What to do once all major scale positions are memorized

[Mincer Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Mincer]

The issue with always using backing tracks is that you don't get the experience of playing interesting chords to solo over. The chords and scales are 2 sides to the same coin.

[Gtrjunior Mojo's Minions Find all posts View Profile Close Gtrjunior]

Id suggest studying the CAGED system if you really want to understand how they all fit together.
Memorizing scale patters is great but if you don’t have a basis of how to effectively apply them it’s all for naught.

[NegativeEase Mojo's Minions Find all posts View Profile Close NegativeEase]

Wait, you learned all the Minor pentatonic? then your done! start collecting bowling shirts and guitars!


I kid

Similar to Brian's recommendation above -I suggest learning to work patterns and scales up the fret board from the first fret up to 22/24 instead of working laterally from string 6 to 1 -its a much more rhythmic bouncing and fun way to play and start working in open strings. CAGED is a great example

Then I would pick a few modes and chromatic things to work on

[ZiggyZipgun Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ZiggyZipgun]

Think of your phrasing as a sentence. Most of your words are going to come from the pentatonic scale, with the occasional odd word from a major scale. If you want a sentence that's very conclusive, then you end on the root or sometimes 3rd or 5th. If you want a less finished sounding sentence, then end on one of the notes from the major scale that's not contained in the pentatonic. Stuff like that.

This! I like to think of improvising as "resolving notes you've already played." String some random notes together, and just try to find which notes you could play next to make the whole phrase sound intentional. Most of the notes in that phrase likely all coexist in some scale, and there are a lot of online tools to help you identify scales, keys, and chords based on the notes being played. Writing leads and melodies is typically just improvising, then taking the phrases that you really like, and stringing them together in a way that sounds coherent and intentional.

[Mincer Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Mincer]

Well, ideally, improvising isn't just stringing licks together. I mean, that is the way most rock players do it, but it isn't quite improvising in the way I think of it.

[Chistopher malapterurus electricus tonewood instigator Find all posts View Profile Close Chistopher]

Similar to Brian's recommendation above -I suggest learning to work patterns and scales up the fret board from the first fret up to 22/24 instead of working laterally from string 6 to 1 -its a much more rhythmic bouncing and fun way to play and start working in open strings.

This right here. The difference between lil guys and good players is you're ability to solo diagonally across the neck.

[Gtrjunior Mojo's Minions Find all posts View Profile Close Gtrjunior]

This right here. The difference between lil guys and good players is you're ability to solo diagonally across the neck.

And target chord tones at will.


Easier said than done

[PFDarkside of the Forum Find all posts View Profile Close PFDarkside]

It is funny I will be learning something overly technical and overthinking it and it hits me more often than not "Hey that is just a blues lick".

Same for me. My favorite Satch and Vai licks are when they throw a blues lick in the middle of their solo.

['59 Ultimate Tone Member Find all posts View Profile Close '59]

Sorry I haven't been able to get back to respond to this, but I have been reading your responses and have found them helpful in transforming musically acceptable sounds into music.

Just a side note, what do the mode names come from? Did they at one point mean something?

[Mincer Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close Mincer]

I believe they were named after regions in ancient Greece. The trick with the modes is to use them over the right chords. Only then you can hear what they actually sound like.

[Demanic PenultimateTone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Demanic]

Well, have you mastered the modes?

[Demanic PenultimateTone Member Find all posts View Profile Close Demanic]

I'm a particular fan of Mixolydian and Locrian.

[Blille Mojo's Minions Find all posts View Profile Close Blille]

I mean, if you know the major scale you know the modes. You just need to understand how it works but it’s the same notes.

[GuitarStv Sock Market Trader Find all posts View Profile Close GuitarStv]

I mean, if you know the major scale you know the modes. You just need to understand how it works but it’s the same notes.

I kinda hate when people say this. The modes are the same fretboard patterns. Radically different note relationships to each other. You need to understand exactly what that relationship is in order to use them properly . . . otherwise you don't get modal sounds.

[Blille Mojo's Minions Find all posts View Profile Close Blille]

I kinda hate when people say this. The modes are the same fretboard patterns. Radically different note relationships to each other. You need to understand exactly what that relationship is in order to use them properly . . . otherwise you don't get modal sounds.

Lol

Well, today I learned that you have a pretty low threshold for hate

We said the same except that I said same notes and you said same fretboard patterns, right?

B Locrian is B C D E F G A B
C Ionian is C D E F G A B

Same notes AND fretboard pattern, right? Can we be friends again?