Yeah, you are right. My first lesson is a little over two weeks away. We are to discuss my lessons structure when we do meet.
Mainly, I want to learn chord progressions and how to solo over the chords in the progression. Currently, I mess around with playing the minor pentatonic scale over a I IV V progression. Where the key is determined by the I chord. This is as advanced as I get and I do this poorly. I don't understand modes and I don't know how to determine the key in other progressions, much less what scales to use over the chords. I need a better understanding of theory and how to apply this to my playing. I need a better understanding of intervals, triads and etc.
In a nutshell, I am looking to take my playing to a higher level. I tend to noodle around with things I already know rather than practice the things I don't know and to keep at the things that are difficult for me to play. I have been playing guitar for quite a while now and I am not as good as I should be.
A couple of things to consider:
Modes are a dead end for most guitarists. "Modal" playing only occurs if you are playing over a static chord sound. "So What" by Miles Davis is a great example of modal jazz. The form is 16 bars of a Dm chord, 8 bars of an Ebm chord and 8 bars of a Dm chord again:
Over that static chord sound you can use sounds like the Dorian mode, Aeolian (Natural Minor) Phrygian, Minor pentatonic, Blues Scale, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor or any of a host of other minor-bases scales as textures but as soon as you start having multiple chords they start defining a key center and then you are into "functional harmony". At that point you are either playing in a major or minor key for as long as those chords infer that tonality.
The only reason why I bring this up is that if the teacher wants to spend a ton of time teaching you modes then he is wasting your time (unless of chords you would like to play modal jazz). In a rock context the concept of modal playing is almost completely irrelevant and it ends up being a giant blind alley for most guitarists.
This might not be a bad thread to check out:
http://markweinguitarlessons.com/fo...ars-i-think-i-am-ready-for-lead-guitar.63395/
I quoted another thread where I laid this out:
None of this is relevant to the CAGED system though. All of what you guys are talking about has to do with people not learning their theory properly in the first place. If someone is just learning scale patterns without understanding basic harmony or chord construction then they will apply all of this information incorrectly regardless of the form it is given to them in. The problem with guitar players in general is that they learn everything by rote instead of how musicians on other instruments learn their theory, harmony, accompaniment and improvisational skills. If you teach exclusively via physical patterns a musician isn't going to train their minds ear to hear what they want and how to tell their fingers where to find it and they aren't going to internalize any of this to the point where they own it.
I look at it this way:
1. The student learns the root patterns from all five CAGED positions. ROOTS ONLY.
2. Student learns how to construct a major scale linearly up one string at a time - they learn the landscape of whole and half steps, we talk about what note names to use and whatnot
3. Student learns to construct their own major scales around the CAGED patterns on paper first.
4. Student learns to play each major scale in time with the metronome while reciting out loud the scale degree (not the note names). This works on their rhythm, ear training and understanding of the relationships between notes in the major scale. The verbalization helps the student actually retain the function of each note in the scale mentally.
5. Student pulls the Root, 3 and 5 from the major scale patterns and learns those major triad arpeggios in time.
6. Student plays over a I chord vamp. First hear the major triad notes and then the non-triad notes against the I chord. What notes provide the backbone or structure of the Major tonality? Where will you resolve a phrase to and where what notes don't provide resolution against the chord? This is the starting point to being able to control the "question and answer" component to phrasing.
7. We work in another chord in that key and practice playing phrases that make sense against each chord within the parent major scale using chord tones for structure and the other scale tones for color.
8. pull the 4 and 7 out of the major scale to learn our major pentatonic scales in each position and to see how they relate to the diatonic major scale.
Then we do it with minor scales. By this point most rock and blues players have a pretty good understanding of basic harmony and the CAGED system is pretty much forgotten about as a system of 5 isolated cells. And chord voicing construction becomes much easier in any position because we know where all of the scale and chord tones are around each set of roots. And don't forget the ear training that happens through the process as well.
If you really want to grow as a musician on any instrument you need to spend time working on the stuff you DON'T play well on a consistent basis. I tell my students that if you can play something flawlessly three times in a row then you are done practicing it and you are now "playing" it, which is not an effective use of your practice time after a certain point. Focusing on an issue that you are not good at and working it on a daily basis will improve your playing. Learning new songs which also include these issues is another good use of your practice time. As your new teacher gives you technical or theoretical material to learn ask him to also suggest a song that best illustrates the material. Running a scale for an hour or two a day will make you good at playing the scale but not good at using it musically.
And don't be afraid to ask questions about the direction you are going with the lessons. Sometimes I have students that don't see the bigger picture I am laying out for them and once we discuss their concerns they work on the more tedious and smaller parts of the picture much more diligently because they know it is leading them someplace, and not just busy work.
