Behind The Scenes (Diagram Included)

The mindset ahead of time - It doesn't have to get done, it just has to be perfect.

That's the impossibility we hand ourselves every time we pick up the guitar. Sit down, just play. Grab something, move toward it, build your own inner vision of the fretboard.

Less focus on perfection, more focus on getting it done.

What I'm Working On:

I'm still very much working on connecting my E shape to my D shape. So that's what I want to show you, about five minutes of me moving back and forth between them in the key of E.

These shapes look the same in every key. It's just a matter of which shape you're working from and where you put it on the neck.

The Two Boxes Concept:

Inside both the E shape and the D shape, there are what I call two little boxes.

D shape: the box sits on the top two strings, using your pinky and ring finger
E shape: a similar pair sits up there too, using your pointer and middle finger

Those boxes are always there. Every E shape, every D shape, anywhere on the neck.

When you start hearing those boxes as functional shapes (not just chord grips), the whole fretboard opens up.

How to Practice It:

Forget the octaves at first. Just work the boxes.

In E, the top of the box is your A note (5th fret, high E). Start there and work down to the lowest box note. Run it up, run it down.

Those notes inside the box are harmonies - fifths - sitting right above the chord tones. That's why they sound so good.

Here's the key point: you don't need open strings to enjoy the D shape.

I can take that same D shape and slide it up to the 9th and 10th frets, and now I'm playing it inside the A position. Same two boxes. Same fingering. Just moved...

That's the whole point of shape-based thinking. Two chord shapes, in one key, anywhere on the fretboard.

The Takeaway:

Two chord shapes. One key. Fully connected.

Once you have that, you can pull phrases out of those boxes for songs, solos, or just more practice. It feeds itself.

And yeah, sometimes it sounds buzzy and fretty when you're alone with it. Performing is a different thing. This is the behind-the-scenes version, the real practice.

Your Turn!

Try it. Record yourself moving between E and D shapes using the boxes. Drop the video in the thread below.

Cheers, and play more guitar.

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