Working On Rhythm And Timing

I have gotten to a point where I feel confident in my lead skills and need to focus on two major areas that are cramping my evolution as a guitar player. These areas are timing/rhythm and improvisation. I am not so worried about improving because the more lessons I learn, the greater my vocabulary of riffs and ideas: This leaves,

1) Timing and Rhythm
I learned how to read sheet music and score when I was in High School playing the saxaphone. I have pretty much forgotten everything I learned back then. What I recall though was playing the piece while keeping timing with the score.

I am having a HUGE problem with this while playing the guitar. I want to improve my timing and rhythm and what I have been doing is relying on guitar-pro tabs and following along with the score as the it plays the music.

This helps but I am hoping there are some other useful techniques or even lessons I can focus on. Particularly when it comes to placement and duration of notes while SOLOING. (I am OK when it comes to rhythm).

Learning Modes And Major Scales From Scratch

I understand MOST of the theory behind major scales and harmonizing over a chord progression. I know boxes of several scales at different positions and I have an idea of how major scales are used to create chords and how we play over that chord position.

My problems;

I don't understand the interval system. I.E. I, II, III, IV V

I know these have to do with the degree of the scale. Which chords are major, minor, and the one diminished.

What is a good key to start memorizing? Should I memorize various chord shapes for that scale or mode? Should I stick with just one scale or should I learn the modal variations of it.

I want to be able to come up with a 2-3 chords progression and just solo over it.

It says that the intervals/formula for the major scale are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7.

I understand building the scale using the tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone semitone , root

I dont want to be a much better guitar player than I am now without understand the theory better. I want to be able to know what builds each chord from the major scale.

I know this may be confusing but pretty much all I know is that I can tell someone to play a D, C, G, or E chord and I know a few box shapes but I am not sure which ones they are. I know the D shape I know and use often is D Mixolydian and the E shape is a pentatonic.

So I can improvise a little bit but I just really would like to be able to understand one key, which is what I think you guys will suggest and be able to play over it or compose.

Stairway To Heaven Flamenco/ Wind Insturment Cover

I am sitting in the school coffee shop and I hear the breakdown of the Stairway to Heaven. It stood out. Then, I started listening closely and realized that this must have been a full instrumental cover of the song. The guitar solo was incredible and it had this feel and depth that I don't get from the Zeppelin version of the track. It was loaded with brass wind instruments, the guitar sounded to be classical.

This was an interesting cover to hear. I hope to find if they keep a track listing and I will share my find.

Alternate Picking

I made a post a week or so back where I was asking about picking. Specifically, when you decide what method of picking you will use.

I said this because it seemed to me, that I NEVER properly alternate picked if I was playing or just jamming.
If I was practicing scales or something of a methodical nature and it is expressed, I would.

This is what I noticed: I essentially do alternate pick but I noticed I very rarely ever came for an upstroke on my high-E. Of course, I found licks that I could not play properly without using upstroke; but, after listening to a recording of myself playing Sweet Child O Mine, something hit me.

Muris mentioned a certain attack and feel and it was just completely missing from the main riff without playing the lick with alternate pick.

This is going to be a bad habit to break, but I never realized how much of an inhibition of not upstroking that 1 string had on my play. I did not get a smooth and consistent punch on the notes and there was a lot of noise that was not coming while I alternate picked.

Scale/ Mode Positions

This is a cool site that helps for quick reference.

Suppose I want to learn a minor pentatonic scale or other pattern of notes, there are 20 different positions.

I understand why this the case but when studying this type of diagram: Does one pick several different positions based on location, does one memorize the intervals and observe the notes placed over the entire fretboard, or pick predetermined/recommended positions?

I have always heard the terms referring to various positions but I dont recall anyone ever mentioning one above 5 or 6 positions.

Thanks Guys, I hope it made sense.