Hi all,

I am new here as of today! I heard a lot of good things about your website, and I've decided to come along for the ride and see if you guys can help me develop my playing!

I'm a 21 year old guy from Edinburgh in Scotland, been playing guitar now for about 6 months, and in that time I've learned the basics, and I now feel like I'm ready to start getting into the nitty-gritty rigmarole that is learning the geetar!

So, I've had a wee look around the website already, but I've been unable to find a good topic on my question up the top (If I'm doing it wrong and there already are loads of threads, feel free to shout at me and point me in the right direction )..

My friend suggest I learn the ''modes'', so I took his advice, and learned all the modes. I understand the concept that each mode is just a different degree of the major scale, but when I play with a backing track in the key G, I can play through all the modes individually, but when it comes to actually MOVING up and down the fretboard independently, I struggle and lose my place and.. I suppose I can't SEE the notes that I should be playing. Is there a way to learn how to play more fluently? I mean, if this is only in the key of G, there are 11 other keys that I'd need to learn as well!

Anyway, sorry for the wall of text, and tips, hints, links, advice would be greatly appreciated, and I look forward to learning a lot more thanks to you guys!!

Cheers,
D

Welcome my friend, you came into the right place

For startin up i recommand to learn the modes with scale generator, it can be very helpfull for you
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/scalegenerator/
There you can find any mode you like on the entire freatbord.
After you've learned all the positions try to get into the chord progression concept, so you will learn the chords that can be built over each step
of the progression
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...st&p=564197

After you've learned the concept of chord progression and you can handle all the modes on the freatbord you should try to look at some lessons that will teach you how to make a good phrasing

Ionian mode lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...ionian-workout/

Dorian mode lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...rian-mode-solo/

Phrigian mode lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/phrygi...loing-beginner/

Lidian mode lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...e-lydian-scale/

Mixolidian mode lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Blues_...ovisation_in_A/
This lesson contains other scales over a I IV V progression, but you can find some mixolydian tricks in it

Aeolian mode lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/solo-guit...lead-beginners/

Locrian mode lesson

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/locria...ed-with-triads/

And the coolest is this containing 45 scales in one solo

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/45-Gui...es-In-One-Solo/

But of course, i am here for you anytime you need me or have any questions

Maybe this learning plan will help you

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=50025

Very good question!

Besides the tips guys posted, I would like to add that learning how to follow chord changes would be a good place to start in order to be able to play fluently. Now what is the first step here? Playing chord tones (=arpeggios). Those are your strong notes and the first step in playing fluently is to always be able to land on them per need. They give the melody definition and makes it feel "at home". Once you can master going through changes using chord tones only (notes from the chords that are playing in the backing track), you'll be ready to add the "extra notes". Once you can follow chord changes with chord tones, you should be able to feel like the playing is more defined and fluent. Take one progression at a time and practice the changes and really digging into what is played in the backing track (which chords and where the chord changes occur).

Here are some lessons I would suggest along these lines :

- Jazz Guitar Basics

Even if your ultimate goal is not jazz soloing, you should go through this guide as it covers a lot of essentials when it comes to arpeggios utilization and following changes.

- Targeting Chord Tones Video Lesson

- Major Arpeggios Exercise

- Minor Arpeggios Exercise

- Chord Tone Solo In Am Video Lesson

- Arpeggio/Chord Tone Solo

Welcome and to answer your question .The same as speaking.The more you do something , the more fluent you become and, the more you listen to those speak the language you want to learn-likewise.

Learn new stuff, riffs ,licks, scales
listen often to train your ear and brain
keep on board and we will drag you down,um, up with us

I was thinking recently about how some people can pick up the guitar and have a natural fluid feel and some people really have to work it out. Sure there's that period of disconnect where you're getting your hand to keep up with your brain that everyone goes through, but some people are just born with good hands.

It's irritating.

Do you think your problem is just getting to a point where you are picking smoothly, or are you just hitting walls where your brain and hands really aren't connecting.

I think the solution for both is the same idea.

PRACTICE!

Get a metronome (or download a free metronome app), pick out a scale, start slow, running up and down the scale. Then speed it up. Repeat.

The other thing to note is, the ability to run up and down different scales and modes isn't necessarily what will make you a great player. It's just going to lay some good groundwork for the guitar player you can be. So don't get tooooo caught up on it.

What kind of music do you like?
What guitar players do you like?

Thanks everyone for the great tips and links! I'm still new as I said and I don't expect to see results THIS quickly lol but I'd like to start thinking about ACTUALLY playing guitar now that I've learned a lot of the basics!

As for what kinda music I'm into, I love progressive rock/metal, ''Blues Rock'' (Joe Bonamassa, Gary Moore that kinda stuff), and of course Jazz Fusion. These are my ''favourite'' genres but in all honesty I'll find a few songs I like in more or less any genre of music! I'm gonna start checking out this website tonight and get a practice shedule sorted! Can't wait to start posting some stuff.

Thanks again all!!

After you feel prepared to post just do it, we are taking care of guiding you in the right way

Find a solo that you like and start learning it and the chords behind it (the harmony)

Honestly, at this point in your development it'll serve you better than worrying about modes.
*I'm not saying "don't practice modes/scales". Learn some songs and solos and then see how that actual MUSIC relates to the modes and scales ... not the other way around.

Playing with modes, is nothing else but an approach in which you have a good understanding about the relationship between chords and notes What modal play is really all about? Knowing what note to hit over what chord and when in order to obtain a certain flavor.

Modes are like icream really - imagine that each of them has a different flavor and you can build a song which is like an icecream cone - each ball of icecream has a different taste and flavor and what's best, some of the flavors go really well together.

There's a lot of great suggestions in this thread, so start practicing, mate!

mmmm. . . icecream.

It's the best parallel I could find, man

This.

My first question to your original question would be: What exactly do you want to be playing more fluently ?

Do you want to play blues more fluently ? Jazz ? Metal ? Solos ? Techniques ?

A lot of people think that the holy grail of guitar achievement is to be able to play in any scale in any key at any time... in any musical style. That's very cool but even the greats can't necessarily do that. Everyone's good at the thing that they want to be good at. Sure, if you want to go into session work then Ken here will tell you that you need to be able to handle a lot of different things. But at the moment, what you really want to do it associate with whatever floats your boat the most and dig into that.

I'm a metal, hard rock guy at heart. That can encompass metal bands as well as instrumental rock guitar players.. ballads to classic rock to full on metal.. the things I play are the things that I want to be able to do fluently. Clean picking, fretting.. good co-ordination, good tone, good vibrato, good phrasing. I want to be able to express my tastes the best way I can. It doesn't have to appeal to everybody, just to me. To me, that's what it means to be able to play fluently. I don't feel a need to be able to know every scale or play calypso or jazz fusion.

I always say to people play what you want to play, not what you think you should be playing.

Thanks again all.. I'm starting to realise I'm probably a bit too eager to learn and should just slow down and enjoy it. I'll take all the advice on board and hopefully with a bit of luck and some effort I'll, someday, end up where I want to be ^^

I've been there too man Ben is right - you can't really be all knowing all proficient. But you can be very good at some things and that's a nice aim as means of expression. For me playing fluidly would be to become fully able to express anything I hear in my head almost instantaneously on the guitar. I can do it now, but not in real time - I need time to figure out some things, but it works faster and faster every day.