Playing Scales with Polyrhythmic Accents

You can create rhythmic interest in your lines in many ways. One easy and natural way is to pay attention to the number of notes per string you play. 

In the exercise below, I took a two-octave C Major scale and broke it down into groups of five. To accomplish this, I put the first three notes of the scale on the low E string. Then the next two on the A string. The entire two-octave scale can be played by alternating between three notes on one string and two on the next. The effect is a slight (or not-so-slight, depending on how hard you hit it) accent in rhythmic groupings of 3+2. A natural accent is heard when you switch from string to string.

The descending version of the scale below turns the grouping of fives around to 2+3 grouping. So, of course, you put two notes on the first string, three on the next, and alternate between two notes or three notes until the end of the scale.

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The second example takes a grouping of five, but does the opposite breakdown of the first one by ascending with a 2+3 grouping of notes. The descending scale then comes down as a 3+2 division.

For the last example, I use the same idea of notes-per-string to create a grouping of seven, broken down 2+2+3.
 

There are many variations, fingerings, or divisions, of notes that you can use with this idea in mind. Another thing to consider with this exercise is that it is a means to an end. The hope is that it gets you to hear and feel different rhythmic pulses along with a method for playing it on the instrument. Once you lay the foundation of the idea and get comfortable with it, you can get as creative with it as you like!
 
If you have other ideas about this concept, let me know about it! Connect with me and share your ideas below!
 
Happy practicing!!