I have always told my students learn scales and music theory but don't let it get in your way when playing. After you play you can analyze what you did via music theory. Learning scales and music theory gives one the background and confidence to jam or improvise with authority. Music is the one thing where you learn the rules so you can break them!

Having such a background allows me to jam with confidence with Bob and others. My own compositions usually start with a chord progression and a BiaB style that I play over. Once I have a melody down I can improvise with it. That is the same as when I play songs out of a fake book; the first pass I play the melody, the second pass I improvise, then back to the melody. This is a jazz thing and why BiaB calls a chorus one pass through a song.

Like David at times I have to think and check my fingerings while play something new and difficult. That is part of the learning process. Now with arthritis attacking my fingers sometimes what was easy is now harder to do, if at all possible, so I do as David does then also.

Music is a wonderful universal language.

My momma didn't raise a fool. And if she did it, was one of my brothers.

64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware