Regular scales or three notes per string?
- Thread starter Lindsey
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3 note per string as much as possible. Also, try to not focus on the pattern so much, But focus on the notes in the scale. It helps with understanding what you're actually doing.
What do you mean by regular scales? Pentaton? For me 3 note per string is the "regular". It is THE full 7 notes of a Key. I think you should learn it because once you get into modes and stuff that is when you will sing real melodies on your guitar. Like Syn. Also for me playing fast 3 per string( diatonic) scales is more comfortable then fast pentaton up and down.
Good luck.
Good luck.
I'd say they're odd at first but definitely worth it! They're great for both Legato & Economy picking too, and allow you to cover larger spaces on the neck. I 100% agree with @Ids Schiere too on this one - you'll get the most out of any scale if you can hear what you're doing and know where you are in the sound. The patterns are just different tools that allow your hands different phrasing options 
I tend to instinctively use 3nps more as I'm a big economy picker!
I tend to instinctively use 3nps more as I'm a big economy picker!
I'm still a beginner, but I very much like the one-octave versions of these shapes (ie. only the low 3 strings, such that the resulting micro pattern only covers one octave). These micro patterns are movable not only along the fretboard, but also across the fretboard, as long as you know where all your root notes are, and you can still cover the full fretboard with it (beware the 3rd instead of 4th between the G and B strings), but it is a lot easier to find licks in them compared to 3NPS, at least for me. I'm sure 3NPS is super useful for shredding though, and I will get around to really internalize it as well at some point.
3 notes per string is important IF you want to economy pick. The weird thing about them is that you end up in a different position than where you started. I don't economy pick that much so I prefer the old school way where you stay in one position. You should really know both. Once you know the regular way, it's really not that hard to switch to 3NPS.
My opinion: it's just notes. I don't see how anyone could think exclusively in one or the other. It's easy to find obvious cases of both being used in the music I like.
The thing about music is Technique, Theory, and actual Music are all an inseparable blob. It's basically impossible to look at any one of those in isolation without the other two. If you learn a lick or a solo that's music played with techniques within what is probably a scale shape. If you like 3nps but then you learn a song which was written and works better the other way, then you're doing it the other way. Even if you play straight up and down a scale you're developing good or bad technique as you do it, and maybe you're also unintentionally learning Slipknot's "Nomadic".
The thing about music is Technique, Theory, and actual Music are all an inseparable blob. It's basically impossible to look at any one of those in isolation without the other two. If you learn a lick or a solo that's music played with techniques within what is probably a scale shape. If you like 3nps but then you learn a song which was written and works better the other way, then you're doing it the other way. Even if you play straight up and down a scale you're developing good or bad technique as you do it, and maybe you're also unintentionally learning Slipknot's "Nomadic".
It indeed wasn't that hard after all. I tried to go through all the modes 3nps without a paper in front of me yesterday after I posted this and I actually could do it. Knowing the notes in the scale helped, I couldn't visualise the pattern out of mind.(Which I like for some simple mindless improv)
They're easy to combine with the regular scale shapes. So yes, I agree, it's important to know both eventually.
I saw it, I may have to skip that part for now if I want to play the full song
