Octaves (string skipping)

How to do it

1. Make the octave shape with the index (root) and pinky (octave); mute the string in between with the tip of the index and play both notes together.
2. On strings 6-4 and 5-3 the octave is TWO frets up; on strings 4-2 and 3-1, because the B string is tuned differently, it is THREE frets up.
3. Follow the TAB: it is a C major scale in octaves climbing across the four string sets (6-4, 5-3, 4-2 and 3-1).
4. Play each octave as a clean block, muting the strings that should not ring; then come back down the scale.

Variations

• Transpose the scale to other keys by moving the whole shape along the neck.
• Play a familiar melody entirely in octaves, Wes Montgomery style.

Tips

• Always use index + pinky for every octave: the shape then never changes as you move from one string set to another.