Loop cells mixing the motions
The end of the technique step. Each of these ten cells joins two or three of the motions you have just learned — alternate, economy, sweep, legato, hybrid, tapping — into one short loop. Pick one, loop it until the motion is a twitch, then stop. No target tempo — the click is a floor, not a race.
They assume the lesson pages: Alternate, Economy, Sweep, Legato, Hybrid and Tapping. If a cell falls apart, go back to the motion it uses.
Each card has pedagogy, note-for-note TAB (high e on top — see Foundations · TAB), and Play. One model at a time; Play becomes Stop. Tempo follows the metronome. Models are slow (two clicks per note) and repeat the cell four times so you can hear the loop join before you speed up on your own.
Suggested order
The ten cells
1 · Cascade threes
G major, third position. Play overlapping groups of three frets, low to high, then the same groups in reverse. On the way back, outside string crosses become inside crosses — that flip is the drill. Isolate the flip first on Alternate · outside / inside.
e|---------------------------------
B|---------------------------------
G|---------------------------------
D|-----------------------2---4---5-
A|-------------2---3---5-----------
E|-----3---5-----------------------
|--grp1--| |--grp2--| |--grp3--| then reverse grp3 grp2 grp1 …
2 · Sweep chain
Am triad at fret 5: sweep up, sweep down, pause, then the same at fret 7 (Bm). If notes flam, slow down — it is not a sweep yet. Pick path first: Sweep picking (lessons + Sweep lab). Deeper: Lead · arpeggios.
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
3 · Pentatonic roll
Am box 1 at fret 5. On each string pair: pick–hammer–pull. On G–B, roll the index at fret 5 (one fingertip, two strings). Pick hybrid or a tiny sweep on the roll — choose once and keep it.
e|-------------------5---h---8---p---5--- B|-----------5---h---8------------------- G|---5---h---7---p---5------------------- D|--------------------------------------- A|--------------------------------------- E|--------------------------------------- pick hammer pull roll index 5→B
4 · Economy fives
Five notes of G major on the bass strings. Economy = follow through on string changes. Ascending starts on a downstroke; descending starts on an upstroke (the awkward one). Lesson path: Economy · fives · Economy lab.
e|---------------------------------
B|---------------------------------
G|---------------------------------
D|---------------------------------
A|-------------2---3---5-----------
E|-----3---5-----------------------
↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ up
e|---------------------------------
B|---------------------------------
G|---------------------------------
D|---------------------------------
A|-------------5---3---2-----------
E|-----5---3-----------------------
↑ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ down (start upstroke)
5 · Selective cell
Hammer from nowhere on G (5, then 7), then pick B twice (5, 8). Palm mute the whole cell. Percussive, not pretty. Eyes on the picking hand for the two hits.
e|--------------------------------- B|-------------------------5---8--- G|---5---h---7--------------------- D|--------------------------------- A|--------------------------------- E|--------------------------------- h=from nowhere (no pick) pick pick |----beat----|----beat----|
6 · Hybrid open
Outline Am, then C. Pick (muted) on A, middle finger on open G, pick on D. Same right-hand map; only the left-hand bass note moves (0 → 3).
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 E|-------------------------------------------- pick m pick m pick pick (same RH on C)
7 · Triple mix
Three techniques, one cell, no pause between them: legato on G, alternate on B, economy across G–B–e. The join is the drill. Warm the pieces on Alternate, Economy, and Sweep before looping the mix.
e|-------------------------------- B|-------------------------------- G|---5---h---7---p---5------------ D|-------------------------------- A|-------------------------------- E|-------------------------------- legato on G
e|--------------------------------- B|-----------------5---8---5---8--- G|--------------------------------- D|--------------------------------- A|--------------------------------- E|--------------------------------- alternate on B
e|---------------5---------------- B|-------5------------------------ G|---5---------------------------- D|-------------------------------- A|-------------------------------- E|-------------------------------- economy across G–B–e
8 · Pedal doubles
Open low E as pedal. On A: two picks on each neighbour fret (2, 3, 5, 6, 7), then back to open E. E harmonic minor colour. Jump over the D string — do not plow through it.
e|------------------------------------- B|------------------------------------- G|------------------------------------- D|------------------------------------- A|-------------2---2-------3---3------- E|---0---0-------0---0-------0---0----- pedal neighbour×2 pedal neighbour×2 … (5, 6, 7)
9 · Octave tap
Hold open Em. Tap twelve frets above (octave), release so the fretted note speaks. Watch the tapping hand. As the tap lands, the lower finger lifts.
low E held at 0 — tap pattern on one string first:
E|---0---T12---0---T12---0---
hold tap release
Full shape (tap frets = held + 12):
e|-12p0- B|-12p0- G|-12p0- D|-14p2- A|-14p2- E|-12p0-
10 · Sweep jump
Am sweep to the treble, but the last two notes are hammered so the pick can jump back to low E for the next loop. Then the same at fret 6 (B♭ major — major third). Build the path on Sweep picking.
Am — pick sweeps up; hammers free the pick hand e|-------------------------5---h---8--- B|-------------------5----------------- G|-------------5----------------------- D|-------7----------------------------- A|---7--------------------------------- E|-5----------------------------------- pick to here ↓ hammers while pick jumps to E