Name one concept or "AHA!" moment that transformed your playing....

learning to use the Pinky on my left hand

Learning to Hybrid Pick with my right hand

Realizing the modes were also the natural Minor scale in a Minor Key. that REALLY helped open up the fret board

learning to use chord inversions
 
Scott Powell said:
learning to use chord inversions
Click to expand...

Another huge one for me. That helped me learn to link up scale boxes, see chord substitutions, and get better at identifying the individual voices within chords quickly - and that led (or is leading to) not worrying about scales at all and seeing all 12 notes in play depending on what flavor of sound you want at any time. Obviously that last part also has a strong ear training component and I'll probably work (happily) the rest of my life to get there, but learning inversions (and how to play chord scales with all different combinations of them) is the path that seems to be leading there for me.
 
For me, this was HUGE ( in fact , The following night upon realizing this, I had a dream of constructing a "double helix" based on it.

1) Take a scale, any scale.
2) Map said scale all over the guitar neck.
3) Study said scale-map, in terms of "vertical voicings".

Bottom line: any scale can be harmonized within itself,in any way (Eg- eg: 4ths, 3rds) for total harmonic Freedom and clarity lof Melodic Invention, or it can be harmonized for expansion of initial scale-eg Harmonization of extensions 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, within said scale. Taking , holy fuck im too drunk to explaij this:confused:


rotflmaochears.
 
Way back when I started, buying my first electric and being able to fret an Open C properly which I just could not do on my Dad's acoustic. "So it is possible..."
 
Fumbles said:
For me, this was HUGE ( in fact , The following night upon realizing this, I had a dream of constructing a "double helix" based on it.

1) Take a scale, any scale.
2) Map said scale all over the guitar neck.
3) Study said scale-map, in terms of "vertical voicings".

Bottom line: any scale can be harmonized within itself,in any way (Eg- eg: 4ths, 3rds) for total harmonic Freedom and clarity lof Melodic Invention, or it can be harmonized for expansion of initial scale-eg Harmonization of extensions 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, within said scale. Taking , holy fuck im too drunk to explaij this:confused:


rotflmaochears.
Click to expand...

I hear you. Kind of like being able to create "chords" (or at least multi-voice clusters) based on the vertical position the diatonic notes. Not just tertian (?) and quartal harmony but all kinds of crazy "note clusters" that May or may not be based on stacking specific scale degrees. I use that kind of idea a lot for comping in less traditional tunes when the piano is covering the basic harmony. Sometimes you end up with quartals, sometimes with crazy new shit.

Anyway, sorry if I'm off base but with many years experience speaking drunk thought I saw what you were getting at.
 
Hard to name just one...but I guess the actually realisation that I could play what I wanted and if I liked it that was fine. That really allowed me to write songs the way I write them rather than try and copy the guys I really wanted to sound like.
 
I had the same revelation in the OP a few years ago. Nothing was a bigger mind blower, tho, than about 6 months into playing, when I realized I could play the minor pentatonic scale pattern over major chords, and get INSTANT BLUES. Of course, it's more complicated than that, but it took me from sounding like "She'll be Coming Round the Mountain" to "Spoonful" in an afternoon.
 
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