Improvising & playing lead lines has 3 steps.
1 - Know the key signature. This means to know what scale to use for the chord progression.
2 - Target chord tones. This means to rhythmically emphasize the chords as they occur with your lines.
3 - Play melodic phrases.
So, it sounds like you are at step 1. Now it's time to think about how to use the scales to target chord tones & build a vocabulary of melodic phrases to use when you solo.
It's important to realize that knowing or playing scales is just the first step. It's only a pre-requisite to soloing. Now you need to use those scales to build a repertoire of licks. Of things to play when you solo.
Playing scales is a great warmup skill that will help you learn the basic physical techniques required to start learning licks. But playing licks & improvising requires taking those scale playing skills & combining it with learning a vocabulary. You have to learn set licks & patterns, then repeat them until they are automated, completely second nature. Then you can focus on counting after you've automated some licks.
You need to learn some licks & get them to the piont at which you can think, "Play lick 1!" & your hours of repetitious practice & muscle memory takes care of the motions while you are consciously focusing on counting. Then, you think, "Play lick 2" & so on.
The point is that the each lick is a self-contained unit, worked out completely or mostly in advance. And you don't have to think about each motion required. Your conscious focus is free to count or think in big picture units, like counting or thinking of which lick to do next & when to start it. You can start to mix & match your building block licks.
So when you listen to the guy in the YT vid (great player!), you'll see him doing this. He clearly states the chord prog (Dm / Am / Gm / Gm). Then he proceeds to play very simple chord tones in a similar rhythmic phrase.
He plays the same rhythmic grouping (creating a repeated motif) of a half-note, then 2 quarter notes using descending triads right on the chords that are happening.
a-f-d (5-3-1 of the D min chord when it happens)
g-e-c (7-5-3 of the A min cord when it happens)
f-d-b-flat (7-5-3 of the G min chord when it happens)
It immediately sounds like a musical phrase because he's playing a specific pattern: 3 descending chord tones in a repeated phrasing group over each chord. The he continues to build on that simple idea with more ideas that are notes from the D minor scale, but not just running the scale in an even rhythm. He's playing notes that target the chords as they occur & doing it in little rhythmic motifs, or statements.
With that in mind, have a look at these tutorials on building some licks that are the basis of learning a vocabulary.
Bread & Butter Blues 1
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1614
Major Notes In Minor Pentatonic
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=217
And have a look at how I put it all together in my collection of tutorials on improvisation. If you haven't seen these yet, then I strongly encourage you to at least watch through the first three tutorials. They are very simple, but will give you an very basic understanding of the concept and help you to get started playing with melodic lines that target chord tones. Then you'll be ready for the last two that get more complex and involved.
https://www.guitartricks.com/collection/learning-to-improvise
Then you'll be on your way to having a vocbulary of licks to play! Hope that helps!
Thanks Chris. Another great response! Everything you said makes a lot of sense. I am definitely in phase 1...but I can see phase 2.
Funny you mention targeting chord tones. I just started a fretboard memorization 12 week course. I spent 2 hours last night drilling just the note C (from C Maj triad) over the whole fretboard to a single note backing track. He also included the locations for E and G. I will work on those next. I was finally able to understand, see and slowly strat to play chord tones. By identifying each note I will be able to play arpegios and understand how the chords and lines come together melodically. It took me out of my pentatonic boxes. I also practiced the Guthrie tune and got the first part down. I understand what you mean by map out some licks that mostly fit in the scale. They do mostly fit in the boxes however I am now beginning to see that the boxes are just phase 1. They are simply reference markers on a meandoring journey all over the fretboard. I have concluded that learning the name and location of every not on the fretboard is an essential learning. I will drill one major and one minor chord per week. The idea is to have it all down in 12 weeks- not just memorized, but internalized in context and via some kind of muscle memory. After an hour, I was suprised how comfortable I was getting jumping around the fretboard. There are some clear patterns as well that are repeatable like down one string up two, then down one string and I think it was up three to get you the same note. Also, going up 12 frets on any string, not just open E gets you back to the root note. All great stuff.
You also answered my question well by highlighting how it is about playing the notes in the chords. I assume most of those notes will be in the scale.
***The part you mentioned about him playing the 5 3 1 and 7 5 3 of the respective chords, when they happen is still not 100% clear to me. I thnk you are saying he is playing descending chord tones- but is based off degrees of the chord relative to the scale- which scale, D min or A min? I also thought triads were 1 3 5 or 1 b3 5. Never heard of a 7 5 3 triad. Are all those notes in the scale or should I only be concerned about the chords? I know how to figure out the scales with W and H steps. I know that progressions like I, IV, V are based on the scale and Chords are structured using the same degrees of the scale, using R, 3rd, 5th for major chords- flat 3rd for minor chords. 7 is diminished. I am close to understanding this but not quite there yet. To your point, I will watch the other lessons you suggested B&B Blues 1, etc. Hopefully that will fill in some of the obvious gaps in my learning.***
Thanks again- I am ready to move on to step #2!
