Pentatonic Position IV

 

Position IV’s fingering shapes on the A, D, and G strings are actually the same ones found on the lowest strings of the traditional box position, just shifted over one set of strings. Like the box position, this coincides with the power chord shape in the same spot. So it’s sort of a “home away from home” for familiar box fingerings, right in the most heavily trafficked chording section of the neck. These box-like fingerings are also the direct connection to the ring-finger pentatonic root in position III. This makes the middle strings of position IV a kind of Panama Canal to the destination. Almost all cascade phrases pass directly through here.