Free Guitar Lessons

These are mostly lesson handouts created for private guitar lessons that don't have explanations right now. As time permits I'll add videos and notes. The goal and purpose of "levels" was to have a balanced curriculum of playing technique, reading and theory etc... for a well rounded learning experience.

Guitar Level 1 - what you learn:

• The correct way to hold the guitar and use right and left hands.
• String names and notes up to the 5th fret.
• recognize and play written notes.
• simple chord arpeggios with a metronome.
• 5 and 6 string major, minor and 7th chords along with basic strumming.
• picking or fingerstyle techniques.
• Scales ands single note melodies in C & G major
• Relative minor keys.
• 12 bar blues, power chords and pentatonic scales

Guitar Level 2 - what you learn:

• Scales and single note melodies in D and F major and their relative minor keys.
• Major 7ths, sus2 and sus4 chords.
• Movable pentatonic minor and major scales.
• Half tone string bends (electric and acoustic guitar styles)
• Construct 7th, major 7th, suspended 2nd and 4th chords from scales
• Playing harmonics
• Convert between TAB and standard notation

Guitar Level 3 - what you learn:

• Scales and single note and double-stop melodies in A, E and Bb major along with their relative minor keys.
• Bar chords with 6th string and 5th string roots, of all chord types done so far.
• Major chord scales of diatonic triads on different string sets
• Hammer-ons and pull-offs (slurs) .
• Full tone string bends (electric guitar) and slides.
• Construct 7th, major 7th, suspended 2nd and 4th chords from scales.
• Pentatonic Scales in 5 positions
• Transpose chords between G, D, C and F major keys

Guitar Level 4 - what you learn:

• Reading and playing single note melodies in 4th position and along 2nd string
• Add 9, dominant 9th, major 9th and minor 9th chords.
• Major triad inversions on strings 1,2 and 3.
• Playing I IV V chords around the circle of 5ths.
• Controlling vibrato.
• Dominant 7th arpeggios of 5th and 6th string root chords.
• Pentatonic Scales in 5 positions.
• Write inversions of major and minor chords in standard notation.

Guitar Level 5 - what you learn:

• Single note melodies in 4th position and along 2nd string
• Diminished 7ths, flat 5, augmented and 6th chords
• Major diatonic scales of 7th chords with 5th string and 6th string roots.
• Playing ii V I chords around the circle of 5ths.
• Playing false harmonics.
• Diminished scales.
• Improvising with pentatonic, blues, minor and major scales.
• Write inversions of major and minor chords in standard notation.