Originally Posted by: txladykatlearning the five root shapes that repeat over and over worked for me.

Using any scale:

Pattern 1: roots on the 2nd & 5th strings, 2 frets apart
Pattern 2: roots on the 5th & 3rd strings, 2 frets apart
Pattern 3: roots on the 3rd, 1st & 6th strings, 3 frets apart
Pattern 4: roots on the 1st, 6th & 4th strings, 2 frets apart
Pattern 5: roots on the 4th & 2nd strings, 3 frets apart

Try it, you will see all patterns connect to each other and repeat up and down the fretboard.

I think this is a very good way to see octaves, however I find them easier to remember as open chord shapes:

Octaves "E-shape"(root note on the 6th string)

|-1-|---|---|
|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|
|---|---|-1-|
|---|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|

Octaves "D-shape" (root note on the 4th string)

|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|-1-|
|---|---|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|

Octaves "C-shape" (root note on the 5th string)

|---|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|
|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|
|---|---|-1-|
|---|---|---|

Octaves "A-shape" (root note on the 5th string)

|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|
|---|---|-1-|
|---|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|
|---|---|---|

Octaves "G-shape" (root note on the 6th string)

|---|---|---|-1-|
|---|---|---|---|
|-1-|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|---|
|---|---|---|-1-|

these shapes then connect together : That is the "E-shape" connects with the "D-shape", which is connected to the "C-shape", which is connected to the "A-shape", which is connected to the "G-shape" which is connected to the "E-shape", etc. which looks like this:

|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|1|
|-|-|-|-|-|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|1|-|-|-|
|-|-|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|1|-|-|-|-|-|
|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|1|