Guitar 7: The five boxes

The whole neck

A minor pentatonic from fret 3 to fret 17. Black dots are A.

How the boxes fit

There are five boxes. The right side of one box is the left side of the next. After box 5 comes box 1 again, twelve frets higher.

Learn one new box per week. Do not rush. Box 1 and box 2 together already cover most solos.

7.1Each box up and down

Take one box from the next sheets. Play it up and down like exercise 2.3. Tick a box here when all five shapes work at that tempo.

BPM

Pass: all five boxes from memory.

Guitar 7: The five boxes

Boxes 1, 2, 3

Box 1. Frets 5 to 8.

Box 2. Frets 7 to 10.

Box 3. Frets 9 to 13.

Guitar 7: The five boxes

Boxes 4 and 5

Box 4. Frets 12 to 15.

Box 5. Frets 14 to 17. The same shape also sits at frets 2 to 5.

7.2One string, all boxes

The scale along the thin e string. One finger, slide between the notes. Then back down.

e|-5----8----10---12---15---17---|
B|-------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------|

BPM

Pass: up and down, saying the note names: A C D E G A.

Guitar 7: The five boxes

Connect the boxes

Find home in every box

Before you play a new box, find its black dots. Start and end on them.

7.3Box 2 up and down

Middle finger starts on fret 8 of the thick string.

e|-------------------------|-------8--10-10-8--------|
B|-------------------------|-8--10-------------10-8--|
G|-------------------7--9--|-------------------------|
D|-------------7--10-------|-------------------------|
A|-------7--10-------------|-------------------------|
E|-8--10-------------------|-------------------------|
   1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &    1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &

e|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-9--7--------------------|
D|-------10-7--------------|
A|-------------10-7--------|
E|-------------------10-8--|
   1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &

BPM

Pass: from memory, four loops.

7.4Slide from box 1 to box 2

Go up box 1. On the G string, slide from fret 7 to fret 9. You are now in box 2. Finish there.

e|-------------------------|-----------------8---10--|
B|-------------------------|---------8---10----------|
G|-------------------------|-5---7/9-----------------|
D|-----------------5---7---|-------------------------|
A|---------5---7-----------|-------------------------|
E|-5---8-------------------|-------------------------|

BPM

Pass: the slide is in time and you do not look for box 2.