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One of the most important characteristics that the guitar is able to offer is the geometry with which its possibile to organize a lesson, compose or arrange a song, or improvise a common solo.
In this section we will analyze how to develop a major scale over the entire fretboard. We will also develop the fingerings of that scale in sequence and transport the roots, in order to have all of them at our disposition.
We will therefore begin to learn a system divided into fingering types.
I also want to mention that this system is the result of research and studies from various methodologies, which seem to make common reference to a Berklee Publications text written by William G. Leavitt. This system is a mix of the best combined learning methods for the guitar and because of this, its possible that we will work on material that has already been proposed by other parties whose source is practically impossible to determine.

The types

This system is the natural progression of the studies of the scales performed in the first position. We will see a series of fingerings, learning the structure and the name of each, then combining these fingerings to every root. Always follow the rule of four frets, but with the possibility to perform variations with regards to the opening of the fingers of the left hand on the fretboard.

Look at the figure to the right. You will notice that the fingers of the left hand (1=index, 2=middle, 3=ring finger, 4=little finger) are placed on the first string one fret behind the other. In this position the hand comfortably works within the four frets.

Now lets see how the first finger has moved back a fret. The left hand is firm, only the index finger moves back a fret. You need to remember that in this case, the position of the left hand on the fretboard is identified by the fret that the index finger will occupy if it were in its place. For example, in the fingering that we see here, if the left hand is in the fifth position (middle finger at the sixth fret, ring finger at the seventh and the little finger at the 8th), the index finger presses the fourth fret: if it were in its natural position, it would press at the fifth fret.

In this case we have the little finger that moves one fret to the right. If the hand were in the fifth position, the index, middle and ring fingers would be on their respective frets (fifth, sixth and seventh), while the little finger would be on the ninth fret, which means one fret ahead of its natural position (octave).

When the finger moves out of position, you need to make a movement that is called finger stretching. Its possible that the finger that performs the finger stretching only does it on some strings, while it plays the others in position. Therefore it is not always necessary to play all the strings out of position. The basic studies that we have prepared use both of the two fingering models seen above, depending on the case. We will therefore see a series of fingering types, that are separated into four groups, characterized by the possibility to play four or five frets. The type1 is characterized by the finger stretching of the finger index, creating models that will be called type1, type1A, type1B, etc. The type2 and the type3 are univocal, in that they don't have out of position notes. Finally, the type4 requires the movement of the little finger and therefore the creation of models called type4, type4A, type4B, etc. In the next page we will begin to work with some of these models, creating a system to learn the fingerings of the major scales over the entire fretboard.

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