Primary Yellow Scales - Upper String Scale Series #3

The major scales that begin on the first finger use the yellow pattern. When I was developing this system I debated for a long time about starting with E Major or E-flat Major. E-flat is perhaps the more common key, and both keys are equivalent as far as resonance is concerned, with two open strings to resonate freely (A and E for E Major, G and D for E-flat Major). What ended up tipping the scale in favor of E Major was to look at the context of the system I was creating. The point of this system is to effectively use the finger patterns introduced in Barbara Barber’s Fingerboard Geography [links]. As described in my Finger Pattern post [link], the yellow pattern is a modification of the red pattern, achieved by raising the third finger by a half step. To play E Major, that’s all the modification that would have to be done. In order to work E-flat the whole hand would have to shift down. The third finger could remain in the same place as the familiar red pattern scales, but every other finger would have to be lowered by a half step. Since the point of all of this is simplicity, E Major became the first scale (Figure 1).

The raised third finger gives us another great opportunity to develop the student’s ear. They are accustomed to the third finger being a perfect fourth above the open string, but if they play it that way the scale becomes minor. The aural difference can be easily pointed out to the student by playing the initial red and blue pattern exercises as the red sounds major and the blue minor. Pointing this out allows them to pay attention to the sound and help develop the yellow pattern and strength of the third finger even more through ear training. I usually spend less time with the yellow pattern in isolation than I do with the red or the blue because the sound of the pattern tends to make more sense in the context of the scale. Once E Major is comfortable I move up a string to B Major (Figure 2).

The arpeggios that accompany these scales require closer attention than the red or blue scales because of the third finger. The tendency is to play the major scale and then do a minor arpeggio because they are not used to doing the raised third finger in isolation. That will take some practice for most students. I always bring it back to the ear, encouraging them to listen carefully. This is also a time when emphasizing block fingering can be helpful by setting the second and third fingers together after playing the first.

When they have E Major and B Major I will take them down to the G string for A Major (Figure 3).

After getting that octave they can now put the low, yellow A Major together with the higher red A Major to play their second two octave scale (Figure 4). Attention should again be called to the fact that they are putting two colors together, just like the two octave G Major scale. This is usually when I begin working the green pattern with them as well.