e|--0--3--------------------------3--0--| B|--------0--3--------------3--0--------| G|--------------0--2----2--0------------| D|------------------0--2----------------| A|------------------0--2----------------| E|--0--3--------------------------3--0--|
e|--5--8--------------------------8--5--| B|--------5--8--------------8--5--------| G|--------------5--7----7--5------------| D|------------------5--7----------------| A|------------------5--7----------------| E|--5--8--------------------------8--5--|
e|--5--8------------------------------8--5--| B|--------5--8------------------8--5--------| G|--------------5--7--8----8--7--5----------| D|---------------------5--7------------------| A|---------------------5--6--7---------------| E|--5--8------------------------------8--5--|
e|--0--1--3--------------------------3--1--0--| B|------------0--1--3----------3--1--0---------| G|--------------------0--2--2--0---------------| D|--------------------0--2--3------------------| A|------------------0--2--3--------------------| E|--0--1--3--------------------------3--1--0--|
e|--0--2--3-------------------------------3--2--0--| B|------------0--1--3---------------3--1--0---------| G|----------------------0--2--4--2--0---------------| D|----------------------0--2--4--------------------| A|--------------------0--2--3----------------------| E|--0--2--3-------------------------------3--2--0--|
e|--0--3------------------------------3--0--| B|--------0--3------------------3--0--------| G|--------------0--2--4----4--2--0----------| D|---------------------0--2------------------| A|---------------------0--2------------------| E|--0--3------------------------------3--0--|
e|--10--13-----------------------------13--10--| B|-----------10--13---------------13--10--------| G|--------------------10--12--12--10------------| D|------------------------10--12----------------| A|------------------------10--12----------------| E|--10--13-----------------------------13--10--|
e|--0--3-----------------------------3--0--| B|--------0--3-----------------3--0--------| G|--------------0--2--3----3--2--0---------| D|---------------------0--2----------------| A|---------------------0--1--2-------------| E|--0--3-----------------------------3--0--|
e|--0--1--3--------------------------3--1--0--| B|------------0--1--3----------3--1--0---------| G|--------------------0--2--2--0---------------| D|--------------------0--2--3------------------| A|------------------0--2--3--------------------| E|--0--1--3--------------------------3--1--0--|
e|--0--3--------------------------3--0--| B|--------1--3--------------3--1--------| G|--------------0--2----2--0------------| D|------------------0--2----------------| A|------------------0--3----------------| E|--0--3--------------------------3--0--|
e|--7--10-----------------------------10--7--| B|-----------7--10---------------10--7-------| G|--------------------7--9----9--7-----------| D|------------------------7--9---------------| A|------------------------7--9---------------| E|--7--10-----------------------------10--7--|
Always alternate pick. Use the metronome above — it stays running as you navigate. Bump up 5 BPM when comfortable. 20 focused minutes daily beats a sporadic 2-hour binge.
Each day pairs a primary scale (focus) with a secondary scale (review), plus a chord assignment for the daily Chord Workout slot.
YouTube: "[key] [style] backing track." Elevated Jam Tracks, QuistJam, and Let's Play Guitar are solid free channels.
Basic shapes to confident improvisation. Follow the weekly rotation within each week's guidelines.
7 shapes in muscle memory, a dozen chords under your fingers, neck navigation, real improv. Next: Box 2 pentatonic, moveable barre shapes up the neck, learning songs. Foundation built — mileage time.
e|---------------------------------------------1--2--3--4--| B|----------------------------------------1--2--3--4--------| G|-----------------------------------1--2--3--4-------------| D|--------------------------1--2--3--4----------------------| A|--------------------1--2--3--4----------------------------| E|--1--2--3--4----------------------------------------------|
e|----------------------------5--6--7--8--| B|---------------------5--6--7--8---------| G|----------------5--6--7--8-------------| D|-----------5--6--7--8------------------| A|----5--6--7--8-------------------------| E|--5--6--7--8---------------------------|
Pair 1-2: B|--5h6p5h6p5h6p5h6--| (index + middle) Pair 1-3: B|--5h7p5h7p5h7p5h7--| (index + ring) Pair 1-4: B|--5h8p5h8p5h8p5h8--| (index + pinky) ← hardest Pair 2-3: B|--6h7p6h7p6h7p6h7--| (middle + ring) Pair 2-4: B|--6h8p6h8p6h8p6h8--| (middle + pinky) Pair 3-4: B|--7h8p7h8p7h8p7h8--| (ring + pinky)
Start fret 7: e|--7--8--9--10--11--10--9--8--7--| Start fret 5: e|--5--6--7--8---9---8--7--6--5--| Start fret 3: e|--3--4--5--6---7---6--5--4--3--| Start fret 1: e|--1--2--3--4---5---4--3--2--1--| ← widest
e|--------5--8--------5--8--------| B|---------------------------------| G|--5--7--------5--7--------------| D|---------------------------------| A|--------5--7--------5--7--------| E|--5--8--------5--8--------------|
Practice with Em (two fingers, full strum). D = down, U = up, x = miss (arm moves but doesn't contact).
