Can you play all five positions fluently and can you play the 2 main diagonal shapes?

Yes. The thing that makes the pentatonic scale so smooth and pleasant sounding is the lack of the “half step” notes, namely the 4th and 7th steps of the major scale. You’ve also correctly noticed that the fourth step of the major scale goes along with the IV chord, and the leading tone goes well ...

You could practice your fretboard knowledge, notes pentatonic scales. I made an app just for this. Activities that can be done with and without a guitar. Small activities you can do while you’re bored at work. Hope it helps.

Fret Pro is great, I recommend it. It calls out a note on a string and uses the mic on your phone to hear when you hit the right note. You can customise the speed and which strings to practice.

Need your love so bad - Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac. It’s not complex and uses bends, vibrato, and masterful pauses.

Playing with others is key to improving as a guitarist. It helps with jamming and playing by ear.

The vi chord in a major key shares two notes with the I chord, so it feels connected but slightly sadder. That mix of stability + subtle melancholy is a big reason those progressions hit emotionally.

I still prefer real amps for playing feel, but digital gear is improving every year. For silent practice and home recording, digital setups are very hard to beat.

I usually start with lyrics or a theme, then try to find chords that match the mood. It helps keep the emotional direction of the song clear.

I prefer miking a real amp when possible because I like how the room and speaker interaction affects the sound. It takes more setup but can sound more natural.

However, this is something that requires a little more skill and decent gear to achieve and probably not the best route for someone just ...

They’re great tools, but I still like the sound of a mic’d amp for certain styles but that is just my preference. They are getting better and better and I think that you would be pressed to tell the difference. However there is a different feel as a player that you get from a real amp and I have yet ...

I am never usually trying to replicate a specific tone. Generally, I prefer experimenting until I find something unique or that fits with the style of sound that I am looking for.

I often leave compression on because it smooths out my playing.

Congrats! Doesn't it feel good to put yourself out there? That's a win no matter how you played, but it happens that you also did a good job. Next time, don't forget to relax and liven up a bit. I'm sure you had some nerves and that's totally normal, but cracking a little joke or telling a silly ...

I keep telling artists to focus on their website more than social media but they don't see the benefits of owning the content and the freedom to publish what they like.

I agree, there's something special about seeing handcrafted artwork and photos that really captures the essence of the music. AI just feels like a shortcut that cheapens the overall experience.

My undergrad theory teacher was a mega Beatles nerd. It seemed like any basic theory concept he could pull a passage from a Beatles piece out of thin air. I credit with him connecting a lot of theoretical concepts to me actually hearing them / knowing them in songs I had heard.

Sure, a good song speaking out on issues of the day is great to have. I would also argue that it’s just as important to our freedom to be able to write Alice in Wonderland, or make a film like Dumb and Dumber, or write a psychedelic escapism tune like Strawberry Fields Forever. Writing protest songs ...

You might want to try using minor chords or adding in some diminished or augmented chords for that dark and moody vibe. Experiment with different progressions to see what works best for you.

A guitar, overdrive pedal and amp covers most of what I need.

I’m comfortable adjusting action but leave truss rod adjustments to professionals.

100% OP is tuning UP to D lmao

Finger memory is a real thing but takes awhile. Get the guitar on automatic, then sing.

Outlining changes is sort of the essence of jazz soloing. We aim to be able to hear the chord progression in the solo.

So yeah, you want to be able to do both. Ideas within the tonic scale but also being able to convey the chord progression.

Start with notes of the triad on each chord. Then notes ...

Story of my life.