# Learn Guitar — Solo exercises

> Interactive page: [`exercises-solo.html`](exercises-solo.html) · Hub: [`exercises.md`](exercises.md) · Matching drills: [`drills-solo.md`](drills-solo.md)

A minor pentatonic at fret 5: index on 5, ring on 7, pinky on 8. Squares are A, the root. These are gym-length box-1 cards; phrasing expands on [Solo drills](drills-solo.md). Scale and mode maps live on [Scales](scales.md) and [Modes](modes.md).

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

**Sources (two-check):** conventional minor-pentatonic box-1 shapes · Berklee-style sequencing (pairs, cells, rests). Jazz and CAGED stay out of this gym.

On the HTML page, Play becomes Stop on the same button. Tempo follows the metronome.

## Suggested order

1. Box 1 up/down
2. In pairs
3. Three-note cell with a rest
4. Hammer / pull cell
5. Half-step bend model
6. Am triad arpeggio
7. Lead box variants — any root × the variant list

### Three tracks

- **Beginner** — box 1 up and down, one note per click. Last note as clean as first.
- **Intermediate** — pairs. Three-note cell with a rest. Hammer / pull.
- **Advanced** — bend model. Am arpeggio. Variants on other roots. Then [Solo drills](drills-solo.md).

## Lead · box 1

Same box as [Rock drills · pentatonic](drills-rock.md) and [Solo drills · up and down](drills-solo.md). Shape systems: [Scales](scales.md).

### Am pentatonic box 1 up/down

One note per click, low E to high e and back.

```
e|---------------5-8-
B|-------------5-8---
G|-----------5-7-----
D|---------5-7-------
A|-------5-7---------
E|-5-8---------------
```

### Box in pairs

Play notes 1-2, then 2-3, then 3-4, and so on up the box.

```
E|-5-8-8-5-   then A 5-7, 7-5, …
```

### Three-note cell with a rest

G 5, G 7, B 5 — then wait a full beat.

```
e|-----------------
B|--------5--------
G|-5--7------------
D|-----------------   then a full beat rest
```

### Hammer / pull cell

```
G|-5h7p5-|
```

Left-hand version: [Exercises · hammer-on cell](exercises.md).

### Half-step bend model

B string fret 8 — match fret 9 by ear.

```
B|-8b9-|   match fret 9
```

### Am triad arpeggio

A C E across frets 5–7. Alternate pick, one note per click.

```
e|----------------5-
B|-------------5----
G|----------5-------
D|-------7----------
A|----7-------------
E|-5----------------
```

### Lead box variants

Any of the 12 roots × minor-pentatonic box × the same variant list as [Scales](scales.md) (pairs, thirds, sequences, arpeggios…). Mode colour: [Modes](modes.md).

## Practice note

8–10 minutes. Two on box 1 even, four on one variant or cell, two on a bend or arpeggio at half tempo. Then [Solo drills](drills-solo.md) (economy, sweep, tapping, harmonics, four bars over a loop). Pick path: [Alternate](alternate.md) · [Economy](economy.md) · [Sweep](sweep.md). When box 1 is honest but stale: [Break rut](break-rut.md).