Pentatonic String Crossing — 3 Strings

How to Practice

1. 1Use strict alternate picking throughout (↓↑↓↑). Start with a downstroke.
2. 2All notes are in Am pentatonic box 1: string 4 frets 5–7, string 3 frets 5–7, string 2 frets 5–8.
3. 3Bar 1: ascend from string 4 to string 2, then turn around at the top.
4. 4Bar 2: descend back to string 4 and resolve on the root (fret 5, string 4).
5. 5Bar 3: loop each string crossing separately — 4↔3 first, then 3↔2.
6. 6Bar 4: short melodic resolve, ends on a held half-note.
7. 7Start at 50 BPM. The string crossing beats are where timing breaks — slow down for those.

Tips & Techniques

• •When crossing to a lower string (e.g. 4→3), the next pick is an upstroke — that's an outside crossing. It feels natural.
• •When crossing to a higher string (e.g. 3→2), the pick is trapped between strings — that's inside picking. That's the harder one.
• •Keep the pick close to the strings between notes — the less it travels, the cleaner the crossing.
• •If a crossing stumbles, loop just those 2 notes (last note on string X, first note on string Y) until it clicks.