Thanks @Melvin Williams for giving me the push to pick me guitar back up! Tip of the day from those starting out: pick a simple 4 chord song where the chords repeat the whole song with the same strumming pattern, add some vocals and NAIL IT! No need to over complicate things! Get a song or 2 under your belt to give you the confidence to take the next steps! Originally done by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “All I can do is write about it.” Link to real version in comments!

THE GUITAR HERO’S PATH A Complete Roadmap from Beginner to Mastery Core Principle:Technique, ear, theory, and expression grow together. 🟢 STAGE 1 — FOUNDATION Bedroom Strummer → Garage Band Jammer Focus: Consistency • Rhythm • Control Skills - Open chords & basic rhythm - Warmups & fingerpicking - First riffs & songs Ear Training - High vs low - Matching pitch - Simple rhythms Improvisation - Single-note call & response Reading & Theory (Optional) - Basic rhythm notation - Simple single-note reading Identity: “I show up.” 🔵 STAGE 2 — STRUCTURE & AWARENESS Local Star → Community Rising Star Focus: Fretboard clarity • Harmonic awareness Skills - Barre & power chords - Intro to CAGED - Pentatonic (1 position) - Open & barre-chord arpeggios - Blues rhythm guitar Ear Training - Major vs minor - Hearing chord changes Improvisation - First blues improvisation - Simple pentatonic phrasing Reading & Theory (Optional) - Open-position reading - Chord symbols & charts Identity: “Chords aren’t shapes — they’re notes.” 🟣 STAGE 3 — FLUENCY & EXPRESSION Social Media Rising Star → Online Guitar Hero Focus: Neck-wide fluency • Musical language Skills - All pentatonics via CAGED - 5+ keys - Diatonic (major & minor) scales - Arpeggios up the neck - Goal notes & phrasing Ear Training - Interval recognition - Chord quality (maj/min/dom) - Singing phrases before playing Improvisation - Confident blues solos - Phrase development across positions Reading & Theory (Optional) - Multi-position reading - Key signatures - Scale construction Identity: “I know where I am — and where I’m going.” 🔴 STAGE 4 — EXPANSION & CONTROL Stadium Star → National Rock Star Focus: Intentional sound selection Skills - Full arpeggios across the neck - All keys - Modes - 3-note-per-string scales - Advanced rhythm & harmony Ear Training - Modal sounds - Tension & release - Short solo transcription