Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hello!
Iv'e been playing guitar for some 20 years and just started this course as I recently realized that I'm a horrible guitar player. Only learning from tabs have made me only think in shapes and patterns, when I have tried to learn scales and such before I've memorized 3 note per string shapes of all the modes of the major scale and the shapes of the pentatonic positions etc. As I was watching the basic ear training videos on this site it kinda clicked for me and I now know what I must do because I can barely pick out twinkle twinkle by ear (that's how bad it is). But, my question is, how do I unlearn the shapes and patterns that I already know?

There’s no point unlearning the shape unless it’s a major scale (it “sounds” better to the ear playing it horizontal) because it would take years to learn because all the major scale shapes (vertically) memorise the intervals is the key and the notes

Tom,

I'm in a similar situation but rather than trying to un-learn the shapes, try thinking about pairing them to the new knowledge you are gaining from ear training. For me, it has been helpful to learn the triads by saying out loud either the note name or degree or the solfege for the note while playing so that I can make a connection to the shape. You can still play things you had learned by shape and will start to see the reason that they are that formed that way.

Another idea might be to try and take something that you already know and to play it in a different area of the fretboard so that you have to think about the intervals between notes and their sound.

Hope it helps!

Here is Tomo's comment:

"Thanks so much for subscribing to my Guitar Wisdom. Don’t worry! Don't rush! Please learn scale degrees/intervals. Learn triads insanely slowly! Watch the Foundation/Theory videos, especially 'triads' videos. You will be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together later."