Pattern IV, in the key of Am, covers frets 12-15. Pattern IV has root notes on the 3rd string and the 5th string.
Pattern 4
Fingering
Pattern IV is an easy one. The only tricky bit is the B string. You could stay in 12th postion and play that one 2-4 or shift up on fret and play it 1-3. After that, you'd need to sift back down one fret for the high-E string, which you'd play 1-4. Try it both ways. Keep the one you like best.
If you look carefully, you'll notice the close similarities between Pattern IV and Pattern I. The shape is identical on strings 1, 3, 4, and 5, but the root notes have moved from strings 6 and 4 to strings 5 and 3. This means any run you can play in Pattern I on strings 4-6 can be played here, in Pattern IV, on strings 3-5. It'll sound an octave higher, but the fingering will be the same.
Connections
You'll notice, in Pattern IV, there's an A on the A string at the 12th fret. We can say Pattern 4 has an "A-string Root." Pattern I has an A on the E string at the 5th fret (i.e., an E-string Root). This relationship of A's, one octave, one string, and seven frets apart, an important one. This relationship applies to any two adjacent strings except the G and B pair. The B string will be the exception to most every rule as we move forward.
Last Update
This page was last updated on 07/06/2026.