What's Your Plan?
Hello again Fretlight players! In this post, I’d like to touch on one of the most important parts of getting the most out of your Fretlight learning experience. After working with the Fretlight system for several years, and using it with students of many different levels, I’ve found that the single most important thing that you must do is to figure out what your goals are as a player. Are you a complete beginner? Maybe a novice player with a little experience? Maybe you’ve been playing for a while but you’re just a rhythm player, or maybe you’ve been playing for many years and want to really challenge yourself. Is your main goal to learn your favorite songs? Or learn some new chords? Maybe you’ve always played chords but have never played lead, and now you want to learn. Maybe you play lead but only using the Blues Scale, and learn some new sounds. In my experience, no matter where you are as far as your experience level, the first thing to do is come up with a set of goals. If you’re not sure what your goals are, here’s a short list of some of the goals that I give my students based on their experience and ability:
Complete Beginner:
Complete Beginner:
- learn the names of the notes in the Musical Alphabet and the names of the 6 strings
- practice playing notes on each string using the open position
- develop basic technique skills with fretting and picking
- learn how to count and play different rhythms
- learn the most common open position chords (Major, Minor, 7th)
- practice strumming chords and progressions
- learn several basic songs using single notes, chords, or combinations of both
If you are a Fretlight guitarist that falls in this category, you will find that all of the ideas listed above are covered in Lesson Pak 1 for the Fretlight Lesson Player as well the Beginning Guitar 101 and 102 videos for Fretlight Video Player. There are also many “beginner” level songs available to practice with Fretlight M-Player. (All of these programs are part of the Fretlight Studio Software).
Novice Player/Some Experience:
- practice playing and naming notes up and down each string using the chromatic scale
- develop better accuracy, speed, and dexterity using combinations of different technique exercises (both fretting and picking hand exercises)
- learn how to count and play more complex rhythms
- learn new types of chords as well as new voicings of more familiar chords
- practice new types of chord articulation including arpeggios
- practice using these new chords and techniques in progressions
- learn and practice new songs using these elements
Many of these ideas are covered in Lesson Paks 2 and 3 as well as the “Rhythm Guitar Essentials” and “Rhythm Guitar Expanded” video courses. There are also a wide variety of M-Player songs that are based on applying these new ideas to REAL MUSIC.
Before I continue with my list, remember that everyone is different, and not everyone is looking to get the same types of things out of their playing. A big part of my job is finding out where someone is with their playing ability and knowledge, find out what they want to achieve, how long they think it will take to reach their goal, and how hard they are willing to work at it. Every student is different, and not everyone is aspiring to be a world famous guitarist. The one thing that DOES tie everyone together is their love of music, regardless of their own personal goals.
Before I continue with my list, remember that everyone is different, and not everyone is looking to get the same types of things out of their playing. A big part of my job is finding out where someone is with their playing ability and knowledge, find out what they want to achieve, how long they think it will take to reach their goal, and how hard they are willing to work at it. Every student is different, and not everyone is aspiring to be a world famous guitarist. The one thing that DOES tie everyone together is their love of music, regardless of their own personal goals.
So, on with the list:
Rhythm Player With Moderate Experience:
- learn the notes and intervals of the Major Scale
- learn to recognize Major Scales from different Keys
- learn how chords are built using combinations of different intervals
- introduction to Triads and Diatonic Harmony
- introduction to Triads and Diatonic Harmony
- begin developing a vocabulary of style elements and techniques such as legato, sliding, bending and vibrato
- continue to develop better accuracy, speed, and dexterity using technique exercises
- practice scale phrases that incorporate these techniques
- development of more complex rhythmic ideas
- practice combining chord progressions with scale melodies
- learn and practice new songs using these elements
Intermediate Player With Rhythm And Lead Experience:
- learn the learn Cycle of 5ths / Cycle of Keys
- learn to recognize the key of a song based on chord progressions or scale melodies
- practice Major Scale forms up and down the fretboard
- practice Pentatonic and Blues Scale forms up and down the fretboard
- begin to develop improvisational skills
- continue to develop better accuracy, speed, and dexterity using technique exercises
- introduction to ear training
- further development of more complex rhythmic ideas
- practicing as well as composing music using these new elements
Experienced Player:
- Major Scale, Minor Scale, and Modal playing in every position as well as linear
- Non-Diatonic chord progressions and modulations
- chord families with extensions / alterations
- advanced chord voicing, inversion and voice leading concepts
- further development of improvisational skills
- continue to develop better accuracy, speed, and dexterity using technique exercises
- more advanced ear training including transcription
- further development of more complex rhythmic ideas
- introduction to new scale types and sounds
- introduction to new scale types and sounds
- practicing as well as composing music using these new elements
Like I mentioned earlier, everyone I teach is different, and not everyone is looking for the same results. I teach many students that have no interest in being lead guitarists at all, they just want to be able to play the chords to the songs that they love. Other students want to study music theory, some want to get better at playing with other musicians or with a band, some want to get faster with their technique, etc. etc. My point is that each lesson plan that I come up with is based on the students own goals. Once you have a roadmap to work with, it becomes much easier to see how to get where you want to go. The first step in becoming a successful Fretlight guitarist is to have a plan and stick to it - Good Luck!
Nate
Got one of these for my son recently. Couldn't be happier!
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Great overview, Nate!
Your list for complete beginners is flawless. Note names, picking, rhythm, common chords, strumming, then basic songs...good stuff for sure.
Thanks!
Kyle
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Great blog helpful for beginner.
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You sure did nail stuff for the beginning and novice players that most overlook. I've found that even just an AWARENESS of musical notation and how to read musical rhythms can put a new player leaps and bounds ahead of others.
It's that technical grasp that helps to push ahead at faster rates I've found.
Great post!
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Great Article! The breakdown of the different steps in each level is very helpful, as is the advice on being aware of what you want out of the guitar and not projecting your desires onto others who want something different from their musical experience than you do.
Along those lines, I hear Fretlight is a great complete system for learning how to play. If there are any of you out there that are just looking for beginner guitar lessons , at RhythmStrummer.com we have a great system of easy guitar songs and acoustic guitar lessons that can be used in union with the Fretlight system for players who are interested in guitar lessons for beginners . Thanks for the great article, your advice and breakdown is very helpful.
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great article for me. where can i get the following for free
-develop better accuracy, speed, and dexterity using combinations of different technique exercises (both fretting and picking hand exercises)
- learn how to count and play more complex rhythms
- new types of chord articulation including arpeggios
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