The Crossroads Diatonic Scales
The Crossroads teaching method is a different approach to learning guitar scales than the popular five pentatonic box shapes. Getting comfortable playing anywhere on the fretboard and breaking out of the box shapes can be difficult. The goal of the Crossroads method is to make navigating the fretboard in all directions easier.
Crossroads revolves around pairs of notes instead of visualizing box shapes when you play scales. You start your playing at a pair of notes, think of the pairs of notes that are connected to that pair and then you move to one of those connected pairs.
The way you will know how the pairs of notes are connected is by memorizing the Crossroads vertical and horizontal fretboard patterns. The vertical and horizontal patterns are made up of five pairs of notes.
These five sets will be called Set 1, Set 2, Set 3, Set 4 and Set 5.
Every time you are at a pair of notes you are at a crossroads on the fretboard. The vertical and horizontal patterns will give you the freedom to decide which direction you want to go when you are at these crossroads.
Horizontal Pattern
The horizontal pattern consists of five overlapping pairs of notes. Each pair of notes share a note with the pair that is higher and lower in the horizontal pattern. For example, Pair 2 shares its high note with Pair 3 and its low note with Pair 1.
Pair 2 and Pair 4 contain two notes that are three frets apart.
Pair 1, Pair 3 and Pair 5 have two notes that are two frets apart.
The pairs of notes are arranged sequentially and they repeat up and down the fretboard.
Vertical Pattern
The vertical pattern has the same five pairs of notes as the horizontal pattern. The vertical pattern is arranged in odd numbered and even numbered pairs.
The vertical pattern repeats up and down the fretboard going from odd numbered pairs, to even pairs, to odd, to even and so on.
Vertical Pattern - G to B String Shift
When moving higher in the vertical pattern from the G string to the B string the vertical pattern needs to be shifted one fret higher.
The first example starts the vertical pattern with Pair 4 on the low E string. Pair 2 and Pair 4 have to be shifted up one fret when the vertical pattern moves from the G string to the B string.
The second example starts the vertical pattern with Pair 5 on the low E string. This time Pair 3 and Pair 5 have to be shifted one fret higher.
Root Notes
Playing a scale using the Crossroads patterns is centered on using the scale’s root notes to guide you. Moving up and down the fretboard revolves around knowing where the root notes are. You will need to memorize what pairs of notes contain the root notes for the scale you want to play.
The red note is the root note for the Minor Diatonic Scale.
The green note is the root note for the Major Diatonic Scale.
The Minor root note is found in Set 3 and Set 4. It is the high note of Set 3 and the low note of Set 4.
The Major root note is found in Set 4 and Set 5. It is the high note of Set 4 and the middle note of Set 5.
EXAMPLE
This example shows the horizontal pattern with the C Major Diatonic Scale on the G string starting at the 2nd fret. You can play up and down any scale horizontally using the horizontal pattern.
This example shows the vertical pattern with the C Major Diatonic Scale starting at the 5th fret. The vertical pattern allows you to play up and down any scale vertically.
Remember the vertical pattern needs to be shifted up one fret when moving from the G string to the B string.
EXAMPLE
This example shows the horizontal pattern with the A Minor Diatonic Scale on the A string starting at the 3rd fret.
This example shows the vertical pattern with the A Minor Diatonic Scale starting at the 7th fret.
Remember to take into account the G to B string shift.
Movement Options
Every set of notes has four other sets of notes that are its movement options.
The movement options are determined by the horizontal and vertical patterns. If you have the horizontal and vertical patterns memorized and use the G to B string shift when it is needed you will always know what your movement options are.
EXAMPLE
This example shows the four movement options for Set 5 with the C Major Diatonic Scale.
Set 5 - Lower Horizontal Option: Set 4
Set 5 - Higher Horizontal Option: Set 1
Set 5 - Lower Vertical Option: Set 3
Set 5 - Higher Vertical Option: Set 2
SLIDESHOW
This slideshow goes through your movement options for Set 4 with the C Major Diatonic Scale.
As you go through this slideshow try to determine what the movement options are.
Set 4 - Lower Horizontal Option: ???
Set 4 - Higher Horizontal Option: ???
Set 4 - Lower Vertical Option: ???
Set 4 - Higher Vertical Option: ???
SLIDESHOW
This slideshow goes through your movement options for Set 3 with the A Minor Diatonic Scale.
As you go through this slideshow try to determine what the movement options are.
Set 3 - Lower Horizontal Option: ???
Set 3 - Higher Horizontal Option: ???
Set 3 - Lower Vertical Option: ???
Set 3 - Higher Vertical Option: ???
EXAMPLE
This example shows how to use the G to B string shift on the higher vertical movement option for Set 5 with the C Major Diatonic Scale.
Set 5 - Higher Vertical Option: Set 2
Higher Vertical Shift Direction: One Fret Higher
EXAMPLE
This example shows how to use the G to B string shift on the lower vertical movement option for Set 5 with the C Major Diatonic Scale.
Set 5 - Lower Vertical Option: Set 3
Lower Vertical Shift Direction: One Fret Lower
SLIDESHOW
This slideshow goes through the G to B string shift for Set 4 in the C Major Diatonic Scale.
Try to answer these questions as you go through the slideshow.
Set 4 - Higher Vertical Option: ???
Higher Vertical Shift Direction: ???
Set 4 - Lower Vertical Option: ???
Lower Vertical Shift Direction: ???
SLIDESHOW
This slideshow goes through the G to B string shift for Set 3 in the A Minor Diatonic Scale.
Try to answer these questions as you go through the slideshow.
Set 3 - Higher Vertical Option: ???
Higher Vertical Shift Direction: ???
Set 3 - Lower Vertical Option: ???
Lower Vertical Shift Direction: ???
SLIDESHOW
This slideshow goes through many pairs of notes in the C Major Diatonic Scale. Visualize the horizontal and vertical patterns as you go through this slideshow to know what your movement options are at each pair of notes.
The Crossroads method should allow you to focus on playing melodies and creating music if it can make playing scales easier all around the fretboard.