How to learn Guitar: Free, practical roadmap.

Around 2015, I started taking guitar lessons. I bought a $36 guitar and some thin picks. Fast forward, I play like Guthrie today. Just kidding!

For software, roadmap.sh has free roadmaps (it's freemium now I guess), but for guitar, you're left wondering.

I've spent many years looking into guitar lessons, courses, and advice online. I've had many teachers, and I've taken lessons in drums and other instruments. I've also taught guitar to many students.

This post gives you a checklist of things to learn; the order makes sense to me, but you absolutely do not have to tick one before you try the next. In fact, it's great if you go back when you get confused by something later on. Jump around, see the linked resources. (everything is free)

Roadmap

1. You need a guitar and some picks.

Your friend's guitar won't do. You need your own guitar, it needs to have strings, and it needs to be tuned. Get a used acoustic if you don't have one & get it checked by a guitar tech.

You don't need expensive gear- anything playable will work for learning; but avoid the absolute cheapest because they are often harder to play.

You don't even need a tuner (you can use free apps on your phone).

2. Here's what the journey looks like.

Keep your expectations real. You won't play like Kiko Loureiro or Guthrie Govan in a year or two, or even a decade. It takes a lifetime of discipline. I'm not here to discourage you. But, you'll definitely get better, enough to impress yourself some day. The goal is not to "play like X" but to have fun while being yourself.

In a week, you'll get used to holding the guitar.
In a month - you'll understand how the guitar is tuned, play melodies.
By month 3, you'll have be changing between chords and start singing along. Keep in mind- playing guitar and singing are different things - so you won't automatically get better at the other if you aren't actively trying to get better at both.
Around 3-6 months, you'll get used to strumming and try new patterns; you'll learn scales, maybe alternate picking and play a few songs comfortably.
In a year, you'll know names like Rob Scallon, Justin Guitar, Jared Dines, Paul Davids, Ichika Nito and Tim Henson. You can play many songs, hear about intervals, but you don't understand transposing and modes just yet.
Years 2-10, You'll start to value structured practice and start writing songs of your own. Maybe you play out more often. You get deep into modes, ear training, and learning fingerstyle arrangements (if it's interesting to you). You'll be learning across several genres, so you might be learning what style of music you like and want to play.

It doesn't end when you learn the basics. The final boss - expressing yourself with guitar is a lifelong sidequest, and very rewarding. The journey may not turn you into an impressive musician, but it changes how you view yourself. You stick to it for long enough and you become a very confident bastard! + what you've learned on guitar (theory) transfers to every other instrument, so it's like a cheat code!

3. Where do I start?

First, write down a goal. Maybe you want to learn a Coldplay song. Maybe you want to write a song. Maybe you want to impress your girlfriend. Or yourself. All good reasons. When writing your goal, be specific. "Learn to play guitar" is a bad goal. "I will learn Yellow by Coldplay in two months" is better.

But if you decide to learn guitar (or any instrument), you'll need to be committed. You won't need to practice daily or for hours, but expect to put in an hour (or two) of practice every week. And give yourself 90 days of actual practice (not a day before that) before you decide it's not for you.

Courses- should you take them? I can't say. You learn to ride by trying to ride the bike - watching a Stanford lecture on riding a bike won't help. Same thing. Don't take them unless you know you're absolutely sure you will do what the course tells you to do. Watching it won't make you a better player. Practicing (with a metronome, from 2nd month onwards) will.

In-person lessons? Yes. A teacher will fix your playing. Even if you're broke, try to have others see you play often (could ask your friends or anybody who plays)- this helps a lot. Join r/guitar, r/guitarbeginners, r/learnguitar and groups on facebook. See what others talk about. Ask questions. Share your achievements. Post your covers. We don't care how bad your singing is. Don't skip this.

Ask yourself:

What is my goal? When? How will I know I've made it?

4. You can tune your guitar. You can play D. You're a guitarist!

Get used to your guitar, learn the string names, learn to tune your guitar, learn open chords (G, D, A, E). Did you know there are only 12 notes in music?

Great idea to look at some drum videos that talk about time. Learn what quarter notes, eighth notes and 16th notes are, more importantly what they sound like.

Resources:

Don't worry about the fretboard just yet.

Learn one song you like. Two chords is fine. Doesn't have to sound great.

Ask yourself:

Can I tune my guitar, play some chords, count time and play one song (however badly)?

5. Your neighbors have to hear you play.

This one's a well-guarded secret. Play louder. Play during odd hours. Remember the horrible things they did in the past; it's payback time. This pleases guitar gods.

Seriously though, make your friends and family sit through your playing. Record yourself. Post more. We're sick of AI posts; we'll be happy to see you play.

6. Find your way around the neck

You'll have to learn the notes on your fretboard. Start with the 6th and 5th strings.

Then a scale in one octave (C major scale is a useful one). See how octave shapes change across the strings. Learn the range of your guitar. And learn where all the C notes lie on your fretboard.

Resources:

Ask yourself:

Can I play power chords, play a barre chord, and understand how a capo works?

7. Scales, chords- it gets easier right after this.

Start with intervals. It's the building block of everything in music. Learn what a scale is, how to form chords, and what chords fit a certain scale. And why circle of fifths can be helpful.

Resources:

Major scale, start with C major
forming chords (major, minor, sus2, sus4, maj7, dominant7, min7)

A scale is important because it lets you understand what you're playing.

For example, the chords in C major:

C  Dm  Em  F  G  Am  Bdim
I  ii  iii IV V  vi  vii°

The numbers tell you the role of each chord in the key. Want to recreate the sound? Just use the same formula. Works on any instrument.

Ask yourself:

Can I form a major scale, identify its degrees, and write a progression in C with Roman numerals?

8. Musical control, fun part

Time to have some fun with eighth and 16th rhythms. Try changing chords with a metronome, bending and vibrato, and record yourself (and check what sounds wrong).

Resources:

Chordbot Lite (free app)

Ask yourself:

What song do I want to play? Can I play it completely?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW-VRsOeIwM

9. Make it yours

Now that you've got many basics covered, it's time to go skill hunting.

Learn to transpose songs, solo with chord tones, improvise over chord changes, get into modes, play fills tastefully, arrange songs, use chord extensions, try tapping. Try DADGAD - it's a fun tuning.

Focus on building a repertoire of songs you like. Learn to play them in different keys, different styles, and try writing your own.

10. Inspirations.

I think it's easy to get lost in all there to learn. It's very important to listen to pieces you like and love. Doesn't have to be guitar either. Stay inspired.

Here's some:

Myths.

I need to practice/play fast -- Nope. You play fast by practicing slow. Focus on relaxed movements. Control > speed.
I can ignore theory; hendrix didn't know scales -- Play songs while learning theory- it's not that hard.
I don't care about intervals, I want to play music. -- Understandable, but an interval is the alphabet of music. Learning music takes time, requires patience.
Learning more songs is better. -- Not always. It's a good idea to master ONE song rather than learning just the chorus of a dozen songs.

We're done!

I think this roadmap covers many things you need to know. You can always take detours, but if you want to get good at guitar, picking a guitar (+ learning theory) is the only way. It's going to take years, so keep it fun.