Rule #2: Sixes
As we saw in our discussion of parallel fingerings, Mike's scale technique involves slicing and dicing the fretboard into pairs of strings with identical fingerings. Like most shredders, he usually sticks to playing three notes on a given string. This means he often ends up playing a particular kind of musical motif: sixes.

The term sixes usually refers to six-note scale fragments played in one direction on the neck. Here's an example of an ascending six that occurs in measure 3 of Lightning Fast:
Ascending Six in E Dorian   -   (54.17KB MP3) 
m.3
----------12-14-15----------------------------------------
-12-14-15-------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
 u  d  u  d  u  d
And here's a descending six from measure 9:
Descending Six in E Dorian   -   (59.68KB MP3) 
m.9
-19-17-15-------------------------------------------------
----------19-17-15----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
 d  u  d  u  d  u
Sixes frequently form the building blocks of shred solos because they fit so well over three-note-per-string fingerings. Mike tends to use them in three different ways. Most commonly, he repeats them in one position:
Repeated In-Position Descending Sixes   -   (57.84KB MP3) 

 

  

   

    
-19-17-15----------|-19-17-15---------|-19-17-15----------
----------19-17-15-|---------19-17-15-|----------19-17-15-
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
 d  u  d  u  d  u    d  u  d  u  d  u   d  u  d  u  d  u
   


  


 






...second most commonly, he repeats them in different positions:



 

Repeated Multi-Position Descending Sixes   -    (57.84KB MP3)
 




 

  

   

    
-19-17-15----------|-17-15-14---------|-15-14-12----------
----------19-17-15-|---------17-15-14-|----------15-14-12-
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
 d  u  d  u  d  u    d  u  d  u  d  u   d  u  d  u  d  u
   


  


 






...and least commonly, but most dramatically, he repeats them across different pairs of strings in the same position:



 

Repeated In-Position Multi-String Descending Sixes   -    (87.23KB MP3)
 




 

  

   

    
-19-17-15----------|-19-17-15---------|-------------------
----------19-17-15-|---------19-17-15-|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-17-16-14----------
-------------------|------------------|----------17-16-14-
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|-------------------
 d  u  d  u  d  u    d  u  d  u  d  u   d  u  d  u  d  u
   


  


 




 

  

   

    
-------------------|-------------------|-------------------
-------------------|-------------------|-------------------
-17-16-14----------|-------------------|-------------------
----------17-16-14-|-------------------|-------------------
-------------------|-17-15-14----------|-17-15-14----------
-------------------|----------17-15-14-|----------17-15-14-
 d  u  d  u  d  u    d  u  d  u  d  u   d  u  d  u  d  u
   


  


 






What's cool about playing sixes across the strings is that they create grand scale passages that cover four strings at a time.  In other words, twelves.  In the example above, measures 2 and 3 are a twelve, and measures 4 and 5 are also a twelve.  You and I know that these are nothing more than sixes played back to back.  But in the audience, panties will fly at the dramatic, swoopy sound they produce.