Today I want to talk about the 3rd intervals.
During my student journey I've experienced what I think many other musicians have been through. I felt bored... from the same way I was always playing, I may be fast and precise, playing in key, be able to run up and down the fretboard, but there was still something missing, another way to express myself in my playing. That's where the 3rd intervals came about. I've realised that there's already so much you can do with them even if you were purposely using only those in your improvising.
The theory behind them is also quite clear, as they stay at the very core of harmony as all the basic chords are made of 3rd intervals, both major and minor ones of course. The idea is to go through the whole scale with them; this will allow one to really master not only this technique, but also to visualise the scales shapes on the guitar better.
I really believe that with a great deal of practice and a good approach to the rhythm you can really play some great solo even if you were just using them as way of expression. I'll never stop saying how important is always the rhythm in everything, even a single note can make a huge difference in a solo if played at the right moment.
I've attached here the video and the score for them from the C Major Scale (Ionian mode) but they can be learned on every mode and key, as long as you follow the idea of skipping a note every time within the shape.
