The Path
You don't play guitar with your fingers — you play it with your mind. One step at a time, in the right order. That's the whole trick.
LEVEL 1
First Music
Five chords, real songs, zero theory. Satisfaction first.
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- Two chords, real musicEm and Am — the friendliest chords on the instrument.
- The money pair: G and CThese two chords are in more songs than any others. Fact.
- Three chords, a thousand songsG, C and D together unlock most of country, folk and rock.
- Your first songStart to finish. No stopping. This is the whole point.
- A and E join the bandFive chord shapes now — the same five the pros never stop using.
- Prove it: the four-chord songG, D, Em, C — the progression half of pop music is built on.
LEVEL 2
The Alphabet
12 notes, one recipe, three-note chords. The whole language.
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- The 12-note alphabetMusic has fewer letters than English. You already know people who learned English.
- The major scale recipeT-T-S-T-T-T-S. One recipe, twelve keys, most of Western music.
- Chords are just three notesRoot, third, fifth. Flatten the third and it gets sad.
- Prove it: the circle progressionG – Em – Am – D. Now you know why these four sound inevitable together.
LEVEL 3 PRO
Patterns & Progressions
Keys, Roman numerals, and why chords travel in families.
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- Distances, not notesIntervals are the most important idea in all of music theory.
- The chord familyStack thirds on each scale degree and seven chords fall out. Every key. Same pattern.
- Roman numerals: the transposing trickDescribe a song by numbers and you can play it in any key. Instantly.
- One scale, seven doorsModes explain 50–75% of the songs you know. Seriously.
- The chord inside the scaleThe scale that goes with a chord is the scale that has that chord inside it.
- Prove it: the ii–V–IThe most-played progression in jazz history. Now it’s numbers to you, not magic.
LEVEL 4 PRO
Color & Expression
Minor keys, pentatonics, blues, and the CAGED map.
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- vi becomes iEvery major key hides a minor key inside it. Three words unlock it.
- Five notes, zero wrong onesThe pentatonic scale: the major scale with the risky notes removed.
- The 12-bar ritualOne extra note turns the pentatonic into the blues. One form carries a century of music.
- The CAGED mapFive open shapes you already know, repeating up the neck forever.
- Prove it: quick-change bluesThe 12-bar with a twist in bar two. Feel the form well enough to be surprised by it.
LEVEL 5 PRO
Mastery
Modes, extended chords, modulation. Analyze anything.
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- The other four doorsLydian floats, Phrygian glowers. Time to meet the rest of the family.
- Chords wearing jewelrySevenths and beyond: the same triads, dressed for evening.
- Around the circle in 12 keysModulation: how songs change keys without anyone falling over.
- Trust your earsYou don’t solo with your fingers. You solo with your mind and your ears.
- Prove it: Autumn ChangesSeven chords, two key centers, zero panic. Analyze it, then play it.