Hey Darreldo
There are a few of us around here that can help you out so relax...
The first thing I would suggest is that you divide you time between "playing" and "practicing"
This is a key distinction to make for your development
Playing is where you strum a few chords, have a bit of a "noodle" with lead and perhaps start writing a few songs
Practicing is where you play chords, scales, arpeggios that you are NOT comfortable playing
Also, make sure that you back up your technical abilities with a grounding in music theory - this will help you out with your songwriting as well
I am not sure at what skill level you are at but here is a quick "off the top of my head" priority list:
For rhythm guitar playing I would make sure that you learn all of the "open" chords (i.e. chords played within the first 3 frets incorporating open strings - including B
)
Then progress to “barre” – known as bar - chords – with the root note on the 6th (low E string) – i.e. using the E Major chord shape – e.g. F Major at the 1st Fret, G Major at the 3rd Fret, A Major at the 5th Fret, B Major at the 7th Fret, C Major at the 8th Fret, D Major at the 10th Fret and back to E Major at the 12th Fret
Repeat this for the Em and E7 shapes
I would then move on to the same thing using the A Major shape with the root note on the 5th (A) string
i.e. B Major at the 2nd fret, C Major at the 3rd fret, D Major at the 5th Fret, E Major at the 7th fret etc. etc. (you should start seeing a pattern developing)
Repeat this for Am and Am7 shapes
Once you have this nailed you will be in a much stronger position to emulate what you hear in the bands you like so that you can ensure you are not only playing the right chord – but you are playing it in the right place as you will notice they sound very different
i.e compare the E Major chord played open, at the 7th Fret as a bar chord with the root on the 5th string, and as a bar chord with the root note at the 12th fret of the 6th string
They are the same chord but sound VERY different
For your lead playing I would make sure that you are comfortable with the following scales (in my own order of importance for the styles you referenced)
Minor Pentatonic Scale
Blues Scale (Minor Pentatonic with an extra note so it is an easy one to get under your belt)
Major Pentatonic Scale
Minor Scale
Major Scale
Harmonic Minor Scale
Melodic Minor Scale
Most of what you hear on guitar is a mix of Minor and Major pentatonic scales (which are very “forgiving scales”)
This is mostly due to the evolution of blues to rock to pop
I would suggest getting the above “nailed” and then you can move on to other techniques, tips and tricks
I really like the “Watch & Learn” videos and there is plenty of free stuff in there to keep you busy for a little while!
http://www.freeguitarvideos.com/ Finally – to answer your questions – if I am understanding you correctly you want to write the little runs that seem to “stitch” the chords together in a song
To do this effectively you need to find the scale shapes that sit where the chords are and you need to understand a little about the theory
Hendrix is a great reference for linking chords together with little runs – I am sure there are loads of free “how to play Hendirx” videos out there
I hope this helps kick you off in the right direction but if there is anything specific just ask – I would be happy to help and guide you through the minefield!