Guitar skills By Level for Rock Guitarists
In today's online guitar lessons, Craig Winston, Classical Guitarist, provides a useful checklist for any guitarist to keep track of their progress.
A few notes on progressing with your guitar skills.
Firstly, while this is a somewhat long list, it is by no means exhaustive and it is based very much on my own experience and musical path. So you will note an absent of terms that might be common to players of different world music like flamenco, or others for say bluegrass.
That being said, I believe the more music you play, the more music you learn, the better you can be at whatever genre you desire. Musical sense comes from musical experience. This list was also put together per the curiosity of a student learning rock guitar, so you'll note an emphasis on those skills vs. classical.
Beginner Guitar Skills
- String names and string numbers
- Concept of half steps and whole steps on the guitar
- Tuning using the 5th fret system, tuning using a tuner or app, tuning to another guitar
- Power Chords
- Cowboy chords
- Simple versions of F, Fm, B, Bm
- How to read TAB and chord diagrams
- Basic hammer on and pull-off
- Bending notes
- Sliding notes
- Vibrato
- Pentatonic scale, blues scale, 2-string pentatonic scale
- How to strum, how to alternate pick
- know a dozen or more beginner songs/riffs
- Open hand playing using p, i, m (and occasionally a)
- Note reading in positions I and II
- Playing single line melodies and two voice studies from a notated score.
- know at least one beginner level guitar solo such as “Paranoid” for rock guitar player's or “Sor's Waltz” (jazz/plectrum)
Intermediate Guitar Skills
- Tuning using octave relationships and natural harmonics
- Natural harmonics + pinch harmonics (artificial harmonics)
- Octave Power chords
- Triad shapes
- Barre Chords
- Seventh Chords (open position and as barre chords)
- all 7 modes of the major scale
- All 5 positions of the pentatonic & blues scales
- chromatic scale
- the idea of moveable shapes
- 3 notes per string scale patterns
- note reading + fretboard knowledge
- music theory: basics up to how we build chords and scales
- alternate picking at faster speeds
- tremolo picking
- right hand tapping techniques
- left hand legato basics
- extensive repertoire of music from beginner and intermediate level
- Transcribe by ear
- improvisation in blues and rock styles. growing knowledge of jazz
- playing in a band
- regular performances once per month
Advanced Guitar Skills
- Tuning using whole guitar reference points
- Extended natural harmonics, touch or artificial harmonics
- All major, minor scales and modes
- 3 octave scale patterns
- arpeggios in single, double, and three octaves
- jazz chords, an ever developing vocabulary of chords
- sweep picking
- economy picking
-
finger picking
- hybrid picking
- String skipping
- extensive rhythmic vocabulary
- polyphonic playing (melody over chords, walking bass with chords, or solo guitar arrangements)
- Fluent note reading
- ability to play multiple styles and genres, emulate techniques of other players.
- precise transcription by ear (able to hear differences in technical approach)
- Two hands tapping
- repertoire of advanced solo pieces for your genre of focus (i.e. major solos by Marty Friedman, Petrucci, Vai; or Joe Pass, Alan Holdsworth; or Bach, Lauro, Barrios, etc.)
- improvisation in blues, rock, metal, jazz, and advancing knowledge of world music, baroque, or other styles beyond popular American improv.
- Sound music theory knowledge, equivalent to college level training. Understanding jazz theory or classical theory in application to your genre of focus.
- Extended technique such as percussive guitar, special pedal effects, whammy bar expression, Flamenco technique, etc.
- playing lead in a band or performing solo events.
- very regular performances (multiple per week…hopefully)
It's important to follow the guidance of a teacher if you have ambitions of reaching advanced level. With so much material available to learn, and such a wide application for the guitar, regular lessons can help you stay on track and avoid gaps in your knowledge.