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Beyond the Box: Mapping the Blues Across the Entire Fretboard

If the first lesson on tritone targeting changed your perspective on the 5th-fret box, it’s time to take those concepts and explode them across the entire neck. In this follow-up, the focus shifts from staying in one position to mapping the tritone symmetry and using "modular pentatonics" to navigate the fretboard with purpose,.

Mapping the Tritone Symmetry

The secret to knowing where you are at all times is recognizing that these target shapes are symmetrical. You can find the A7, D7, and E7 tritones on almost every string set:

• Low Strings: Start as low as possible with the D7 tritone (F# and C) on the E and A strings, move up one fret for A7 (G and C#), and another fret for E7 (G# and D).
• The "Wonky" Tuning Adjustment: Because of standard tuning, when you move these shapes to the strings involving the B string, the shape changes slightly (resembling a perfect fifth shape elsewhere).
• Inversions: These shapes are symmetrical, meaning you can flip the notes on the same strings to find the same tritone in a different voicing.

Modular Pentatonics: The "Slippy Sliding" Method

Instead of being trapped in the standard five boxes, you can use modular pentatonics—a "four notes and a slide" approach that allows you to travel through octaves effortlessly,.

• The Pattern: Play four notes of a scale (like G, A, C, D) and slide into the fifth note (E). This slide perfectly positions your first finger to repeat the exact same pattern in the next octave.
• Joining the Dots: The goal is to use these modular slides to travel the neck and veer off into a tritone target whenever the chord changes. This makes your soloing sound like a continuous journey rather than jumping between disconnected boxes.

Hero or Zero: Targeting via Bending

Bending is where you either sound like a "hero" or a "zero". To be a hero, you must use your bends to hit the tritone targets exactly,:

• The G-String Bend: Over an A7 chord, practice bending the C natural up to the C# (the major third). For D7, release it back to the C natural.
• The B-String Bend: Position your finger on the F#; bend up to G for A7, release to F# for D7, and bend all the way up to G# for the E7 turnaround.

By combining these modular movements with precise bending to your target notes, you stop playing patterns and start playing the changes,.

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I have started creating a new infographic that maps these "modular" pentatonic slides and shows how they link to tritone targets across different octaves. You can monitor its progress in the Studio tab.

Call to Action

Ready to master the full fretboard and stop being a "zero" with your bends? Visit www.leedsguitarstudio.co.uk to book a session and get personalized feedback on your blues phrasing.

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Tags: blues guitar, advanced soloing, tritone mapping, modular pentatonics, guitar bending, fretboard symmetry, A7 D7 E7 targets, music theory for guitar, Graham Young, Leeds Guitar Studio, blues phrasing, sliding techniques, target notes, keep it greasy.