Tips to improve my playing?

[madagascar]

Ok, so I'm a guitarist, just want to know if anyone has any advice to help me improve. I mainly play metal stuff, i'm a pretty able guitarist, can do a lot of that shred malarky so my overall technique is quite advanced and I know a bit of theory, know pretty much to write a decent enough metal song. It's the more theory side of things I want to get better at, my improvising isnt too great, I limit my soloing to the minor scale and minor pentatonic with the odd harmonic minor. I know all my major scale positions and minor pent positions but not fluent enough with them to just improvise anywere on the fretboard. I only know the one position for the minor scale. I really really want to grasp modes properly as I feel it will definately branch out my playing more but I just cant seem to understand them properly. I also have trouble memorising all the chord formulas and stuff, my memory isnt the best either. After doing all that I might try branching out more to learn different styles such as jazz and classical etc... Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

[AxlisOld]

Well, I can basically improvise anywhere on the board, and I've never taken a lesson. If you play enough, you eventually know so much about how each note sounds, that you don't need to "know scales" but you will be able to play them. I would say, just experiment with all you can with the 2 scales you know (same ones I started on) and fill in notes as you see fit. I basically looked at the blues scale as a foundation and filled in noted where I thought they may be able to go...NOW I FUCKING RULE!!!! Take a few months off of "getting laid" or "leaving the house" and play guitar. Sacrificing one may seem hard, but it leads to more of it later......yea.

[quadlaser]

totally agree with axlisold here, solid advice.