Drawbacks to learning scale shapes

[ChrisDowning]

I've been looking at some more old stuff. The book I was first started on was "The McNeil Plectrum Guitar Method" which my guitar teacher started me on once I had some basics sorted. Dated 1930, it is obviously aimed at a player who was going to be joining a band or soloing around a sort of chord melody style - given that the electric amplified guitar still had to arrive, I guess the solo bit was probably more for parlour concerts.

However it soon sets up a series of pattern playing to decode the fretboard we would all recognise today. Its works its way through almost all the keys - but largely in the first 8-10 frets. It's not quite the CAGED system but pretty close - for example on chord chart one it has a series of C maj chords - C shape ending on the G 3rd string - c shape ending on the B - C shape ending on the E - C shape with an added little finger on the G (with an alt fingering that looks like an a shape chord finishing on the same 3rd fret G. Then a barre at the 5th with little finger on 8the fret - G shape. Or an E shape at the 8the fret. So pretty close to our current understanding of the CAGED syste. Then you do the same with a set of F maj chords and a set of G7 chords. Then you do some exercises with the related minor chords - Am, E7, Dm.

So chord shapes and scale patterns have been around for a long time in teaching and books. Seems lie that is how we naturally learn our way around the fretboard and have done from the start of the instrument as far as I can see.

I'll scan ten pages of these chords and tune exercises if you would like to have a look. Just PM me. BTW - anyone waiting for the McKee stuff will get it tomorrow - I've been away.

[Irez87]

That old stuff was written better, IMO. But whatever was written, remember that it started in the player's ear first. My bad arm gives me more of an opportunity to focus on my ear.

I still love the old George Van Ep's book. More in that than in a slew of Berklee or Mel Bay books.

Typing with my right hand... will that give me more dexterity on the guitar?

[ChrisDowning]

Scratching yer knee one right finger at a time should do it! That and a set of 15 - 64 strings. Don't you just love it when other players give you a gem of a practice idea?