# Break rut

> Interactive page: [`break-rut.html`](break-rut.html)

When the gym is honest but the hands still play yesterday’s shapes, these ten **loop cells** are the reset. Break the habit: pick *one*, loop it until the motion is a twitch, then stop. No target tempo — the practice bar click is a floor, not a race.

**Technique path:** [Drills](drills.md) · [Exercises](exercises.md) · this page · [Solo drills](drills-solo.md)

**Picking modules:** [Alternate](alternate.md) · [Alternate lab](alternate-lab.md) · [Economy](economy.md) · [Economy lab](economy-lab.md) · [Sweep](sweep.md) · [Sweep lab](sweep-lab.md)

The HTML page has pedagogy, note-for-note TAB (high e on top — [Foundations · TAB](foundations.md)), and Play. Play becomes Stop on the same button. Tempo follows the metronome. **Models are slow** (two clicks per note) and repeat each cell **four times** (octave tap: two) so you can hear the loop join before you speed up on your own.

**Not transcriptions.** Cells here are original gym shapes. The *jobs* (cascade a scale, loop a sweep, economy in fives, selective picking, hybrid with an open string, mix three techniques, pedal doubles, octave tap, pick-jump) are the usual next motions after [Solo drills](drills-solo.md). Two-check: Hal Leonard lead method (sequencing, alternate, hammer) · Berklee-style right-hand-to-click and economy/sweep as follow-through, not a new family.

## How to use it

1. Hands already awake — chromatic or spider first ([Exercises](exercises.md)).
2. Pick **one** cell. Loop 2–4 minutes. If you have to stare at both hands, it is too fast.
3. Press Play once — the model runs slow, four loops. Match that, then drift faster only when it is a twitch.
4. When it is a twitch, stop. Do not “just one more” into tension.

Couch-loop idea: the cell should survive half your attention. If it falls apart when you look away, slow down.

## Suggested order

1. [Cascade threes](break-rut.html#cascade)
2. [Sweep chain](break-rut.html#sweep-chain)
3. [Pentatonic roll](break-rut.html#pent-roll)
4. [Economy fives](break-rut.html#econ-fives)
5. [Selective cell](break-rut.html#selective)
6. [Hybrid open](break-rut.html#hybrid)
7. [Triple mix](break-rut.html#triple)
8. [Pedal doubles](break-rut.html#pedal)
9. [Octave tap](break-rut.html#octap)
10. [Sweep jump](break-rut.html#sweep-jump)

### Three tracks

- **Beginner** — cascade threes and pentatonic roll only. One note per click. Stay near 50–60.
- **Intermediate** — economy fives, selective cell, hybrid open. Look at the picking hand for one of them.
- **Advanced** — sweep chain, triple mix, pedal doubles, octave tap, sweep jump. One cell a day. Pair with [Solo drills](drills-solo.md).

## Cascade threes

*Model: slow · 4 loops · metronome near 50–60*

G major, third position. Overlapping groups of three frets, low to high, then the same groups in reverse. On the way back, outside string crosses become inside crosses. Isolate the flip first on [Alternate · outside](alternate.html#lesson5) / [inside](alternate.html#lesson6).

```
e|---------------------------------
B|---------------------------------
G|---------------------------------
D|-----------------------2---4---5-
A|-------------2---3---5-----------
E|-----3---5-----------------------
     |--grp1--| |--grp2--| |--grp3--|  then reverse grp3 grp2 grp1 …
```

## Sweep chain

*Model: slow · 4 loops · one note per click on the way up/down*

Am triad at fret 5: sweep up, sweep down, rest, then the same at fret 7 (Bm). If notes flam, slow down. Pick path: [Sweep picking](sweep.md) · [Sweep lab](sweep-lab.md). Deeper: [Solo drills · arpeggios](drills-solo.md).

```
Am (fret 5)                Bm (fret 7)
e|-----------5-------5-     e|-----------7-------7-
B|---------5-------5---     B|---------7-------7---
G|-------5-------5-----     G|-------7-------7-----
D|-----7-------7-------     D|-----9-------9-------
A|---7-------7---------     A|---9-------9---------
E|-5-------5-----------     E|-7-------7-----------
   up ↓  down ↑   rest       same shape +2 frets
```

