Originally Posted by: capitalalchemyYes, you have to start thinking in a new way, and not the old scale way so much. You can start by looking at the pattern of a scale or mode without playing it yet. Then pick a grouping of notes from that scale, start small with like 4, and then try to rearrange them differently. See what little accents you can do as well.

This is very good advice. I think that when we're learning a lot of scale patterns that span 2 or more octaves, it's important to keep in mind that you're not going to hear someone run through that scale pattern straight through in any type of music. It would just sound like an out of place exercise.

Breaking up scale patterns into smaller groups of notes is a great way to jump-start your improvising & creativity. Particularly when you learn a new lick, it's a good idea to try playing that same exact lick in as many different positions on the fretboard as you can. This kind of exercise helps with fretboard navigation, ear training, and just seeing the different places the same exact thing can be played on a guitar.