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The system where notes will be inserted in the first two strings, is identical to that seen in the previous page, and must be performed in that way.
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Now you can see that notes have been added that are found on the first two strings, and therefore after the C note (2nd string, 1st fret), we find D (2nd string, 3rd fret), E (1st open string), F (1st string, 1st fret) and G (1st string, 3rd fret).
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Practice playing the new notes starting from C on the 2nd string, climbing up to the G of the 1st string for then back down to C, 2nd string. Play these notes until you have memorized them. At this point you can go see the position of the notes on the two bass strings.
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Now you can see that the notes that are found on the last two strings have been added, and therefore after the C note (5th string, 3rd fret), we find B (5th string, 2nd fret), A (5th string open), G (6th string, 3rd fret), F (6th string, 1st fret) and finally E (6th string open).
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Here again try to memorize the notes of the bass strings, starting from C on the 5th string, going down to E (6th string) and going back up to C on the 5th string.
I recommend, for those who aren't familiar with the notation and musical theory, to return to that section. Remember that its possible to play at high-levels without even knowing how to read a single note on the stave... but those select few are geniuses. To be a good musician it is not necessary to be a genius, but to have good technique and a strong desire to continually learn new things. The theory and reading are therefore of fundamental importance.
Lets look at playing the complete scale, practicing on all the notes using the system that we are about to see.
As you can see in the graph, the lowest root has been highlighted, and therefore is the note that gives the name to the scale and is found the closest to the 6th string.
This is the base note that all the others gravitate towards: when playing the scale, you start and finish on the lowest root. This is also valid for the study of the other scales.

To perform the complete scale, do the following:
- start from C, 5th string, 3rd fret, and climb note for note;
- go up to G, 1st string, 3rd fret;
- descend to E, 6th string open, being careful to play all the notes on all the strings in order;
- climb up to C, 5th string, 3rd fret.
Memorize the series of notes, thinking about the name of each one, so that you can quickly recognize the notes on this part of the fretboard. Once you know the notes well, a good exercise to practice is to play in time, as well as with alternate picking. In the example below, you can see a part of the scale played in octave doubling the notes. In this way you have more control of the execution.

The scale must always be played starting with the C note on the 5th string, but in this case the notes are not doubled. The rhythmic division is octave and with alternate picking.

Scale of D major in the 1st position
If you completely understand the system, you can continue with the study of the D major scale in the 1st position.
If you still have some doubts, return to the C major scale section, in order to be better prepared for the following exercises.
The scale of D major is formed by a series of notes containing two alterations of natural notes, which are F# and C# (# = sharp). Always keep the table of the scales and the rules for the construction of the scales nearby. These are always useful when facing these and many other types of exercises that will follow. You can see that this fingering shows some variations with respect to the previous C scale. It is performed in the same way: start from the lowest root, which in the scale of D major is the D note on the 4th open string.
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The succession of notes is ascending and you will notice that the index finger isn't used, because in the root of D major there are no notes to play at the 1st fret.
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The E note comes from the second succession by pressing the middle finger at the 2nd fret. Keep the finger pressed to prepare for the following note.
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Keeping the middle finger pressed, the little finger presses the 4th string at the 4th fret, to get the F#. This may cause some difficulty because the little finger is the weakest. Training will help resolve this problem.
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Lift the other fingers while playing the 4th open string (the G note). At this point we can continue following the notes that are found in the graph below of the D major scale in the 1st position.
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To perform the complete scale play as follows:
- start from D, 4th open string, and climb note by note;
- go up to G, 1st string, 3rd fret;
- descend to E, 6th string open, being careful to play all the notes on all the strings in order;
- climb to D, 4th string open.
Be sure to use the correct fingers as indicated in the graph, and to follow the described procedure.
You should now know this system perfectly. You can continue in the study of the major scales in the 1st position, found on the next page.
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