Learn To Play Lead Guitar - scale shapes

OK, you've learnt a few songs, a few chords, you have some familiarity with the concept of scales, where do you go from here? Do you want to be out front leading he band? Are you attracted by the glory? Does the idea of picking up a guitar and playing a riff or a melody that's never been heard before appeal to you?
If you want to create the music start with the a basic five note scale shape called the pentatonic scale. The major pentatonic scale is a good one to start with. It contains only whole notes (no semitones): C D E G A. Not only does this scale have notes, it also has the material you need to practice with to develop your physical relationship with your instrument. That's right - practice a simple scale on a regular basis, get to know it, get to know yourself, the way your fingers work.
Working with this pentatonic scale shape in different positions on the fretboard will open up the possibility of playing improvised guitar solos in many keys over any song. Experiment a little with your favorite songs. Find out what key a song is in and fool around with your scale shape in that key.
Another thing you need to work on to be a lead guitar player is getting a collection of well-known licks and breaks together to use as a basis for writing your own material. It's your choice - use Smoke On The Water or Twinkle, Twinkle - either one will start you off on a career as a lead guitarist.
One tool which will help you to train your ear to recognise what key a song you want to learn is in is the AP Guitar Tuner. It's free to download to your computer, and if you have it open while a song is playing on your computer, it will show you what notes are being played.
These video guitar lessons will explain more about scale shapes.