I remember another time that the lessons or not discussion came up, i believe it was Ceri who in his infinite wisdom said, "If you look at it the other way around, since when has knowing more been a bad thing?" or something to that extent. I've never had a lesson before, but if that option is open to you for even a few lessons, why not take advantage of it?

Also, by what you said about knowing those three scales but not seeing how they would work unless you wanted to play beethoven, i feel like you don't really understand scales. Learn them on your guitar properly and you will understand.

All the best and goodluck, keep at it.
Ray

I've never had lessons, and because of that, my playing is somewhat limited. I feel it took me longer to get where I am today. Different genre's of music have different scales.
The only person who can make a robot is yourself. Feeling comes from within. It's what you do with the scales and notes within them that creates your style. I still learn techniques after 45 years. You never stop learning. Playing by ear and parroting other styles you hear can create robots. How many Stevie Ray Vaughanabees are there? Strats with Hats! Robots a plenty!
Learn and create your own style. Blaming lessons for robots is nonsense.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

Yeah but you don't need to take lessons to learn the building blocks of music ie. scales, arpeggios, intervals. You can learn all that from books, without taking lessons. A teacher cannot teach you how to solo just the same as a great painter could not teach you how to be a great painter or artist. The only way you can do it is by listening to great musicians and absorbing the way they phrase. Listen especially to horn players as they are the kings of phrasing, probably because they actually have to breathe the note and take rests.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

+1000
I agree with this post in its entirety.

I believe more time spent practicing with these scales is the key. Practice these scales to the point where you can do each of the following:
1) Be able to cite the name and scale degree of each note in the scale
2) Learn each scale to that you are able to play them in any position along the neck
3) Be able to combine scales. For example, if you've learned some licks using the minor pentatonic scale, and you are playing a passage using the major scale, try throwing in some licks on the Dorian, Phrygian, or Aeolian notes. Which brings me to the next point:
4) Understand the concept of modes. They may be conceptualised as a whole set of different tonalities or 'flavours' within a scale. This is again something that people might already be doing, but aren't aware of what they are doing. This took me months to put into fruition without a teacher. If you are "anti-lesson", it'll take a lot of your time to figure out, but there'll be satisfaction in knowing that it's something you've acheived on your own.

Now, do all of that and tell me that you can't solo.

But seeing how things are done can't be illustrated in a book. Parroting other people just makes you a clone. The only way to be your own player is to isolate yourself from other players. I hear a lot of players just parroting a handful of popular players. It's pretty boring to watch and listen to IMO. If I hear another John Mayer or SRV, I'll puke. We had Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin. It was the same thing. There's a ton of unimaginative hacks around.

The fact is lessons aren't stupid. They can be helpful. If you find a good instructor who is versed in many different styles, they're priceless. By the way, listening to other people and copying them is pretty much a lesson! I had no lessons and am completely self taught. I did it way before there was an internet available to regular folks. It was tough.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

Funny how my favorite players, especially improvisors, all took & give lessons.

Why would you want to limit your music, let alone yourself?

Life is a lesson

L.A.
Robotic-mentalist(in dminor)

If a super human kid found an instrument with six slack strings and with no knowledge of it, it would take him 142 years to figure it out on his own. So credit or not, you learn everything from someone else. Call it what you will.

Give this a crack.....its the best place to start with soloing IMHO....



http://bluesguitarscales-pentatonics.bl ... cales.html

Learn to play though Pattern 1 up and down with your eyes closed and learn the root notes of the key....

So if your in A Start it on the 5th fret....G the 3rd...E 12th.....D 10th C 8th......get the picture!?......

it will all snowball from there...

Hope it helps Tin Lid....

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