Chris - last year I learned the pentatonic said scales in all positions and it really helped my soloing. New instructors are pushing me toward the modes now and it doesn't seem as useful; especially for bluegrass and country. What would you recommend?

Hi, I strongly believe that the more you know, the better off you will be, especially in terms of being an improviser. There are certain modes that really come in handy in a bluegrass context with ionian (just a regular major scales starting on the root), and mixolydian (essenially a major scale starting on a 5th), being the most universally useful. But I'd encourage you to learn and practice them all.

Even more useful, IMO, than learning scales is learning how to harmonize chords across the neck. That way you are putting your knowledge of scales to work on multiple strings at the same time and learning about triads and harmony as you do it.

Cheers,

Chris