The Fluency Engine · technique II

Dexterity Runs — D Dorian & B minor

New runs to play over the backing tracks. Same rules: metronome on, slow first, descend as much as you ascend.

The backing tracks (MIDI, drop into Cubase 15):
Bm_Slow_Blues_63bpm.mid — 12-bar minor blues, triplet shuffle, 63 bpm. For all the B-minor runs.
D_Dorian_Vamp_70bpm.mid — Dm7–G7 vamp, 70 bpm. For the D Dorian runs.
Each has separate Drums (ch 10), Bass and Rhodes-comp tracks with GM sounds assigned — assign HALion Sonic / Groove Agent and hit play. Loop the region and solo over it.

B MINOR

Run 01B natural minor 3nps

Two-octave scale engine, 7th position. Natural minor (the G is natural) — the darker companion to the Dorian shape.

e|-----------------------------------------------9--10-12-|
B|--------------------------------------8--10-12----------|
G|-----------------------------7--9--11-------------------|
D|--------------------7--9--11----------------------------|
A|-----------7--9--10-------------------------------------|
E|--7--9--10----------------------------------------------|

Pick it strict alternate first, then legato (pick once per string, hammer the rest). Descend with pull-offs.

Run 02Bm pentatonic legato cascade

Speed without the pick. Pick only the first note of each pair; pull off to the second. Rolling descent.

e|--10-7--------10-7--------------------|
B|--------10-7--------10-7--------------|
G|--------------------------9--7--------|
D|--------------------------------9--7--|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|

Pure left-hand workout. Keep the pull-offs even in volume. Once the top two strings flow, carry the pattern down through all six.

D DORIAN

Run 03D Dorian 3nps

The fusion mode, 10th position. Wider stretches than the Bm shape — that B natural and C natural are the Dorian colour.

e|-----------------------------------------------12-13-15-|
B|--------------------------------------12-13-15----------|
G|-----------------------------10-12-14-------------------|
D|--------------------10-12-14----------------------------|
A|-----------10-12-14-------------------------------------|
E|--10-12-13----------------------------------------------|

Watch the 10-to-14 stretches on the lower strings — shift slightly rather than straining. Great over the Dm7–G7 vamp.

Run 04D minor pentatonic in fours

The comfortable speed run. D minor pentatonic box (10th fret), sequenced four-at-a-time. Sounds great over D Dorian.

e|--------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------10-|
D|-----------------------10-------10-12----10-12----|
A|--------10-12----10-12----10-12-------12----------|
E|--10-13-------13----------------------------------|

Lock to 16ths or sextuplets. The five-note pentatonic over the seven-note mode is where the singing, vocal lines live.

Run 05D Dorian diatonic 3rds

The musical one. Harmonised thirds across the top strings — trains string-pair sync and phrases like real lines.

e|-----------------------12----13----15-|
B|-----12----13----15-12----13----15----|
G|--10----12----14----------------------|
D|--------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|

Hybrid pick it (pick + middle finger) for snap. Reverse it descending.