A Natural Minor Aeolian Scale Sequence Exercise Tab

For clearance, this contribution is not a meant as a tab, but as a visual representation of the fretboard.
Though all the horizontal lines in this article correspont with the following principle:
 
e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 
Now lets's start:
 
 
 
First let's start of with a anatomical overview of the A Natural minor (Aeolian) scale on the fretboard:
 
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A Natural minor Scale note-pattern (parallel of C Major)
-E-||-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|
-B-||-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|
-G-||---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|
-D-||---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|
-A-||---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|
-E-||-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|---|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|
 0    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24
 
A Natural minor Scale interval pattern (parallel of C Major)
-5-||-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|
-2-||-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|
-b7||---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|
-4-||---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|
-1-||---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|
-5-||-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|-5-|
 0    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24
 
A Natural minor Scale box-pattern (root on 5th fret of the low E-string)
---||---|---|---|---|-x-|---|-x-|-x-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-x-|-x-|---|-x-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|-x-|-x-|---|-x-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-x-|---|-x-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-x-|---|-x-|-x-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-R-|---|-x-|-x-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 0    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24
 
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Now let's begin with the exercises:
 
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EXERCISE 1 - Going up and down the scale pattern (keep a steady slow beat)
 
A Natural minor Scale interval pattern, up and down, this is how it looks like in tabs:
e|-----------------------------5-7-8--8-7-5---------------------------
B|-----------------------5-6-8--------------8-6-5---------------------
G|-----------------4-5-7--------------------------7-5-4---------------
D|-------------5-7--------------------------------------7-5-----------
A|-------5-7-8----------------------------------------------8-7-5-----
E|-5-7-8--------------------------------------------------------8-7-5-
 
A Natural minor Scale interval pattern, up and down, this is how it looks like in note names:
e|-----------------------------A-B-C--C-B-A-----------------------------
B|-----------------------E-F-G--------------G-F-E-----------------------
G|-----------------B-C-D--------------------------D-C-B-----------------
D|-------------G-A--------------------------------------A-G-------------
A|-------D-E-F----------------------------------------------F-E-D-------
E|-A-B-C----------------------------------------------------------C-B-A-
 
A Natural minor Scale interval pattern, up and down, this is how it looks like in interval sequence:
e|-----------------------------------1-2-b3--b3-2-1-----------------------------------
B|---------------------------5-b6-b7----------------b7-b6-5---------------------------
G|--------------------2-b3-4--------------------------------4-b3-2--------------------
D|---------------b7-1----------------------------------------------1-b7---------------
A|--------4-5-b6--------------------------------------------------------b6-5-4--------
E|-1-2-b3----------------------------------------------------------------------b3-2-1-
 
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EXERCISE 2 - In groups of 3 (keep a steady slow beat)
 
This is how 'up' looks like in interval sequence: 1 2 b3, 2 b3 4, b3 4 5, 4 5 b6, 5 b6 b7, and so on
This is how 'down' looks like in interval sequence: 1 b7 b6, b7 b6 5, b6 5 4, 5 4 b3,4 b3 2, and so on
 
A Natural minor Scale interval pattern (root on 5th fret of the low E-string)
---||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 0    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24
 
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EXERCISE 3 - In groups of 4 (keep a steady slow beat)
 
This is how 'up' looks like in interval sequence: 1 2 b3 4, 2 b3 4 5, b3 4 5 b6, 4 5 b6 b7, and so on
This is how 'down' looks like in interval sequence: 1 b7 b6 5, b7 b6 5 4, b6 5 4 b3, 5 4 b3 2, and so on
 
A Natural minor Scale interval pattern (root on 5th fret of the low E-string)
---||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 0    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24
 
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EXERCISE 4 - 'Hopping' or 'Skipping' (keep a steady slow beat)
 
This is how 'up' looks like in interval sequence: 1 b3, 2 4, b3 5, 4 b6, 5 b7, b6 1, and so on
This is how 'down' looks like in interval sequence: 1 b6, b7 5, b6 4, 5 b3, 4 2, b3 1, and so on
 
A Natural minor Scale interval pattern (root on 5th fret of the low E-string)
---||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-5-|-b6|---|-b7|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|-2-|-b3|---|-4-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-b7|---|-1-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-4-|---|-5-|-b6|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
---||---|---|---|---|-1-|---|-2-|-b3|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 0    1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24
 
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Note: you can apply these 4 principles (straight up and down, groups of 3, groups of 4, hopping/skipping)
to any scale pattern you like. As long as you keep the interval pattern correct. But I would strongly
suggest you start mastering the basics first, that is: A Natural minor (Aeolian) figure like shown
above and then only explore more complex Natural minor fretboard patterns when you first are able to survive
a descent improvasation session by using only the figure shown above.
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