🎸 Guitar Master Plan: Systems Approach
6–12 month roadmap • 15–20 min/day • Theory, songs, and reference in one place
Ground Rules & Time Budget
15–20 min/session, 4–5 days/week. Some weeks 2 days or zero. Consistency across months beats any single week.
TECHNIQUE
15 min — Chords, transitions, drills
THEORY
15 min — Fretboard logic, intervals
SONG
15–20 min — Apply to real music
Mindset: You will want to understand the full system before playing. Resist. Guitar is physical first. Home row first, then words.
Gear: Your Fender Player II Telecaster SS is ideal. Until then, anything playable. Get a shop setup (~$50–75). Clip-on tuner (~$12), picks (0.73mm), free metronome app.
After 12 months: Best next investment — one lesson/month with a real teacher ($60–80). Lessonface or TakeLessons remote, or local Bay Area.
Sequenced from quick wins to pieces that'll stretch you. Priority order — work top to bottom. Tap a song for details, chord charts, and tab links.
Angeles is the boss fight on this list. The fingerpicking songs earlier build the independence you need to tackle it.
Five open chord shapes tile across the entire fretboard. Pick a key, then pick a shape to see where it lives on the neck.
Major vs Minor vs Power
MajorC + E + GBright, happy
MinorC + E♭ + GDark, sad
PowerC + GNeutral, heavy — no 3rd
When to learn CAGED: After you're comfortable with open and barre chords. It clicks best when you're already discovering pieces of it naturally through songs.
Tune low E down to D. Every power chord becomes one finger barred across the bottom three strings.
To tune: play D string (4th) and low E together, tune low E down until they match an octave apart.
Why it matters: Standard tuning power chords need 2–3 fingers. Drop D = one finger, one fret. That's why Tool, RATM, and heavier rock live here.
Scale Patterns
Orange R = root. Blue = scale tone. Moveable: shift whole shape to change key.
Full 37-song curriculum mapped to phases. Includes Songsterr and Ultimate Guitar links.
Core Resources (all free)