This exercise is from the Core Skills section on Palm Muting.

In this exercise we shall use palm muted downstrokes to play through 3 scales. Remember that palm muting is generally not applied to the top 2 strings. Also it is more of a rhythmic effect, and the bass strings are generally used for determining rhythms. Of course there are no specific laws on this and there are exceptions to every rule, but for now let's concentrate on getting some scales palm muted.

Here we downpick through 3 successive scales:

Open (O) - Low E G A B D E - E pentatonic minor scale

Fret 3 - G Bb C D F G - G pentatonic minor scale

Fret 5 - A C D E G A - A pentatonic minor scale

Notice that the scales all follow the same note pattern - the first scale starts on the Low E string (open note), the second scale uses the same pattern of notes, starting from the 3rd fret. The 3rd scale uses the same pattern of notes again, but this time starting from the 5th fret.

The same rules apply to scales as barre chords. You can move one barre chord shape up and down the neck to get lots of different chords, and you can do the exact same thing with scales. If you know the 'pattern' of notes across the strings for one scale, you can start from a different note to get a different scale - but the note pattern remains the same, just as a barre chord shape remains the same. You can find out more about this in our theory section.

You may remember that the pentatonic minor scale is the beginner's friend. It may have a big name, but it's only got 5 notes. Most other scales have 8. Here our focus is on palm muting them using downstrokes. Listen to the ActionTab and hear that the 3 scales work well played straight after each other.

While palm muting you will need to co-ordinate both hands. It is important to hit the string at the same time that your fretboard hand holds the note, then move quickly to the next note. Keeping a steady pace is also important.

The important thing is to downpick each note whilst palm muting and not get uncomfortable pauses as your fingers try to find their way to the next note. If you have problems, play very slowly at first and get it all right at a slow pace. Keep practicing, eventually your fingers will begin to learn which note they should move to next. Remember to get both hands synchronised - as soon as the note is fretted, pick it at the same time, then move to the next note.

Once you accomplish this, start working on building up speed. Also get the ActionTab audio in your head, listen to it lots until you are clear about how it should sound in your own mind. This not only familiarises you with the music and makes it easier to play, but helps your ear discern better when you are practicing for yourself.

Practice until your fingers automatically 'know' where to go. Then build speed. Keep coming back to it, and over time you'll be able to get the kind of speed heard in the normal speed audio, or faster!