I've been spending quite some time lately practising various interval-based fingering exercises for soloing on the guitar. These are basically exercises where I ascend or descend a scale (the major scale) in thirds, fourths, fifths, etc. For example, if I'm practising thirds on the C major scale, this would be
C-E-D-F-E-G-F-A-G-B-A-C ... and so on (and reverse)
... or for fourths, it would be
C-F-D-G-E-A-F-B-G-C ... and so on (and reverse).
I'm trying to use these while jamming on backing tracks (say a simple ii-V-I progression) or something suitable to a certain mode of the major scale. I find it a bit awkward or unusual, for instance, to use the ascending/descending fifths pattern on certain chord progressions or at certain times within the same chord progression.
Can anyone advise me on how I can try to gain more control on this application of such patterns while improvising on chord progressions? I mean, are there any simple rules of thumb about connecting the intervals that these patterns highlight with chords/chord changes?
I suppose one can say that it's relative how good/bad it sounds, but I'm talking more about control in using the motor spontaneity these exercises facilitate while soloing over chord progressions.