Lesson 1–2: Getting Started
• Book Reference:
• Hal Leonard: pp. 2–5 (parts of guitar, how to hold, tuning, first notes on strings).
Hal Leonard: End of Book 1 / transition into Book 2 (sharps, flats, full melodies).
• Alfred’s: More songs, fun riffs, intro to scales.
• Your Add-On: Barre chords, power chords, fingerpicking or intro to soloing depending on interest. Build a 3–5 song setlist.
• Goal: Student feels confident strumming songs, reading simple notation, and understanding chord progressions.
Hal Leonard: Review songs, rhythm reading, first duets.
• Alfred’s: More complex songs, early ensemble work.
• Your Add-On: Introduce F chord (with options: partial, mini-barre). Explore strumming variations (syncopation, worship strums).
• Goal: Student can play a full song from book + strum along to a recording.
Hal Leonard: First melodies with notes on 1st and 2nd strings.
• Alfred’s: Adding notes + “Playing with others” play-alongs.
• Your Add-On: Add C and D chords; strumming down/up.
• Songwork: First 2–3 chord song (kid-friendly or worship tune).
• Goal: Play melody lines from the book and strum simple chords.
Phase 1: Technique Mastery
• Scales & Modes
• 3-notes-per-string major & minor scales across the neck.
• Modes of the major scale (Ionian → Locrian).
• Pentatonic scale extensions + connecting positions.
• Arpeggios
• Major, minor, dominant, diminished & augmented arpeggios.
• Sweep picking & economy picking studies.
• Chord Vocabulary
• Expand beyond CAGED: 7th chords, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, altered dominants.
• Drop-2 and drop-3 voicings.
• Right-Hand Mastery
• Alternate picking at high tempos.
• Hybrid picking & fingerstyle.
Phase 4: Performance & Musicianship
• Repertoire Building
• Learn & memorize 20+ advanced-level songs (across genres).
• Apply advanced chords, fills, and solos.
• Gig-Readiness
• Playing with a click track.
• Playing to tracks & loops (for church, pop, etc.).
• Band dynamics (knowing when to support vs. shine).
• Recording Skills
• Building tones with pedals/modelers (Helix, ToneX, Kemper).
• Recording clean DI tracks + amp sims.
• Layering guitars in the studio.
Phase 3: Improvisation & Soloing
• Improvisation Strategies
• Target notes & chord tones.
• Motivic development (create “themes” in solos).
• Phrasing & space (don’t just shred — say something).
• Style Studies
• Blues phrasing (BB King box, Clapton licks).
• Jazz soloing (ii–V–I lines, bebop scales).
• Rock/fusion shred (legato, tapping, speed drills).
• Ear Training
• Transcribe 1 solo per month by ear.
• Practice call-and-response improvisation.
Phase 2: Applied Theory & Fretboard Fluency
• Nashville Number System (Advanced)
• Quickly transpose songs on the fly.
• Practice reharmonization (substitute chords).
• Functional Harmony
• Secondary dominants, borrowed chords, modal interchange.
• Chord-scale relationships (what scales fit over each chord).
• Fretboard Visualization
• Seeing all notes instantly, in every position.
• Playing chords/scales/arpeggios in any key, anywhere.