, we’ll be adding in a sequence to help your
fingers get used to the shapes, as well as learning how to “walk” the arpeggios
across the entire neck, on every set of strings.

Before we get started, here’s a quick summary to remind you where these
arpeggios come from:

Using the minor hexatonic scale, all we’re doing is building triads o of the 1st (A)
3rd (C), 5th (E), and 7th (G) notes in our scale.

A C E = A minor
C E G = C major
E G B = E minor
G B D = G major

If we add one more note to these triads, we get 7th and 6th arpeggios

A C E G = Am7
C E G B = Cmaj7
E G B D = Em7
G B D E = G6

Don’t forget that we’re playing a G6 instead of a 7th chord because the 7th of G (F
or F#) isn’t available in our scale shapes. Also, the G6 sounds and fits a lot better
with the rest of the arpeggios and scales.

If you forgot what these shapes look like, check out the next five pages:
EXERCISE 31
Play the arpeggios using a sequence of root-5th-3rd-7th. When you reach the
high E string, repeat the sequence going down (7th-3rd-5th-root). Then repeat for
all scale shapes.
LINEAR 'WALKING' ARPEGGIOS
It’s not enough to just play these arpeggios up and down the strings. You want to
be able to move these ideas across the entire fretboard. These next few exercises
will require you to “walk” the arpeggios up the fretboard on each set of strings.
Some of these shapes have two arpeggios on each set of strings, so you’ll notice
that we repeat some of the arpeggios throughout the next few exercises.

We'll be doing these on all 6 strings, so i’ve broken down the exercises into 4
parts. The first is EAD strings, then ADG, then, DGB, then GBE. It’s quite a workout,
but they’re really fun to play, and sound great.
 LICK 17

This lick moves through the Em7, G6, Am7 and Cmaj7 arpeggios on the A D G
string set from Shape 1 to Shape 4.

LICK 18
This lick starts with a short phrase in Shape 1, slides into Shape 2, and then
moves through the arpeggios on the G B E string set till we get to Shape 4.
LICK 19

This lick moves through the arpeggios using the D G B string set in Shapes 1 and
2.

FINAL SOLO
STUDY LICKS
It's important that you apply new technical and theoretical concepts to real music
as soon as you can. In this solo, you'll see lots of examples of how I apply all the
concepts we’ve studied so far. The entire solo is built up from the exercises we've
worked on. You could learn the whole thing, learn your favourite licks or just use it
as inspiration to improvise your own solos over the backing track.

If you decide to study the solo in full, you might find it easier to work in chunks. So
i broke down the solo into 6 smaller licks. The six longer Study Licks are designed
so you can work on ‘mini solos’ before linking them all together into the full solo.
SOLO LICK 1
This lick starts o in Shapes 2 and 1, then descends with a four-note sequence
including the added blues note. We then slide into Shape 3 using the D string.
SOLO LICK 2
We start o by playing an Am7 arpeggio in Shape 3 and a Cmaj7 arpeggio in Shape
4. We then use the “thirds” sequence we learned to descend a few notes on the B
and G strings. Continue down Shape 4 with the added b5th, and then ascend
Shape 3, again adding that extra blues note.
SOLO LICK 3
This lick uses the 2-note-per-string sequence across Shapes 2, 3 and 4.

SOLO LICK 4
This lick starts with a descending run using the “3rds” sequence, and connects
Shapes 4 and 5 together. We then ascend Shape 4 using the “3 strings” sequence.
SOLO LICK 5
This lick starts with ascending arpeggios across the fretboard. It moves through
Em7 in Shape 1, G6 in Shape 2, Am7 in Shape 3 and Cmaj7 and Em7 in Shape 4.
We then take a four-note descending pattern, repeating it across all the shapes,
to create an ascending sequence.

SOLO LICK 6
This last lick uses the concept of “ascending while descending” in a string skipping
sequence over the second scale shape.
I hope you enjoyed this masterclass and are eventually able to use this scale in
your own playing. Try and come up with your own unique licks and scale
sequences, and don’t be afraid to explore this scale further then what we learned
here. This is my favourite scale, and I would say that almost 90% of my solos are
based off of this concept. In my opinion, the notes and intervals in this scale
sound so great together, and work over just about anything.

See you in level 3,

Roy Ziv