What Al taught me:
Rhythm is key
Emulate the people you like without knowing why
There are only two or three positions for each key signature
Knowing chords will interlock with the positions that you play within
The single biggest thing that makes me what I am as a musician is my adherence to position playing.
My middle finger serves as anchor, 99% (Modes are the other 1% - start the scale on another finger and now you are playing modes) of the time it is firmly on the root.
So for any given key signature I have three positions. The I can explore the relatives of the root.
We're playing in F?
I can play in C, G, F, Bb and each of those has the three positions.
Remember Spirograph?
After a while you are enmeshed in this web that covers the entire fretboard.
It's hard to find a wrong note. Wrong interval yes, note...not so much.
Rhythm being key was something Al didn't teach as much as led by example.
My first might at his house for my first lesson...upon entering his room my eyes lock upon a drum kit. Turns out that is where Al started.
Ah ha.
John McLaughlin uses Konokol.
Ah ha.
1st position
2 octaves Major Scale
2 octaves Major Scale
This playing approach came from Larry Coryell, who taught his idea to Al and John McLaughlin.
