Tomo Fujita Guitar Wisdom

Hi everyone, I'm a little bit of an odd case here and I thought I'd see if anyone could help me out. I'm a college educated classical guitarist, but that's literally all I know. That being said I have most of the foundations down. I know the notes on the fretboard, most theory, and most chords. What I am having trouble with is how to properly learn a scale and apply it in an improvisational or compositional setting. For the past few years I've been working on triads, the major scale, and minor pentatonic/blues scales across the fretboard but I don't really understand how to apply it or use it. Is there a proper sequence to learn all of this?

Thanks!

This is something I also struggle with- blending it all. The best way I’ve found is by listening to the masters and then analysing what they do.

For example- on live at the regal, sweet little Angel. BB King will often use major pentatonics and arpeggios over the 1, minor pentatonic and BB box over the 4 and bb box or bb box up 2 frets for the 5. I am basically only listening to BB King at the moment to try and internalise that.

I think that sometimes it is helpful and important to try to play the sounds that you hear in your mind/heart, without any regard to scales, shapes, forms, or anything. I sometimes do this without looking at the neck and will just play the note that I hear Learning to find those notes on the fretboard without thinking of scales. It is excellent ear training, and will help you get in touch with music more so than with the technical theoretical parts of it. Sounds strange I know but try it you’ll like it. When I do this, I will think only of intervals, major and minor, second intervals, or major, and minor third intervals. Any note you need I find is within three frets, and I will eventually have no idea where I am on the neck (eyes are closed), but I can still play what I want to hear using intervals only.