Originally Posted by: dnkygirl23My ultimate goal is to play neo soul, r&b, pop however finding training that is focused on the specific things I need to know is very difficult.[/quote]

I'm not sure what your skill level is, but these tutorials are aimed directly at R&B style guitar playing.

Soulful R&B 1

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1316

Soulful R&B 2

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1454

These tutorials are more jazz oriented, but can be very helpful in learning certain musical elements that are also used in soul & R&B (extended harmony chords, chord progressions with modulations, shell voicings, outlining chord tones with embellishments).

Jazz Blues in F

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2605

Jazz Blues In B-flat

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2595

16 Bar Blues

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1342

Originally Posted by: dnkygirl23Learning the basics is one thing but it doesn't appear to be enough for it to translate over in the genres I want to play.

That's a good observation. And it's true of most genres. There are very specfic & specialized techniques & ways of voicing chords, playing scales that are genre specific.

There are fundamentals applicable to all styles: notes, fretboard layout, major & minor chords, major & minor scales, picking, strumming, basic rhythms. That's why the fundamentals are largely taught in a non-specific genre manner.

Then after you get the fundamentals down you learn to use those very generalized concepts & skills in very specific ways to get the end result of a highly specialized music genre.

[quote=dnkygirl23]I'm getting frustrated with being able to find a solid resource for what I want to do. Most of the guitar related training focuses exclusively on rock. Why is that?

Rock is the most guitar-centric genre. It puts more emphasis on the guitar than other genres. So that's what most people who want to play guitar want to learn. Rock is a little unusual in that the guitarist is often as important or notable as the vocalist.

Like most popular genres, Soul & R&B are typically vocal-centric. The focus is more on the vocalist or the tune. Rock kind of flips that traditional script.

After getting the basics down, then you can work through some of the tutorials I linked & see if that helps with your goals. And start learning tunes in the style you like! That's where you really build a vocabulary. And a private teacher specialized in that style is a good idea down the road when you are ready.

Please ask more if you have more questions. Hope that helps & best of success!