Craig’s Guitar Learning Map

01Verify, don’t re-learnAttack & tone audit1–2 sessions0/7

You have watched this lesson. Spend one or two sessions proving that the ideas are available in your hands.

Play one four-note phrase soft → medium → hard → soft without changing tempo.Listen for three genuinely different levels, not just “normal” and “loud.” 3:02

Move from open notes to a clear palm mute and back without losing the pulse.The hand sits near the bridge; it should dampen, not kill, the note. 4:40

Make the same phrase sound bright at the bridge and warm near the neck.Record it. The contrast should be obvious with your eyes closed. 7:00

Demonstrate the difference between a free stroke and a rest stroke.Use the rest stroke for one deliberate, heavy accent. 12:46

Use a snapped note as an intentional exclamation point.One musical use is enough; this is color, not a speed exercise. 17:43

Create a controlled pinch-harmonic color at least three times.Optional if it does not fit the music you want to play. 20:09

Record 30 seconds with at least three intentional tone changes.Name each choice before listening back: dynamics, mute, location, stroke or fingers. 25:42

Proof gate

Pass when a listener can hear at least three intentional sound changes without watching your right hand.

Evidence / note to future Craig

02Priority oneMake the groove survive everything2–3 weeks0/8

Your right hand becomes the clock. Chords, omissions and accents sit inside the motion instead of interrupting it.

Keep a continuous eighth-note pendulum for two minutes at 80 BPM.Downstrokes on numbers, upstrokes on “and.” Count aloud. 14:00

Omit selected strokes without stopping the hand.The hand still passes the strings silently where the missing stroke belongs. 6:01

Move one audible accent through all eight eighth-note positions.Stay on one chord so the accent is the only changing variable. 2:00

Play the same pattern straight and swung on command.The tempo stays put; only the subdivision feel changes. 6:01

Push a chord change onto the “and” without arriving early afterward.Feel the next downbeat as a continuation, not a reset. 10:00

Add palm muting or dead strokes while the pulse stays even.Treat attack as part of rhythm, not decoration added later. 14:01

Hold a two-chord groove for two minutes with no visible restart.Record it. Listen for drift at every chord change. 18:01

Tap a foot or move your body with the pulse while playing.The physical pulse should continue through mistakes. 24:00

Proof gate

Pass when someone else can point to your accent and keep moving to your two-chord groove for two minutes.

Evidence / note to future Craig

03Priority twoMake the scales say something3–4 weeks0/10

Stop proving that you know the map. Use fewer notes, hear the home note, repeat ideas and leave space.

Find and name every root inside two adjacent pentatonic positions.Do this in A minor first; the roots are your landing lights. 8:03

Improvise for one minute using only three notes.No scale runs. The restriction forces rhythm and intention. 2:00

Leave at least four clearly audible rests in a one-minute solo.A rest must feel chosen, not like you got lost. 6:04

Create a short motif, repeat it, then alter only its ending.Hum the motif before you play the answer. 10:04

Play one pitch as quarter notes, eighths, syncopations and swing.Prove that phrasing can exist before pitch choice. 14:00

Land on the chord root at three planned chord changes.Do not chase every change; choose three arrivals and mean them. 8:03

Use the same notes while making C major and A minor each feel like home.The tonal center—not the pattern—must change. 4:03

Connect two scale positions in the middle of a phrase.Cross the boundary for a musical reason, not to tour the neck. 8:03

Play the same three-note idea four recognizably different ways.Change rhythm, dynamics, articulation, slide, bend or vibrato. 30:01

Record a one-minute solo with a beginning, development and resolution.Listen back the next day and name the moment each section begins. 21:04

Proof gate

Pass when a one-minute solo contains space, a repeated motif, a clear root arrival and an ending that sounds intentional.

Evidence / note to future Craig

04Connect the earsHear the chords under the scale2–3 weeks0/7

Use one key as a laboratory. Learn what the backing progression is asking for before adding more scale vocabulary.

Play and name the seven diatonic chords in C major.C Dm Em F G Am Bdim; say the Roman numerals too. 2:00

Recall the major–minor–minor–major–major–minor–diminished pattern.Use it to rebuild the chord family without looking. 6:01

Play the same chord family with C, then A minor, feeling like home.Explain what changed even though the chord set did not. 12:01

Create three four-chord loops in C and write their Roman numerals.Make each loop have a different emotional pull. 4:00

Target the root of each chord over one slow loop.Use only one or two connecting notes between targets. 34:12

Target a third on at least two chord changes.Hear how the third states major or minor more clearly than the root. 34:12

Sing a target note before finding it on the guitar.Accuracy can be rough at first; the ear-to-hand direction is the practice. 3:09

Proof gate

Pass when your line acknowledges the chord changes even if the backing track is turned down very low.

Evidence / note to future Craig

05Turn practice into musicOne progression, many jobs2 weeks0/6

Use one four-chord loop all week. Change one musical dimension at a time, then combine them.

Choose one four-chord loop and keep it for the entire stage.Familiar harmony leaves attention available for groove and phrasing. 2:00

Create three rhythm approaches for the same loop.Change accents, density and space—not just strumming patterns. 8:05

Add a bass movement that leads into at least two chords.Keep the groove primary; the bass line serves the arrival. 12:00

Play the progression in a second area of the neck.Use partial voicings if full grips make the rhythm stiff. 22:00

Add one repeatable ornament or fill without breaking time.If the groove stops, simplify the fill. 28:00

Record rhythm and lead takes that sound like the same piece of music.Reuse rhythmic motifs and leave room for the imaginary other part. 40:00

Proof gate

Pass when rhythm, fill and lead versions share the same pulse and musical identity.

Evidence / note to future Craig

06CapstoneLearn and arrange one song by ear1–2 weeks0/6

Choose a simple song you actually like. Use the recording first; reach for tabs only to verify after you have made a real attempt.

Find the chord bass notes by singing and searching one string. 3:09

Decide whether each chord is major or minor from the melody and sound. 6:01

Play the full song with a plain, unbroken rhythmic frame.No decoration until the map and pulse are stable. 9:03

Write the form and mark repeated sections. 42:22

Arrange a clear beginning, dynamic arc, solo space and ending. 48:18

Record one complete take without stopping for a mistake.The evidence is a musical performance, not a perfect one. 52:45

Proof gate

Complete when you can play a full personal arrangement with a clear pulse, shape and ending.

Evidence / note to future Craig

You know the shapes.
Now make them speak.

Today’s practice card

Already credited

The learning map

Later, when the music asks