I've been playing 6 months. I think I'm following the path that a lot of new guitarists follow--open chords, learn some strumming, learn some rhythm, learn some theory. Then move into barre chords and start to work your way down the fretboard. And then, as an introduction to playing lead/solo, you start to learn scales in one position, usually the minor pentatonic to start. Then major and minor scales, then start to learn the various positions of these scales. Then practice in all keys.
I'm at the point where I'm still in the first position of the minor pentatonic, and in the first position of the major scale. I'm working to get faster, and I am, but it's a little dissatisfying--I need to get much faster. And I'm holding off learning other positions until I can get fast with these 2 first positions, and then do them in different keys. But I'll eventually get there. When I do, what's the trick to start to make some music. Let's say I've gotten to the point where I can play a G-major scale nice and fast, in all positions. If I have a backing track in G-major, what then?
I know I can use different rhythms, different strumming patterns. I know that just playing scale itself sounds a little "song-like", but not very. I know I can detect a sort of pattern with the Julie Andrews do-re-mi song, where each of the "do-re-mi's" climbs to the next note with some other notes used for "a deer, a female deer" and "a drop of golden sun", and so on. But I don't know the why behind that, except for the fact that all of the notes are in-key.
Beyond that, I get a little sketchy, a little lost. I've read that I should focus on chord tones, which I think means the 1, 3, and 5 in a given key. I've heard of passing notes, which if I'm not mistaken mean "a non-diatonic tone that I threw in because it sounded good". But what approach, what formula can I use to know what works and what doesn't? I get that this sounds very stiff and wooden and that there's no single formula for how to play, but I thought if I could get some advice that I could practice in rote fashion, I might develop enough skill with that to begin to loosen up and do something that's actually creative. Any help would be appreciated.
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