Scales are the key to advanced-level guitar playing. Here are the steps to mastering your scales and turning them into shreddin' lead guitar:

1) Learn and memorize each of the five pentatonic and seven diatonic scale patterns. Needless to say, this isn't going to happen overnight. Play each pattern straight from the lowest note of the pattern to the highest note of the pattern and back again. Don't do anything tricky with the pattern. Play each pattern starting as low on the neck as possible (open string or first fret), play the pattern across all six strings and back, then move up one fret and repeat the same pattern. Continue to move up one fret at a time until you've played the pattern at every fret you can comfortably play. Consider this one "round" of playing a pattern. It may take you 10 or 20 or more rounds to even begin to become fluent with the pattern. Personally, I put in hundreds, probably thousands, of rounds of each scale pattern over the course of a few years in my teens and early twenties. In all honesty, that's what it takes.

2) Then start working on the patterns using exercises – the kind that have you play sequences of scale notes that are not just playing straight from the lowest note to the highest note. Exercises like this can be found on the net, and there are dozens of them in my course, Logical Lead Guitar, demonstrated on DVD and written out in tab and notation. These exercises help you to become fluent playing the scale patterns in a non-scale-like fashion. And this is the all important bridge to actually being able to play lead guitar.

3) Next, begin doing what I refer to as "puzzle locking exercises." Scales fit together in one key up and down the neck like puzzle pieces, so you have to work on sliding from one scale pattern into the next pattern without going to the wrong fret. That's why I suggest these "puzzle locking exercises." There's a ton of them in Logical Lead Guitar, on DVD and in tab and notation.

4) Learn a melody – something really easy and familiar, such as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" – in each of the scale patterns. No matter which melody you choose, you'll find that it's probably easier to play that melody in some scale patterns than others. After you've attempted enough different melodies, you'll usually find that there are certain melodies that work best in each of the five pentatonic or seven diatonic scale patterns, and not quite as well in the other patterns. And at first you might think that there are only a couple of patterns in which most melodies can be played very easily, and most of the other scale patterns are not so useful. But with time – and with the exploration of more melodies – you'll find that every one of the patterns has its strong points.

5) "Noodle around," as I call it, in each of the scale patterns. Plan on doing a lot of this, if you really want to become fluent at improvisation – creating your own unique solos – instead of simply knowing how to play other guitarists' solos. By noodle around, I mean that you should spend five or 10 minutes straight playing any and every simple, or even silly riff or melody that you can find in one pattern. Then choose another scale pattern and do it again for five or 10 minutes. You can easily do this unaccompanied, or you can put on a CD of some song by your favorite artist and play over the top of them. Really, you should use both techniques to really learn your chops. Actually, after you've done this a few times and have begun to feel comfortable doing so, it becomes kinda fun!

6) After doing plenty of noodling around in each of the patterns, you should have begun to find specific licks that work really well only in one specific pattern. You need to catalog these licks, at least in your mind, if not by writing them down (in tab or sheet music) or even by recording them so you can refer back to them in the months ahead.

7) Begin learning solos from your favorite artists, as close to "note-for-note" as you can. Use any resource you must to get the solo correct in the beginning – free tab off the Internet (many, if not most of these, are incorrect, however); the very accurate songbooks published by companies such as Hal Leonard, Mel Bay, Warner Bros., etc.; DVDs, such as the awesome Signature Licks series by Hal Leonard; or even from a teacher or friend. And here's a hint: If you are closer to beginner lead guitarist than expert, don't waste your time trying to run before you can walk. Whether you want to or not, you really need to learn simple, slower solos before you're going to be able to tackle something by Joe Satriani or Eddie Van Halen or Metallica or Avenged Sevenfold. Don't bother trying to fool yourself, you're just wasting time. Learn a couple of simple solos, then move up to intermediate solos, then start working on the harder stuff.

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There are a lot of different methods of learning how to play guitar, and all of them are important and crucial for the mastery of the instrument. Most people learn to play by using sheet music, or tablature, and this is definitely a necessary skill to learn for growth and development. There is something that a lot of guitarists may not take the time to learn, and that is how to play the guitar by ear.

It’s very important to develop a good ear, along with learning how to read music. Learning to play by ear will give you a greater depth of understanding about guitar and how music sounds, and will also help you to identify chords and scales you hear musicians using without needing the sheet music for that particular piece.

In order to begin learning how to play the guitar by ear, you need to have a basic knowledge and understanding of music. This doesn’t mean that you have to be a master at reading sheet music, but that you should understand some of the basics of music theory. Some basic knowledge about chords, chord progressions, and how chords and scales work together will be very helpful in learning how to play the guitar by ear.

Another important skill you’ll need to develop when learning to play the guitar by ear is patience. Learning to play by ear can be very difficult and time consuming; it requires a lot of practice. In order to perfect your sound, you’ll have to repeatedly play the same chords, riffs, and solos time after time. This may seem tedious at times, but the results are well worth the effort you put into practicing.

One of the greatest resources available to help you fine tune your ear is to play along with your favorite CDs. Dig out some of your favorite albums and begin to learn how to play the songs you like on those CDs. One of the greatest ways to learn is to mimic the guitar legends you idolize. By playing along and trying to copy their sound, you’ll grow in your technique and also sharpen your ear.

Learning to play guitar by ear has a lot of benefits that can help you grow as a musician. It enables you to develop a deeper understanding of how to play, as well as how music fits together. Playing by ear also helps you out tremendously if you should happen to join a band and play with other guitarists. 

Come with us as we examine several different methods you can use to improve your guitar improvisation techniques and learn how to incorporate some basic music theory knowledge into improvisation.

Guitar soloing and improvisation is one of the most artistic and expressive types of guitar playing that a guitarist can learn. It is a showcase of precision, skill, technique, and creativity that blows the mind and leaves awestruck faces in every crowd.

A lot goes into perfecting guitar improvisation and all the techniques that can be used in this style of guitar playing. Guitar improvisation requires dedication, patience, time, and practice, practice, practice. This is the first and most important tip that anyone can give, even though it may seem typical and not very advanced. It’s amazing how many people try to grow as musicians without perfecting their skills and practicing their craft daily.

Another tip that can greatly improve your guitar improvisation is to play along with a CD. Put on one of your favorite CDs and when there is a pause or a bridge somewhere in the song, play some chords or a scale in the key of the song over the music playing in the background.

You can also learn the chords to the song and play some arpeggios over the changes in the song. Learning how to play arpeggios is a crucial skill to learn to improve your improvisation technique, and if you don’t already know how to play them, you should learn them and put them in your arsenal of improvisational tools.

Another great tip for guitar improvisation is to try playing chord scales. When you use this method you are simply using chords instead of scales and melodies. The main idea of this is that you are playing a scale with a chord connected to it.

One great method to use when you’re trying to improve your improvisation skills is to use guitar backing tracks. Guitar backing tracks are great for improvisation because it’s like playing with a whole backing band, and allows you to improvise and put into practice all of your skills and tools in putting together awesome leads to go with the track. Playing along to a backing track will also help you to perfect your timing skills and will increase the enjoyment you get from playing along.

If you are a serious guitar student who has already mastered the basics of music theory and the basic skills of guitar playing, then you’re ready for the tips and techniques mentioned in this article.