I struggle to learn theory to be honest, but I'm soooo bored of my blues scale only playing, I need to find something new. I'm a bit long in the tooth at 59, and I have always failed at any attempt to get anywhere with theory in the past. I'm very clever at some stuff (IQ 141) but I have a 'spectrum' side of me that fails as some tasks that I really should be able to do.
All I ever seem to do is put on a backing track, work out the basic key then noodle away with the minor blues scale. I recycle the same old things when I play. There must be more to life than this!!!!
What I need to do is find a good resource and treat it like an exam subject, break it down and try and make sure that at least a bit of attention is put in every day.
Also, apologies to anyone who has already offered to help in the past, all I can say is that I'm trying again!
So, can anyone recommend what would be a good direction to go, and also if they know of a good resource?
Comments
starting out with “I struggle to learn theory” and then making an excuse for your age isn’t going to get you in a good frame of mind. Its also giving you ready made excuses when you come across a hurdle.
im only a couple of years behind you in age and I relish learning new stuff. Not just on guitar.
I recently started to learn modes. Chose 1 at random (Phrygian) got a backing track, did a bit of reading, watched a ton of YouTube vids and was having fun in no time.
then I moved on to Dorian and was sounding like Santana in a few minutes.
it’s not hard but you do have to be prepared to apply yourself.
good luck.
So try this, every time the chord changes target either the 3rd or the fifth note of that chords scale .... so bend into that note or slide into it or just land on that note at the time the chord changes.
This is the secret to proper melodic solo'ing, knowing what chords you are playing over and targeting notes from within that chord. If you examine the masters, like Gilmour you will notice they do it all the time.
Here are diagrams of the different modes: https://appliedguitartheory.com/lessons/3-notes-per-string-major-scale-patterns/
What you'll notice as you go through them is there are only three variations of three note patterns on a string, and that these patterns always repeat in the same order. There's three in a row with two big stretches, then two in a row with fingers 1 2 4, then two more with 1 3 4, then it's back to the big stretches. It just goes on and on and it's the same for every mode
If you drill these for long enough it will become automatic, You don't have to sit there doing it for hours, that's a waste of time, but something like 10 minutes a day is good.
Once you're familiar with the individual scales you can start to join them up and move horizontally on the fretboard. Also, you can start relating these patterns to the pentatonic scale and combining the two approaches
Speaking of pentatonic, there are five positions for the pentatonic scale so you can take the same approach of memorising these and then connecting them up to move horizontally
After becoming familiar with these I started looking at arpeggios and chord tone soloing. I think that's the last piece of the puzzle I think
Backing track E major
In youtube, and stick to major keys
and force yourself to play along in major scale (obvs need to learn it first) but soon you'll memorise the patterns and be shredding in the lydian and mixolodyian modes and never look back.
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1 3 5
1 3 5
1 3 5
1 2 4
1 2 4
1 3 4
1 3 4 and then start again 135 135 135 etc
(that’s 7 strings so it shows the same pattern can be extended from 6 to 7 to 8 or more strings, so very helpful if you have a 7 or 8 string guitar (tuned in 4ths below the low E string if that’s your thing)
There are 2 additional “rules” - the first is that when you move from the 135 to 124 you move up a fret; and the other is that you move up a fret when you reach the B string.
the second bit of magic , as I call it, is that each of the modes starts from one of those 7 patterns - you don’t have to learn anything else - all the modes are there.
if you want a Minor / Aeolian you start with a 134 134 then continue 135 135 124 124
And each of the other modes start at one of the other 7; if you like Locrian start 124 124, then 134 134, 135 135
If you like Mixolydian start 135 135 135, then 124 124 134 134
I think as well the only way is to really connect with the instrument ...I mean iff you didn't have a guitar at hand but you started thinking of ideas in your head over a backing track ...it probably wouldn't be a blues scale it would be more musical and probably less notes ... and better phrasing ...I think a lot of what we do is muscle memory instead of really thinking of what we would like things to sound like
But I've said largely the same stuff on a number of threads.
Daily practice, working with a metronome at a super slow speed.
Learn the major scale modes, arpeggios and play changes as arpeggios.
Other than that it really comes down to transcription.
Transcribe solos daily- not from tab- figure it out by ear.
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Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com