## Pentatonic roll

*Model: slow · 4 loops · unpicked notes as loud as the pick attack*

Am box 1 at fret 5. Pick–hammer–pull on each string pair. Roll the index at fret 5 across G and B.

```
e|-------------------5---h---8---p---5---
B|-----------5---h---8-------------------
G|---5---h---7---p---5-------------------
   pick  hammer pull     roll index 5→B
```

## Economy fives

*Model: slow · 4 loops · up then down each loop*

Five notes of G major on the bass strings. Economy = follow through on string changes. Ascending starts downstroke; descending starts upstroke. Lesson path: [Economy · fives](economy.html#lesson8) · [Economy lab](economy-lab.md).

```
e|---------------------------------
B|---------------------------------
G|---------------------------------
D|---------------------------------
A|-------------2---3---5-----------
E|-----3---5-----------------------
         ↓ ↑ ↓  ↓ ↑   up

A|-------------5---3---2-----------
E|-----5---3-----------------------
         ↑ ↓ ↑  ↑ ↓   down (start upstroke)
```

## Selective cell

*Model: slow · 4 loops · heavy P.M.*

Hammer from nowhere on G (5, 7), then pick B twice (5, 8). Palm mute the whole cell.

```
e|---------------------------------
B|-------------------------5---8---
G|---5---h---7---------------------
   h=from nowhere (no pick)  pick pick
```

## Hybrid open

*Model: slow · 4 loops · Am then C each loop*

Pick (muted) on A, middle finger on open G, pick on D. Same right-hand map; bass moves 0 → 3 for C.

```
Am                         C
e|---------------------------------
B|---------------------------------
G|---0-------0----------------0-------0---   m = middle finger
D|-------2-------2----------------2-------2---   pick
A|---0-------0-----------3-------3-----------   pick, mute bass
```

## Triple mix

*Model: slow · 4 loops*

Legato on G, alternate on B, economy across G–B–e. The join is the drill. Warm the pieces on [Alternate](alternate.md), [Economy](economy.md), and [Sweep](sweep.md) before looping the mix.

```
G|---5---h---7---p---5---|   legato
B|-----------------5---8---5---8---|   alternate
G|---5---|
B|-------5---|
e|---------------5---|   economy
```

## Pedal doubles

*Model: slow · 4 loops · alternate pick every note*

Open low E pedal. Two picks on each A-string neighbour (2, 3, 5, 6, 7), then back to open E.

```
E|---0---0-------0---0-------0---0---
A|-------------2---2-------3---3-------
   pedal  neighbour×2  pedal  neighbour×2  … (5, 6, 7)
```

## Octave tap

*Model: slow · 2 loops (long cell)*

Hold open Em. Tap twelve frets above, release so the fretted note speaks. Watch the tapping hand.

```
low E held at 0 — one string first:
E|---0---T12---0---T12---0---

Full shape (tap = held + 12):
e|-12p0-  B|-12p0-  G|-12p0-  D|-14p2-  A|-14p2-  E|-12p0-
```

## Sweep jump

*Model: slow · 4 loops · mute unused bass if gain is high*

Am sweep up; last two treble notes hammered so the pick jumps back to low E. Then same at fret 6 (B♭ major). Build the path on [Sweep picking](sweep.md).

```
e|-------------------------5---h---8---
B|-------------------5-----------------
G|-------------5-----------------------
D|-------7-----------------------------
A|---7---------------------------------
E|-5-----------------------------------
   pick sweeps up; hammers while pick jumps to E
```

## Practice note

**How long:** 8–10 minutes. One wake-up, **one** break-rut cell for most of the time, then a phrase on [Improv](improv.md) or [Solo drills](drills-solo.md) so the twitch turns into music.

**Listen for:** even volume, and a pick that does not panic on the reverse or the jump.

**Common mistake:** stacking all ten in one sitting. That is a new rut.

Next: [Exercises](exercises.md) · [Solo drills](drills-solo.md) · [Scales](scales.md) · [Improv](improv.md)