Originally Posted by: Slipin LizardHi Mark. I'd recommend you get the Guitar Fretboard Workbook. Its quite different from most other texts out there. It will teach you exactly what you're asking about... how notes form the patterns of scales etc on the fretboard. You'll probably move through it fairly quickly, and find the first few chapters enlightening.

In terms of learning scales, the biggest thing I have found is that you need to USE them as you learn them. Being able to play a scale across the entire fretboard won't help much if you don't have a clue how to actually use that scale in a piece of music. You're better off learning just one pattern, restricting yourself to a small area of the fretboard, but using that pattern to make melodic memorable solos... then when you have a good feel for the scale, expand your knowledge to include other pattens.

I'm working through this book now. It has a novel approach and will quickly give you the ability to do exactly what Henrik is talking about. I'm in a situation similar to yours and it is quite enlightening to start being able to connect the dots.