Re: How are you learning your scales?
I personally hate grid diagrams and geometry when it comes to notes it's okay to jot it down or reference that sort of thing if you're in the early stages of learning a new fingering or something, but I prefer to see that sort of thing dovetail with hearing the sounds and actual notation (or at least tablature) as well as an intervallic formula/structure...
I mean, I see a bunch of guitar guys with the "Guitar Grimoire" (
Thickest damn book you've ever seen) and they set about learning all of their major scale fingerings, (let's say 7 fingerings by 12 keys, well that's 84 fingerings) then they set about learning all of their dorian fingerings (Another 7 fingerings by 12 keys, another 84 fingerings taking us to 168 fingerings...) And of course, they keep on going with Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian fingerings for a grand total of 588 fingerings; probably how a book like the guitar grimoire fills up pages and adds content...
It's almost painful watching people struggle with the modes never realizing that it's just a pool of notes based on a key signature played over one of the OTHER chords diatonic to the key that you are in. The sad thing is that I have seen people literally practice their scales like this "All of the C Ionian fingerings, All of D Dorian Fingerings, All of E Phrygian Fingerings, etc etc" when it's literally all the same geometry. Tons of redundancy. But hey, if that's a way that works for you, go for it by all means.
Honestly, every one of those fingerings is a restructuring of a major scale; lol Learn your major scale fingerings and you will have all of your modal fingerings down. If you understand diatonic harmony you will likely never need a scale or a chord diagram compendium for constant reference;
Maybe for the Stick, try and learn intervals first, then understand what interval stacks make chords and scales, then learn key signatures, and all the while make it your "manifest destiny" to know what every note is in every direction on the instrument; the better one knows the instrument the easier it is to communicate and assimilate different musical ideas...
That's just my opinion, though.