If good things come in threes, then this lesson should do wonders for your fretboard chops. No longer will you be intimidated by expansive melodic runs that stretch from one end of the neck to the other. You'll realize how simple it is to seamlessly -- and tastefully -- make scales and riffs ascend or descend through three octaves.

Though you probably learned a basic, single-position major scale in your very first guitar lesson, you may be surprised to discover that three-octave scales that sprawl across 12 frets are easier to memorize than their more rudimentary cousins. This is because triple-octave scales repeat themselves every two strings. So if you learn the fingering for the first two strings, you've learned the fingering for all six.

The concept is simple, and Ex. 1 should make it clear with a three-octave G Mixolydian scale. First, we take all seven scale degrees and fit them on the lowest two strings (third position). Then we simply play the same notes with the identical fingering an octave up on the middle two strings (fifth position), and again on the upper two strings (eighth position), adding a final high G at the end of the run for closure. By stacking the fingering three-high we've tripled our reach.

But scales aren't music. Ex. 2 shows you how to make a blues-tinged riff ascend effortlessly through three octaves. Once you've got this lick down, try to make the phrasing less predictable by toying with the time signature. For example, rewriting the riff in a slow, 12/8 blues feel (Ex. 3) tasties it up by shifting the accents around. Suddenly the lick sounds much less repetitive. And don't forget to try descending stacked riffs. Ex. 4 offers a flat-picking descender that will work atop any twangy G7 groove.

Photos: Paul Haggard