u/gogolem

**Edit:** Wow… I genuinely didn’t expect so many thoughtful replies. I’ve been reading every single one, and you’ve all given me a lot to think about. Thank you for the recommendations, the encouragement, and for sharing your own experiences. It’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one who’s felt this way, and I’m feeling much more optimistic about tackling this again.

——

I’ve been playing guitar for a while, but every time I decide to finally learn scales properly, I end up feeling more confused than when I started.
The biggest problem is that almost every video, course, or article seems to assume I already know something that I don’t. Someone will say, *“Just move this interval,”* or *“This is just the third mode,”* or *“You already know the major scale, so…”*… except I don’t.
It feels like there’s a missing chapter somewhere that everyone else has read.
I don’t even know where I’m going wrong. Am I trying to learn scales too early? Am I actually supposed to learn a lot more music theory first? Or am I overcomplicating something that’s actually much simpler than I think?
Sometimes I wonder if I’m almost *mythologizing* scales, like they’re this huge mysterious subject when maybe they aren’t. But then I try to study them, and five minutes later I’m drowning in diagrams, modes, intervals, CAGED, pentatonics, three-notes-per-string patterns… and I’m completely overwhelmed.
It’s honestly discouraging, and a little lonely. It feels like everyone else “gets it” while I’m still trying to figure out what the first step is.
So I have two questions:
Is there an online course (free or paid) that teaches scales from absolute zero, without assuming any prior music theory?
Has anyone else gone through this stage, or is it just me?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who struggled with this and eventually had that *“everything finally clicked”* moment.

Edit: Wow… I genuinely didn’t expect so many thoughtful replies. I’ve been reading every single one, and you’ve all given me a lot to think about. Thank you for the recommendations, the encouragement, and for sharing your own experiences. It’s reassuring to know I’m not the only one who’s felt this way, and I’m feeling much more optimistic about tackling this again.

——

I’ve been playing guitar for a while, but every time I decide to finally learn scales properly, I end up feeling more confused than when I started.
The biggest problem is that almost every video, course, or article seems to assume I already know something that I don’t. Someone will say, “Just move this interval,” or “This is just the third mode,” or “You already know the major scale, so…”… except I don’t.
It feels like there’s a missing chapter somewhere that everyone else has read.
I don’t even know where I’m going wrong. Am I trying to learn scales too early? Am I actually supposed to learn a lot more music theory first? Or am I overcomplicating something that’s actually much simpler than I think?
Sometimes I wonder if I’m almost mythologizing scales, like they’re this huge mysterious subject when maybe they aren’t. But then I try to study them, and five minutes later I’m drowning in diagrams, modes, intervals, CAGED, pentatonics, three-notes-per-string patterns… and I’m completely overwhelmed.
It’s honestly discouraging, and a little lonely. It feels like everyone else “gets it” while I’m still trying to figure out what the first step is.
So I have two questions:
Is there an online course (free or paid) that teaches scales from absolute zero, without assuming any prior music theory?
Has anyone else gone through this stage, or is it just me?
I’d really appreciate hearing from people who struggled with this and eventually had that “everything finally clicked” moment.