Part 10: Connect the neck without losing the music · Lesson 095 / 117
Optional route: three notes per string
Optional extensionTry a fingering organisation without treating it as a new theory system.
Three-notes-per-string, often shortened to 3NPS, arranges a scale with three consecutive notes on each chosen string. It can be useful for certain picking patterns, legato sequences and position connections.
Begin with six notes of G major: on low E, frets 3–5–7 give G–A–B; on the A string, frets 3–5–7 give C–D–E. These are degrees 1–2–3–4–5–6. Use a small hand shift when needed rather than holding a painful stretch.
Play the notes individually and name them. Then make a short phrase using only some of them. The layout should serve a musical idea, not force every line into an uninterrupted six-note run.
Three notes per string does not mean three notes per beat. Rhythm is independent of this fingering choice. Similarly, a set of seven fingering patterns does not automatically create seven modal sounds. The tonic and context still matter.
Hear it
Three Nps
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
G-major fragment: low E 3 G, 5 A, 7 B; A string 3 C, 5 D, 7 E. Timing can be quarters, eighths, triplets or something else.
Try it, slowly
- Name the six notes before playing.
- Play them slowly with comfortable shifts.
- Take a three-note phrase and compare this layout with another route you already know.
Check one idea
Does 3NPS require you to play triplets?
Show the explanation
No. It specifies notes per string, not notes per beat. Choose rhythm independently.
A good place to stop
You can explain the layout's purpose and keep it separate from key, mode and rhythm.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.