This is a diminished exercise to get you familiar with some diminished patterns and also to work on your overall technique.

The pattern can be played starting on any note. I chose to start on G because its easily recognizable. It starts on G on the 15th fret, 6th string, and follows the G dim. arpeggio pattern until it gets to the Bb on the 1st string, 18^th fret. Then it comes back down the G dim (whole, half) scale pattern. This is followed by the same ascending arpeggio pattern starting on F# and then descends on the F# dim. (half, whole) scale pattern.

Play the entire pattern all the way through and then play it down a whole step from your last note on the bottom E string (the F#). Keep descending the same way each time until you run out of frets on the fretboard.

• Fingering: the fingering for each ascending arpeggio pattern is the same. You can choose to use your own fingering, but the fingers I use are in this order: 1,3,1,4,2,1,3,2,1,4.

• Practicing: This should be practiced slow at first with a metronome, on the clean setting. The rhythm is all sixteenth notes, and the time signature could be thought of as 7/4. Gradually increase your speed on the metronome whenever you are comfortable playing at a certain tempo. Make sure you pick every note clean with a legato style. I recommend using more elbow motion with a stiff wrist for speed when alternate picking. Practice until you can play it, and then some.

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