4NPS Scales Archives - Unlock the Guitar

Monster 4NPS Scale Runs without the Monster Stretches

June 26, 2018October 5, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

I’ve been a huge fan of 4NPS (four-note-per-string) scales ever since I first saw them on the Allan Holdsworth REH DVD back when it was a video cassette in the late 90s. If you’ve ever seen Holdsworth play, you’ll probably … Read more

How to Find Scale Patterns That Work For You

February 7, 2018October 18, 2018Graham TippettLeave a Comment

Nowadays, I play in fourths tuning (EADGCF) around 75% of the time because I love it, and the rest of the time I use standard (covers gigs, teaching, etc.) because it’s just more practical. However, one of the things I … Read more

Fretboard Motion: 3NPS + 4NPS Scales (Part 2)

June 8, 2017January 15, 2019Graham TippettLeave a Comment

In Part 1, we looked at dividing the fretboard up into string pairs in order play horizontally up and down the neck. In Part 2, we take the symmetry idea a little further by creating diagonal patterns across the string … Read more

The Holdsworthian Approach to Diminished Scales

April 20, 2017April 10, 2019Graham TippettLeave a Comment

In honor of the passing of one of my most influential guitar heroes, Allan Holdsworth, and perhaps one of the most innovative guitarists of all time, I’d like to look at his use of diminished scales; in particular, the half-whole … Read more