Step by Step map for guitar learning

Hello, 

Could someone please provide me with an step by step progession guide in which step to learn first to be able to understand next step better?
Because right now im just jumping around and getting confused and cant really see the whole picture. 
I also having a hard time to see all the things there is to learn and understand ( chord, 7chords, different scales, diatonic etc etc)

Like something:

- open chords --> 7th chords --> etc ---> etc -- > understand diatonic --> pentanonic scale -- > major scale -->

I hope you understand, and i also value your support.

Thanks.

That's not what timmy asked Scuba

I also have been looking for a comprehensive progression plan for guitar.  Web learning makes it almost certain that the student doesn't know what he doesn't know.  So students end up looking for lessons that look cool.

As an example say a student likes Autumn Leaves, played by a jazzer they came across.  Oh, 13th chords sound tasty!  So, chords... lemme find a lesson on chords... major chords?  boring... 7th chords?  they're not 13th chords...  aha Extended Harmony... blah blah, 11th chords, 13th chords... perfect!

So they go off and try and absorb the info within the Extended Harmony lessons

Trouble is, they haven't yet learned major chords, minor chords, augmented chords, diminished chords, 7th chords in all their flavours

They went straight to 13th chords, cos that is what they wanted to play.  But they will almost certainly have difficulty, hit the brick wall and sadly give up

Now how useful would it be to have a chart showing you all the subjects, and the best path to reach that subject?  Here each subject builds upon concepts taught in the previous subjects
Major scale
Major chords
Minor chords
7th chords
Extended chords

Another example would be sweep picking.  I have no idea what skills are a pre-requisite to sweep picking but I bet there are some.  Arpeggios may be in there?  Maybe some tapping?  Who knows?  Except the people who actually know and who actually can sweep pick?  

To make it simple, start with open chords, then 7th chords, get a grasp of basic music theory, understand diatonic chords in relation to scales, learn the pentatonic scale, and finally tackle the major scale. Take it one step at a time, and it'll all come together for you.

I don't think that is the correct progression

"I also have been looking for a comprehensive progression plan for guitar.  Web learning makes it almost certain that the student doesn't know what he doesn't know.  So students end up looking for lessons that look cool."

The GT core learning system is exactly that.  We have 3 full courses by 3 different instructors that go step-by-step through the basics of a guitar curriculum, theory & application.  Here's mine for example.

https://www.guitartricks.com/course/guitarfundamentals1v1(discontinued)

https://www.guitartricks.com/course/fundamentals2(discontinued)

"As an example say a student likes Autumn Leaves, played by a jazzer they came across.  Oh, 13th chords sound tasty!  So, chords... lemme find a lesson on chords... major chords?  boring... 7th chords?  they're not 13th chords...  aha Extended Harmony... blah blah, 11th chords, 13th chords... perfect!"

That is a problem I've seen many times.  And the stumbling block is " . . . major chords?  boring . . . "  

It's not necessarily a problem if a person skips any intermediate steps in their desire to learn something complicated.  If that's your goal, then go for it.  But you are right that it's not going to make for a solid curriculum.  And you can say that an online course can't make you go through all the necessary steps.  It certainly can make it easier to just skip around or avoid anything you think is boring.  Or too hard.  

But I've seen that a thousand times with an in person student as well as online students.

No one can make a student go through all the right steps in the right order.  All an instructor can do is show a student the path & help them along the way.  The student still has to do the work: go through the steps in the right order.  And practice, practice, practice.  Then practice some more.  :)

"Now how useful would it be to have a chart showing you all the subjects, and the best path to reach that subject?  Here each subject builds upon concepts taught in the previous subjects
Major scale
Major chords
Minor chords
7th chords
Extended chords"

Here is a rough outline of how any solid guitar curriculum works.

guitar parts & posture
simple chords & strumming
single note melodies & picking one note at a time
musical alphabet notes
full open chords
scales theory & practice
reading notation
combining chords & scales
barre chords
functional harmony concepts
extended harmony chords
specific style applications

Those are the general topics.  There is some wiggle room to move topics around in slightly different orders depending on instructor preference and, or student goals.  And there is some variation in how certain instructors prefer to present the material.  But that's it.  

All that is here at GT.  And it's all at a hundred other websites.  And a dozen guitar lesson method books (Mel Bay, Hal Leonard, etc.).  And thousands of in person guitar teachers across the world.

