Fretboard Fright Options

[lliber]

i have learned quite few scales, chords, techniques, but as soon as a backing track or metronome starts i kind of freeze and just cant move around the fretboard as freely as i would like to play when i do manage a small lick i seem to play just in one scale pattern any suggestions


steve

[wahoodoss]

I hear ya!!

The one suggestion that I would make (and I'm sure you've heard it before ) is to start the metronome at a really slow tempo. Run through the scale or lick a few times at that tempo. Then up the tempo by something like 10 bpm and repeat the scale/lick. Continue to up the tempo until you can't play the scale/lick without messing up. If you do this a little each practice session, you will see improvement.

wahoodoss

[Robin]

Start out slow, dont use very complicated licks to start with and make sure you know the scale a 100%! Not neseccarely(omg I hate spelling that word) fast.

What scales do you want to practice/improvise with? I suggest the pentatonic scale. Blues and rock'n'roll \o/
Check out the beginner licks(I still use some of those) and Kris' 1on1 pentatonic scale lessons, and of course all the awesome blues lessons!

[MickeM]

i have learned quite few scales, chords, techniques, but as soon as a backing track or metronome starts i kind of freeze and just cant move around the fretboard as freely as i would like to play when i do manage a small lick i seem to play just in one scale pattern any suggestions
steve

I think the rhythm gets you freezing. Thinking of following the rhythm at the same times you you should manage a f.ex pentatonix scale it too much.

I suggest, just start the backing track in a never ending loop. Get to work on the fretboard, never mind the pentatonic boxes, just play. Plenty will sound off scale but suddenly you will find three notes that belong. Keep repeating! Get a groove! Continue to look and you'll find a few more notes that belong, suddenly you have two places to switch between. And after a while I'm sure you will see that they belong in a scale somewhere.

So what I'm saying is, take it the opposite way. Instead of knowing the scales and improvise from there -
Just improvise, hear what fits and fins out the scales after.
Keep a groove going even if you're just hitting one or two different notes.

[Ryan]

I think the rhythm gets you freezing. Thinking of following the rhythm at the same times you you should manage a f.ex pentatonix scale it too much.

I suggest, just start the backing track in a never ending loop. Get to work on the fretboard, never mind the pentatonic boxes, just play. Plenty will sound off scale but suddenly you will find three notes that belong. Keep repeating! Get a groove! Continue to look and you'll find a few more notes that belong, suddenly you have two places to switch between. And after a while I'm sure you will see that they belong in a scale somewhere.

So what I'm saying is, take it the opposite way. Instead of knowing the scales and improvise from there -
Just improvise, hear what fits and fins out the scales after.
Keep a groove going even if you're just hitting one or two different notes.

2nd that!!!

[blindwillie]

I think the rhythm gets you freezing. Thinking of following the rhythm at the same times you you should manage a f.ex pentatonix scale it too much.

I suggest, just start the backing track in a never ending loop. Get to work on the fretboard, never mind the pentatonic boxes, just play. Plenty will sound off scale but suddenly you will find three notes that belong. Keep repeating! Get a groove! Continue to look and you'll find a few more notes that belong, suddenly you have two places to switch between. And after a while I'm sure you will see that they belong in a scale somewhere.

So what I'm saying is, take it the opposite way. Instead of knowing the scales and improvise from there -
Just improvise, hear what fits and fins out the scales after.
Keep a groove going even if you're just hitting one or two different notes.

Excellent! I will try that cure. I have the same disease.