How can I make scales work for me?

I have so much trouble trying to make non-blues scales work for me.

I can't make them sound like anything more than scales.

Any tips?

You can try to learn the scales all over the
fretboard. Then you'll be able to create a more "non-scaling" sound. Bends and legato licks and double-stops will also help.

If you are looking for a more jazzy sound, i find that focussing on chord tones rather than going up and down the scale can be very useful. You have to be aware that non chord tones are less consonant than chord tones, and when you dont exploit this in improvisation, you tend to sound less like you are improvising a melody, and more like you are mechanically repeating a scale. Play big arpeggios, play small voicings harmonically (as in not arpeggiated.) One litting trick i like to use when i'm improvisng and going for a jazzy sound is launching 7th arpeggios from each note in a scale. It works ascending or descending. For example if I'm in C major, and i'm doing it ascending, I'll play a C maj7th arpeggio, then a D min7th arpeggio, then an Emin7th arpeggio and so on. The great thing is you dont have to memorize the arpeggio shapes. If you know how to play the 2 octave scale, just start from the root, and play every other note, those are all the chord tones. A 7th arpeggio would entail playing the first four. Then you start on the second note of the scale and play every other note, if you are in a major scale this will give you a minor 7th arpeggio. If you are not familiar with all the theory, i suggest you find a good internet site and study up, as it is much easier to move beyond blues/rock improv if you know why the notes sound good when you put them together in certain ways.

Scales and modes are difficult to master because there are so many ways to view them.

When I first started, the only mode (a scale relative to a key) I knew was Aeolian because I really only listened to Metallica and that was all I needed. But then I discovered Steve Vai and his extenise use of the lydian and mixolydian modes. I found that each mode has a unique sound.

Anyway, the first thing to do is know that scale backwards and forwards, inside and out. This way you don't have to think about what note comes next. You have to really know its signature sound and get into it. Practice it in all sorts of fingerings and positions. Become one with it. Then when you incorporate it into your music, think about the little tricks and nuances you want to use to bring out the feeling you are trying to create.

This might sound a little preachy, but it works. If you want to avoid making it sound like finger exercises, focus on the chord tones of the progression and use the other notes as passing tones. Don't just go up and down the scale. Think of different ways to get your destination, like big interval leaps (string skipping) or sequences.

Again, the key to success is practice, practice, practice, and a little imagination.