guitars

The CAGED method is what helped me the most to start learning and visualizing the notes on the neck. It ties chords, arpeggios and scales together. It's working for me, I think I'm an advanced beginner.

Here is a neat thing to try next time you play. You mentioned you played mostly blues? Try playing around the chord that is being played at the moment. So for twelve-bar blues in E, play minor pentatonic in E, then A, then E, then D, then A. It will sound weird at first because you are still learning but eventually you can make it sound natural.

Blues tends to fudge over major and minor so the major pentatonic would also work well here; move your minor pentatonic shape down one and a half steps. Switch between major and minor on your whim. Add in chromatic "out" notes when moving between chords. Slide into notes from a half-step below or above instead of starting there.

Start learning the various modes. Then you can expand and still be in key.

Try to sing along with the notes that you're playing when you're practicing. It'll make you be more intentional about what you're playing and also help develop your phrasing to be more melodic.