Sick of scale shapes

I am in the same situation. All these shapes are great for memorization, but they make it very easy to get repetitive. If your way is working, good, but they way I am doing it is by following Jimmy Bruno's (jazz guitarist) example of learning all the natural note shapes all over the fretboard, then learning the accidentals from there. Hopefully, over many years, I won't be thinking in terms of shapes at all any more, but thinking of the actual notes.

Like the previous post said, maybe try learning to read music, and where the notes are on the fretboard. Myself, because of being in band years ago in school, it seems much easier for me than shapes. I know I need to learn those as well, it's just so boring :(

i think thats a very good idea, if you didnt already know your octaves, but yes, tht is a very smart approach on expandin your minds approach on improv, but one downfall is there will come a point to where it will simply be another routine as well as the scales, so dont forget to take your scales into consideration too, improv is not about running up and down a scale pattern, but expressing your thought, My personal opinion on Scale "routines" is mainly to be able to know whats in your key and to get a general idea of your boundaries, BUT!!!! take note that its called music THEORY for a reason.

Another thing that I find helpful is not alwas learning the scale patterns across all 6 strings. Learn them on 2 strings shifting up. Also, alternating patterns within the sclae. take your scale and play 1,2,3,4,2,3,4,5,3,4,5,6,4,5,6,7 or make your patterns more complicated picking random intervals 1,5,2,3,4,2,6,3,4,5. Combining that with only using 2 or 3 strings really help to solidify the scale beyond the basic pattern.

I basically got the idea from an article I read, but I also have been thinking about this interview I read with Red hot chili peppers guitarist John Frusciante, who is one of my all time favorite guitarists: he said that the key to improvisation is to "see the fretboard as one thing, rather then shapes", and he also said that it's good to run through scales but instead of concentrating on speed and shapes, concentrate on the note names and intervals. Also, going up the neck by thirds or 6ths and learning scales on one string.

Reading music is definitely a good thing to do, and i'll continue to do it. But I've found it to be somewhat restricting because i've only found things in first position (open strings and first couple of frets).

I think i'll definitely still practice scales and arpeggios for speed and technique, because i love that style of playing too, I just don't want to be stuck with only one way to approach playing.

I think all these ideas you mentioned are good things to work on. I think a combination of strategies helps for really internalizing the fretboard. (who am I to give advice - I'm still working, probably not hard enough, on the same things?!) But I am curious about your comment that the music you've seen is all written in the first position. It's really just where you choose to play it, not the notes themselves, or am I missing something. In other words, traditional written notation (not tab) just tells you the notes, not where to find them. Maybe I misunderstood.

Well basically I've just been reading music in my classical guitar studies, and I've been reading alot in first position, but i suppose a good idea would be to take the same music and shift up into different positions (mainly around the 5th and 8th fret), since I can pretty much name any note in open position (or between the 12th and 15th fret) but higher up on the 5th- 10th fret i have to really think about what note i need to play.

In working with the scales, I've gotten to know note names up and down the fretboard. Recently, I've been going over the scale shapes (across and up/down the fret board) but looking at them as far as intervals (up and down) from the root notes.

I notice that the Chili pepper guitarist mentioned the intervals also. I'm trying to learn more on music theory and starting to look at harmony. As I've been working on the scales by looking at intervals for a couple of weeks now and I think it's helping alot. I'm starting to see chords in the patterns so starting so see which melody notes fit a chord progression. I think I'm also getting a better feel for where the intervals tend to lead related to the type of feel you're looking for.

It's getting more exciting each week that goes by.

On every beat I need to find an F note,

Beat one : F on E string
Beat two : F on A string
etc, etc.

I was wondering if this was a good idea or just a waste of time, I mainly want to break out of constantly relying on scale shapes and actually seeing notes and making music,

If you're just practicing scale shapes, I'd argue you're doing scales incorrectly.

Playing a scale I try to play the note and say the note name. Play the note and say the interval.

Play your scale various intervals (4ths, 6ths, etc.).

Do that saying the note names.

Knowing where all the F#'s are is a good thing. Knowing how that note fits into every major and minor scale is a better thing.

"Shapes" are, imho, the WORST way to practice scales. Heck, most people using shapes don't even start their scales on the tonic (which is a big reason why modes seem so complicated to them!!).

Shapes appear naturally out of the relationship between notes on the neck, but it is precisely that relationship that is important in solo'ing, and by studying shapes you bypass coming to understand those relationships.

Just my $.02.