Originally Posted by: bunmiadefisayoHow do you do it? I'm still stuck on the box patterns and no amount of memorization has helped me to shift gears from this.

You've answered your own problem; memorisation won't free you up. Well, not memorising shapes, anyways.

I suggest these things:

1. Spend some time improvising along each string. Stay on just one string for a whole song at a time.

2. Learn the modes and spend several practice sessions on each mode. Improvise just out of that mode. Combine this with step one.

3. Play whole solos thinking of the sounds you want before you play them. Don't play a note without hearing it in your head first. Don't think about where it is on the fretboard if you can help it; try to let your fingers find the right note on their own.