There aren't any big secrets.  There aren't any shortcuts.  There's just that boring list of things to learn & work to do.

"Another example would be sweep picking.  I have no idea what skills are a pre-requisite to sweep picking but I bet there are some."

Yes, I would recommend the fundamentals courses by Anders, Lisa or me.  Then you are ready for my series of tutorials on sweep picking from basic to intermediate and advanced.

Sweep Picking Series 1: The Basics
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial/985/

Sweep Picking Series 2: Expanding The Sweep
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial/1000/

Sweep Picking Series 3: Basic Applications
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial/1019/

Sweep Picking Series 4: More Applications
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial/1050/

Sweep Picking Series 5: Advanced Applications
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial/1055/

Sweep Picking Series 6: More Advanced Applications
https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial/1415/

You can also find those on my instructor directory.

https://www.guitartricks.com/instructors/155014

Hope that helps!

Dear Christopher, kindly excuse the tangent to the topic at hand, but is reading notation important if I'm just a hobbiest who wants to have fun and am more comfortable reading and learning through tab. Will it hinder my progress if I don't want to read standard notation? I see the fundamentals has both tab and standard notation and I really don't want to learn Every Good Boy Does Fine and Good Boys Do Fine Always as I used to play piano.

Thanks in advance for your response.

It depends on your goals.

You can get by with only learning & using tab.  Many guitarists (pro & hobbyist) do fine without reading standard notation.  The specific info missing from tab is the rhythm.  So as long as you can get the info from listening to the audio that's a possible workaround.

I always encourage students to at least understand notation.  Be able to look at it & understand what it is indicating.  You don't have to become a fluent sight reader.  That is certainly a higher level of time & effort!  But it can only benefit your overall musicianship to at least understand it & how it relates to what you play on the guitar.

Hope that helps!

yes christopher that helps but for the time being i only want to learn songs that i have listened to so many times that ifmy hands cooperate with me i'll have no trouble with rythm. but i understand why you want students to have a basic understanding of notation. makes me think of the scene from walk the line where june carters mother said "so many musicians dont know how to read sheet music nowadays". i dont want to become a session guitarist or play classical so i think i'll just watch the tutorials just as a refresher. thanks for your help.

You're welcome.

As always great information and feedback Christopher! By the way really enjoying your tutorials on triads. Great concepts to get under your fingers and learn more about traversing the fretboard. Thank you for all your dedication to helping us learn. It’s appreciated!

You're welcome.  Thanks for the compliment.

One quick question Christopher…in terms of notation as long as you can read the rhythm elements of the notation (which I can) you should be on the right track correct? I have seen tab that includes rhythm which was helpful but I guess as long as you have the notation above the tab it does not matter. 

Sure, that's helpful.

I have also seen tab that includes rhythmic notation.  That's a good solution for guitarists.  There is another important aspect of standard notation that makes it better than tab:  it makes the conceptual or theoretical elements easier to perceive.  It's literally easier to see how any given line or melody is certain scale degrees.  Or how groups of notes are phrases from a key signature.  Or which notes are accidentals.  Or to see chord tones as scale degrees or parts of a key signature.

Now, once you understand those conceptual elements of music it's not absolutely necessary to have them visible via notation.  But this is exactly the type of conceptualization with which guitarists typically struggle.  They know a shape on the fretboard or a "grip" with which to hold a chord shape.  And tab works great for that approach.  Combine that with the fact that the physical layout of the guitar makes it difficult to see the theory & this is exactly where standard notation can help a great deal.

I use both.  But I especially rely on standard notation when I'm learning a new piece or analyzing a piece.  Hope that makes sense!

That makes a lot of sense Christopher. That will be another step for me as I get further along in my journey. Really appreciate your perspective and knowledge. You do an outstanding job helping us aspiring guitarists make progress. I am 4 years into my journey at now 64 years old and I can see the progress I am making. I work on it every day and the consistency combined with following the lesson plan, not moving forward until I feel I really have the concept under my fingers and the help of instructors like you, Anders and Mike had made all the difference.

Onward we go.  All the best and thanks again for your quick and thoughtful responses. 

Good deal.  Sounds like you have a great plan & are motivated!  That's wonderful.  Best of success!