whats next?

[MichaelYoung]

I've been working on my major, minor, and pentatonic scales. Just started learning the relationships if the relative minor and majors. Am I heading in the right direction? What should I be learning. I feeling I'm ready for some theory. Any advice?

[mosiddiqi]

Anything you learn is a good thing. I'm a big believer in following your heart and instincts in what you want to learn, rather than what other people might think you need to learn. I like theory that I can use right now..so if you're at the stage that I'm guessing you're at (need more info!)..then I would pick a couple of your favourite guitar solos, learn them note for note BY EAR, and then using your chord/scale theory, work out what's happening against the underlying chords in the song..and then most importantly, use what you learned in your own work.

[BydoEmpire]

A couple of random ideas:

1) How to apply those scales you learned in a musical way? Can you improvise with?

2) How good are you with chords & inversions? If you aren't comfortable with them already, get the basic major/minor/7th/diminished chords down.

 

I do totally agree with Mosiddiqi on both counts. Whatever you choose to learn, it makes a big difference if you're learning things you can actually apply right away. If you can't fit it (and hear it) in music you listen to and like to play the it's going to be tough to really assimilate it. Working on your ear by learning your favorite solos note for note is really beneficial. Beyond the solo, though, learn the whole song. It'll be good for your rhythm chops as well as chordal vocabulary. You'll also have something cool to show for you efforts!

[MichaelYoung]

I'm planning on learning tools for writing...... trying to be melodic and using theory to combine technicial and melodic

[jonfinn]

Even though I know quite a lot of theory, I get much better results when I ignore the "rules" and experiment like a child taking a bubble bath in colored paints. Get messy, try everything. Just notice what you really like and find a way to document it.

[girevik]

 

I've been working on my major, minor, and pentatonic scales. Just started learning the relationships if the relative minor and majors. Am I heading in the right direction? What should I be learning. I feeling I'm ready for some theory. Any advice?

 

 

Do you know the chords of the major scale?

[MichaelYoung]

Do you know the chords of the major scale?

 

i assume you are talking about barre chords that are rooted on the e and a strings?....

[Alex_DeLarge]

Direct your learning into what you want to be able to do, or to play. If you dream about being a awesome blues player, well guide your learning towards that. Learning songs, licks, getting things by ear, etc.

[Alex_DeLarge]

 

i assume you are talking about barre chords that are rooted on the e and a strings?....

 

 

I think he meant if you know the I ii iii IV V vi vii

[3shiftgtr]

If I had to map out a course of study for you I'd say this:

 

Learn the major scale up and down the neck. At least in several positions.

Learn how to harmonize that scale. Start with 1st position chords, then learn other voicings.

Do the same with the Natural Minor Scale.

Once you are comfortable with that knowledge and are comfortable using it as a tool to CREATE stuff, apply that knowledge to learning the 7 MODES of the Major scale and how to harmonize them.

 

That's not how I did it. Wish I had. I freakin' zig zagged all over the theory map. Took me a lot longer than it should. A LOT.

[MichaelYoung]

I play in a band that does a lot of progressive things. So we do a lot of melodic runs. I'm really into guitarist luke hoshin and paul waggoner. I've been doing a lot of finger exercises also. I just want to be educated in what I'm playing to know the technical boundries.