Originally Posted by: gshuk13lets say i am going from C-D-E-G to D-E-G-A...to play note D i have to use the 3rd finger for both Ds...while doing this i have to find a pivot(which is the E on higher string) on the higher string to go back to the lower string ...[/quote]
You can do it that way & I'll offer suggestions on that later. For now, consider that you can play the same note in more than one place on the guitar. So, any time you find something difficult, look for another option. For example, if I have to play pentatonic in 4s fast, I typically shift positions so I can use the same picking patterns & muting. Like this:
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------5-7-------7-10----|
|------5-7-------7-10--5-7------7-10----------|
|-5-8-------8-10------------------------------|
This means that you have to shift positions, but the trade off is that the picking & muting is greatly simplified.
[QUOTE=gshuk13]... but this creates a bit of sound which should not be there. i am guessing the solution is to mute the higher E(in this case) by using the right hand finger or soft pressure release on the left hand finger pressing the E...is any of the approaches correct or is there a better way to sound clean?
Yes, you've got the right idea. You need to mute slightly with your picking hand palm & you've also got to keep in contact with the strings on your fretting hand fingers. Soft pressure release as you mention is key here! The idea is to release pressure on the string to stop the note from ringing, but still maintain contact with the string to keep it from making unwanted sound.
The only solution here is lots & lots of repetitious practice. And then more practice. :)
Also, Ben's tutorial on fast pentatonic patterns might be helpful!
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1959
And my tutorials on drilling the pentatonic patterns in different ways might provide insight!
https://www.guitartricks.com/instructor.php?input=155014#Pentatonic_Shapes
In particular these:
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=185
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=737
Hope this helps! Please ask more if necessary & best of success with it!
Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Christopher Schlegel Lesson Directory