Guitar 101 - it's clicking!!!

I've been studying guitar for over two years now and it's been coming along really slowly. At first, I played it religiously for an hour a day for three weeks (while self teaching myself to E-media). My fingers ached and caused me to start taking a day off. My schedule went to every other day for 10-15 minutes. Then it became once or twice a week for 10-15 minutes. So you can see how sloooooooooooooooooowly I was progressing...

I first took guitar lessons for two weeks with the sales rep who sold me the guitar. He was a great guitarist, but he was teaching me scales at the time and I just didn't understand it. I got frustrated and went back to E-media. However, he ingrained the major scale: WWHWWWH into me. This would finally sink in later.

Then I took an intro class at Fresno adult school for two weeks. I learned how to play the riff to "Mission Impossible". We didn't get into theory, but knowing how to play that riff motivated me to keep at it.

When I moved to Aliso Viejo, I took another intro to guitar at the Aliso Viejo Music Academy for a month. I learned music theory and found I really enjoyed it.

In Paso, I started yet another intro to guitar at Divine Appointment Guitars for 8 weeks. Then I progressed to Guitar II for additional 8 weeks. But I was still so lost. Now, I am 4 weeks into Guitar III and finally.... the light switch came on.

A week ago, the Circle of Fifths shed some light for me. I started learning to construct the key and its chord. In addition, the major scale I've put to memory finally made sense in helping me understand the notes that make up the major / minor chords. D7 and Cadd9 no longer looked intimidating because -- the scales made sense!!

But, I still struggled with the notes on the fretboard. I have no problem reading the keys on the piano but on a fretboard.. argh!!! I had commited the notes on the 6th,5th and 1st strings to memory. But I struggled with the rest of the fretboard. I tried for months using flash cards - didn't work. Then I tried the +7/-5 and -4/+8 technique and that helped me locate the notes on each string - but I still had to count.

FINALLY -- tonight, I found the answer. This page help me realize the relationship of the octaves on the last 4 strings. The first two strings require alittle more work. But the 2nd string is always the perfect 5th from the 1st string!! So the work involved was just to understand the Circle of Fifths!!!

I am NOT ready to tackle inversions or modes. Richard and Tyler's conversatoin on Lydian mode went over my head!! Pfffissh, I think what I have digested tonight will keep me busy for long awhile. In addition, I'd like to work on smoother chord transition, barre chords, moveable chords and ryhthm. (That sketch is showing my attempt at constructing the Bm chord in midair)

But don't you love it when it finally clicks???