Originally Posted by: SRVFan2000I worked through the scales last night for a few hours. Have a much better grasp on finding all the degrees in both major and minor scales.[/quote]

Well done!

Originally Posted by: SRVFan2000I emphasized the open E over the E chord and played the bassline on the "1" count. Probably not necessary if playing with a bass player but on my own it has a nice sound to it. It would probably sound good as a loop track as well.

Yes, a bass note, or backing track is a great way to stay grounded to the key & chord changes.

I often play blues or jazz tunes this way. Play the chord or bass note for the first beat of the measure, then switch to a lead fill that works with that chord, playing some melodic phrase. Then when the next chord change happens, play the chord or bass note reinforcing the musical context before playing the next lead fill.

[quote=SRVFan2000]Tab is easy as quick notation but falls a little short on capturing everything. If you recommend it, do you offer any intro. courses to reading/writing sheet music?

Tab misses the rhythmic info. I use Guitar Pro software & old fashioned paper & pencil.

My old GF2 course has content on the basics of reading & writing musical notation in chapter 4.

https://www.guitartricks.com/course.php?input=fundamentals2(discontinued)

Once you understand the basics, a great way to practice & learn more is to read along with the notation on a familar piece of music to get more experience at seeing rhythmic notation.