from theory to playing-help!

It's sort of like auto mechanics... you've learned the scale, which is like buying a set of wrenches; you've acquired the tools to do the job.

When the car won't start, a mechanic has a certain checklist - is there gas in the tank? etc. - which is sort of like riffs that you'll create or learn. That gives you some sort of organization to hang things on... certain licks will go with certain types of songs or music, and others won't (the auto mechanic doesn't start by inspecting the muffler if the gas tank is dry - guitarists shouldn't try to fuse musical styles before they know what's going on with the song - you need a plan for a good solo)

After that, it comes down to three things, just like fixing a car:

1) Experience - if you've been doing it for 20 years, you can tune that old jalopy faster than an apprentice; a guitarist with lots of experience will find the groove for a solo faster

2) Logic - just like methodically tracing down an ignition short, a guitarist needs to build on what's he's already done - a solo with structure, one that tells a story and moves from section to section in a controlled manner, is going to be a lot more compelling than one that jumps around a number of ideas without really completing a train of thought

3) Instinct - closely related to experience, this is applying the memory of past situations to the present time. You hear that chord change, and it's just like the one in that old surf tune (or whatever), and suddenly the song makes sense - it almost tells you what to do with it.

You can study musical structure, analyze other solos, and learn certain riffs and patterns, and eventually you'll be a competent soloist... just like the apprentice will eventually be a mechanic. The people who make great guitarists - or mechanics - are the ones who live it, breathe it, think about all the time. If you hear melodies in your head, start trying to play them. If what comes out of your fingers doesn't match your head, try to make it closer - or if you like the result, figure out what else you can do with it.

Improvising doesn't happen automatically. It's a combination of ears, mind, and fingers - keep working on improving all three.

Oh, and most important - its something you learn to do by doing it. We all sucked the first time we soloed. We sucked less the hundredth time, and sounded ok (at least at times) in the thousandth.