Your strumming arm NEVER stops its pendulum. Every pattern = choosing which swings make contact. Practice the arm first without a guitar — tap your thigh.
Break out of straight up-and-down. Turn scale knowledge into musical vocabulary.
e|-----------------------------------------5--8--| B|-------------------------------5--8--5--8------| G|--------------------5--7--5--7-----------------| D|-----------5--7--5--7--------------------------| A|--5--7--5--7-----------------------------------| E|--5--8--5--8-----------------------------------|
E|--0--1--3-----------------------------------------| A|--0--------0--2--3--------------------------------| D|------------------0--2--3-------------------------| G|--------------------------0--2--------------------| B|----------------------------0--1--3---------------| e|----------------------------------0--1--3---------|
1 — Bend & Release: B|--8b10--8--5--| G|--7--5--| 2 — Turnaround: e|--5--8--5--| B|--8--5--| G|--7--| 3 — Blue Note Slide: G|--5s6--7--5--| D|--7--| 4 — Root Hammer: A|--5--7h8p7--5--| E|--5--| 5 — Call & Response: e|--5--8--5--| B|--8--5--| G|--5--7--5--|
Am Pent (fret 5): Slide bridge: Dm Pent zone (fret 10): E|--5--8--| E|--10--13--| A|--5--7--| A|--10--12--| D|--5--7--| D|--10--12--| G|--5--7s9--| ← slide → G|--9--10--12--|
e|--5-----8-----5-----8--| B|--5-----8-----5-----8--| B|--5-----8-----5-----8--| G|--5-----7-----5-----7--| G|--5-----7-----5-----7--| D|--5-----7-----5-----7--|
Build exercises into your daily routine. Each level = one comfortable week before advancing.
Add 5–8 min of technique drills after your warm-up. One finger exercise + one strum pattern per session. Rotate across the week like scales. Scale drills replace free jam 1–2x per week to build vocabulary.
Dot numbers are fretting fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. Above the nut: o = open string rings, x = don't play that string. Tap any chord to hear it strummed.
Fingertips just behind the fret wire, not on top of it. Thumb behind the neck. Curl fingers so open strings can ring. Strum once, then pick each string one at a time: every note should sound clean.
Add a gritty, unresolved flavor - the sound of the blues. E7, A7 and B7 are the three chords of a 12-bar blues in E, the perfect backdrop for your E minor pentatonic and blues scales.
| E7 | E7 | E7 | E7 | | A7 | A7 | E7 | E7 | | B7 | A7 | E7 | B7 |
Softer, jazzier cousins of the open chords. Most are a basic shape with a finger lifted or moved, so they double as fingering practice for the chords you already know. Swap one into any progression for instant sophistication.
Sus chords swap the middle of the chord for a neighbor note, creating tension that resolves when you return to the plain chord. This is the move that makes strummed chords sound like music instead of exercises.
One finger presses across the whole fret (the barre), and the other fingers form a familiar open shape behind it. The payoff: every barre shape is moveable - slide it up two frets and you have a new chord. Expect buzzing at first; it fades within a couple of weeks.
Root and fifth only - neither major nor minor, just attitude. The backbone of rock and punk. Mute the unused strings by letting your index finger lean against them.
Roll the index finger slightly onto its bony edge, place it right behind the fret wire, and squeeze with the thumb directly behind it. If a string buzzes, don't press harder everywhere - find WHICH string buzzes and adjust just that spot.
Week 1: Em - Am Em - E Am - E Week 2: Am - C C - G Em - G Week 3: D - A D - G C - D Blues: E7 - A7 A7 - B7 E7 - B7
Am to C: fingers 1 and 2 stay put - only ring moves C to G7: finger shape flips around finger 1 C to F: index lies flat at fret 1, others step over one string C to C7: whole grip stays - just add the pinky E to Am: the whole shape shifts over one string Em to E: fingers 2 and 3 stay - just add finger 1 D to Dm: fingers on G and B move, shape stays compact
Three-chord rock: G - C - D - G The pop loop: Em - C - G - D Minor mood: Am - Dm - E7 - Am Doo-wop classic: C - Am - F - G
Chord work has its own slot in the Daily template (block 4, Chord Workout) with day-by-day assignments on the Weekly tab. These drills are the menu for that slot: One-Minute Changes most days, the others rotated in. Strumming patterns + chord changes + scales over the top: that's the whole instrument.