In order not to be locked into one position, it's important to become comfortable with playing across adjacent patterns. Pattern I and the Pattern 5 below it (which we are calling "Pattern 5 (Low)") fit together very nicely. Playing fluidly across these two patterns will greatly enhance your understanding of the neck.
Pattern 1 + Pattern 5 (Low)
Fingering
In my notes on Pattern 5, I noted that you should stive to be fluid between patterns as well as within them. Putting both Pattern 1 and Pattern 5 (Low) here in the same view gives you an excellent visual aid for exploring the connections between these two patterns. You can refer to those other scales for the fingering.
The important consideration here is how to move from one to the other. Here, sliding is your friend and the key to using these patterns together as one. You already know to play Pattern 5 in 2nd Position (i.e., frets 2-5) and Pattern 1 in 5th Position (i.e., 5-8). The trick to playing across both is to find useful places to slide between those two positions. I'd suggest, at first, doing this even when it would be easier to stay in one position.
Connections
The relevant connections here are to Pattern 1, Pattern 1 (High), Pattern 5, and Pattern 5 (Low).
Last Update
This page was last updated on 07/12/2026.