LAYOVERS

Sweeps and layovers go together like strawberries and cream.

This exercise will practice all the layovers found in the first position blues scale. (See Note*). Wherever you have two notes on the same fret, different strings, you need to layover to get from one to the next smoothly:

If you don`t know how to layover yet, play the first two notes only:

Play the first note on the tip of your first finger. Then flatten your finger and roll it across to play the second note on the flat part between the tip of the finger and the first joint. Then roll back onto the tip to repeat the first note. Practice looping these two notes until you feel comfortable.

To work on your layovers more, practice looping each pair of notes and repeating four times like this:

Be sure to keep the same down / up picking pattern as before.

Now practice the reverse layover. Do the same thing but start on the flat of your finger before rolling onto the lower string and playing on the tip:

Practice looping and repeating pairs of notes like before.

When you use layovers in your playing, you often need to sweep as well.

Try this:

*Note: these TAB examples are written in the key of F minor. This makes them easy to follow as the fret number and number of the finger used to play the note are the same. You should practice the examples in all keys by moving your left hand up and down the neck. I have played these in the key of A minor (5 th fret).

The exercises on this site are played at medium tempo (around 108 bpm). If you`re learning material that is new to you, practice slowly at first.

 

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