Originally Posted by: aw.davies123

I've been following Chris S's scale tutorials and he says you can move patterns all over the fretboard.[/quote][p]Specifically which tutorials?

Originally Posted by: aw.davies123I've tried moving patterns over (up, down and across) the fretboard and it isnt working![/quote]

My guess is that you aren't accounting for the G to B string speed bump. :)[br][br]

[quote=aw.davies123]A light has just switched on in my head. Am I correct in thinking that I cant move patterns across. Just up and down, keeping the pattern to the same strings?

Yes, you can move the patterns along the strings, from nut to bridge, staying on the same sets of strings. But you have to adjust any pattern that crosses the G to B string because those strings are tuned differently than all the other sets of strings (4 frets apart instead of 5).

This is an image of the C major scale in 2 octaves. I'm using the root note in middle position. Notice that the pattern is exactly the same with one exception. When I cross from the G to the B string, the pattern has to shift up 1 fret. This is because all the strings are tuned 5 frets apart, except for the B string. The B string is tuned to the 4th fret of the G string. Notice that in the lower octave (red box) the 1st & 4th scale degrees are on the same fret. But an octave higher (blue box) the 4th degree is 1 fret higher (along with every other note on the B string)!

The result is that when we cross the G to B strings with scale patterns, we have to shift the pattern up 1 fret to make the correct notes sound.

I cover this as it applies to the major scale patterns in this tutorial.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2643

[quote=aw.davies123]

How do you decide which scale shape to use?

Depends on the musical context. Which pattern is the easiest to play the notes you are trying to play? Which pattern sounds the best for that musical passage?

Make sense? Hope that helps!