A thorough and practical approach to understanding the upper positions on the fingerboard for the flatpicking guitarist. Chord shapes, scale patterns, position studies, and repertoire teach guitarists to visualize how melodies and chords work together up the neck. Concepts presented here are invaluable for arranging and improvising in the flatpicking idiom. Written in standard notation and tablature, with access to online audio.

Guitarists will learn a system for organizing chords and scales up the neck, as well as moving horizontally between positions. Open strings are blended with upper position notes in keeping with the flatpicking style, and concepts are applied to real music through tunes and variations. Concepts presented are transferrable to other styles of music besides flatpicking.

• Thorough and practical approach to playing up the neck.
• Guitarists learn how melodies and chords work together.
• Invaluable concepts for arranging and improvisation.
• Tunes and variations provide practical application for the material.

Forward
Introduction
Figure 1 - C triads on the top three strings
Figure 2 - C Major scale fragments
Figure 3 - I-IV-V-I progressions in C
Figure 4 - I-IV-V-I Etudes in C
Figure 5 - I-IV-V-I progressions in G
Figure 6 - G Major scale fragments
Figure 7 - I-IV-V-I Etudes in G
Figure 8 - C Major Scale, Fingering Type One
Figure 9 - Arpeggio Etude in C using Fingering Type One
Figure 10 - Transposing Fingering Type One to the key of D Major (scale and arpeggio etude)
Figure 11 - Transposing Fingering Type One to the key of G Major (scale and arpeggio etude)
Figure 12 - C Major, Fingering Type One up an octave
Figure 13 - C Major - Fingering Type Two
Figure 14 - C Major - Fingering Type Three
Figure 15 - C Major - Fingering Type Four
Figure 16 - C Major - Fingering Type Five
Figure 17 - Type One etudes in C
Figure 18 - Type Two etudes in C
Figure 19 - Type Three etudes in C
Figure 20 - Type Four etudes in C
Figure 21 - Type Five etudes in C
Figure 22 - G Major scales - All fingering types
Figure 23 - D Major scales - All fingering types
Figure 24 - Horizontal scale exercise in C
Figure 25 - Horizontal melodic etudes in C
The Girl I Left Behind
Billy in the Low Ground
The Arkansas Traveler
Figure 26 - Horizontal scale exercise in G
The Flowers of Edinburgh
Bill Cheatham
Figure 27 - Horizontal scale exercise in D
The Cuckoo’s Nest
Over the Waterfall
Summary
About the Author