guitar

Playing guitar for my own joy but regret not diving into theory. After years, my fretboard knowledge is still lacking. What led to your biggest leap in playing improvement? What's the single most impactful thing that has influenced your playing?

Avid enthusiast in cryptocurrencies, economics, gaming and flyfishing. Dunno enough yet.

good q

for me, the circle of fifths was super helpful

just the knowledge that g major is c (with a sharp f) and d major is g (plus a sharp c) 

shows how these scales are just minor deviations from one another 

then seeing c lydian is g, etc

simple theory tips like that go a long way to expand the available colors

100% it should be an exploration, just tinkering

You're absolutely right in approaching theory with small, manageable steps. It indeed shouldn't feel like a day job. The challenge is to learn theory in a way that's both comfortable and enjoyable.