Level 0 1. Learn how to hold the guitar & pick 2. Learn the different parts of the guitar 3. Learn basic strumming, such as up and down strums 4. Learn how to pick & fret single notes 5. Learn the names of all six strings 6. Learn basic guitar maintenance, namely how to tune your guitar 7. Learn what a note is, and which notes make up a chord 8. Learn what a key is 9. Learn basic intervals, namely what is a half step versus a whole step Level 1 1. Play basic open chords: E, Eminor, A, A minor, G, C, D 2. Strum in time, count, play different note values 3. Do some very basic guitar maintenance namely how to change your strings 4. Recommended songs to learn: (basic strumming, or one-string songs) For What Its Worth: Buffalo Springfield Wagon Wheel: Darius Rucker Smoke on the Water: Deep Purple Seven Nation Army: White Stripes Iron Man: Black Sabbath Level 2 1. Learn Right Hand technique of all alternate picking 2. First Position Pentatonic Scale -> Minor Pentatonic Scale 3. Learn all notes of Fretboard up to the 5th Fret 4. Learn what syncopation is, how to count different beat subdivisions 5. Recommended songs to learn: Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd Running Down a Dream - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers House of the Rising Sun - The Animals Highway to Hell - AC/DC Hurt - Johnny Cash Level 3 1. Second Position Pentatonic Scale - Major Pentatonic Scale 2. Barre Chords - F Major, B Minor- Leading to playing barre chords with 5th & 6th String roots 3. Minor and Major versions of those barre chords 4. Know all the notes on the fretboard 5. Start Soloing over backing tracks (good one - “now you shred”) Samples to solo over: Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits Layla - Eric Clapton Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin Level 4 1. Learn all 5 positions of the pentatonic scale (Just 3 new ones) 2. Learn Major and Minor Diatonic Scale 3. Learn to play Seventh Chords -> Major, Minor, Dominant & Half-Diminished 4. Play all seventh chords with roots on the fifth & sixth strings 5. Play with Bends, Vibrato, Hammer-ons & pull-offs 6. Natural & Pinch harmonics 7. Music Theory: How to build Scales, Triads 8. Learn how sevenths apply to Triads 9: Recommended: (people often) Get a Guitar Instructor at this level Level 4.5 1. Learn to Harmonize the minor scale 2. Harmonize the Major Scale - Core Word Scale, order of the Triads 3. Learn the Nashville Number System *Extremely Important* 4. Familiarize yourself with really common chord progressions 5. Learn the functions of different chords Level 5 1. Learn the Modes 2. Learn all the Intervals 3. Learn the CAGED system 4. Learn the arpeggios within the CAGED system 5. Learn to identify triads within the CAGED arpeggios 6. Learn Major seventh, Minor seventh, Dominant seventh, Half diminished arpeggios with fifth and sixth string roots 7. Add the seventh to your CAGED arpeggios 8. Learn the theory behind the Modes 9. Learn how chord tones can be used in a solo or melody to accentuate chords already in the song 10. Learn about Compound Time Signatures Level 6 1. Understand Chord Extensions beyond the seventh 2. Focus on learning how to add ninth, eleventh & thirteenth to your chords -> *Heavy Jazz Concept* 3. Learn the Melodic minor scale, as well as its modes and arpeggios 4. Learn the Harmonic minor scale, as well as its modes and arpeggios 5. Learn this one very important mode of the harmonic minor scale: the diminished scale 6. Lessons often stopped at this level

I’ve been playing random songs I liked on guitar for a good couple years, but never felt like I could say I was making any substantial progress. I REALLY like having a checkpoint kind of system I can look at to know what to learn, so this is awesome - and the storyline you threaded through the video is super fun.

I nearly fell out of my chair after realizing this is a new and small channel. The depth of explanation and production quality is insane. Keep it up and your channel will grow tremendously!

Dude, this is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for. There’s so much information online it’s overwhelming. I don’t know where I should be, what I should be learning, what I should know and might still have yet to learn. Having a comprehensive checklist like this helps so much and gives me actual, tangible tasks and goals to focus on so I can really get started on my journey learning this instrument. Thank you!

Drinking game: take a drink every time he raises one eyebrow

After years of trying to learn guitar, you've shown me I was jumping around all over the place with what I was learning. No wonder I felt like I was hitting walls. I'm hopeful again man, thank you for this

Nah bro, would've never believed you have just 500 subs💀 that storytelling, that editing, that amount of work in this video is really something different. Good job, mate! You've honestly earned yourself a new sub and definitely, not even close to the last. Thank you for your service!

So basically you’re telling me I’ve been at level 0 for the past decade…thanks for summing up in a concise video the level of progression.

You know you've been consuming guitar content wrong when you've learned something mentioned from every level :'') Thanks for such a guide!! This is super helpful :))

Being a guitarist for almost 15 years now, I gonna use your convincing approach as a check list to fill the knowledge gaps I’ve always been living with. Good job 👏 Your effort is highly appreciated.

being a self taught guitarist, this is exactly the kind of information i was looking for: an order to know what to learn or to know where you'd place techniques in a categorization of levels and skill mastery. Now i know where to start. Thank you so much and i wish you all the best for the growth of this channel

as a beginner w severe anxiety who worries about missing things and knows shit about music, id like to THANK YOU for this. its insane how this knowledge is rare to see freely online

Step 1: Buy a guitar Step 2: Give up because it's too hard Step 3: Get a bass Step 4: Pretend that bass is as cool as guitar

I have been looking everywhere to see if I could find a clear roadmap of things I could learn since I've reached a plateau in my playing, but still feel as if I'm not quite where I want to be yet. This video has come in just at the right time, as I started playing guitar less and less due to my frustrations. Thank you dude, I think you might have saved my guitar journey :)

THANK YOU! I’ve always been told to just play guitar more and I’ll “figure it out” but I finally feel like the questions I’ve always had are being answered. Your videos are EXACTLY what I didn’t know I needed and it’s unlocking the magic of music for me. I’m so grateful! You’re making a difference man!

As an instructor myself this video is so incredible! I’ll definitely be sharing it with prospective students and people just generally interested in learning ⚡️

Bro that storytelling! Loved your dramatic intro. And the little jokes. And camerawork&lighting. I hope your channel keeps growing! Don't forget to buy enough bags to store money in.

i have been playing guitar for almost 5-6 years now and im at level 4 now. i was very confused about what to do next as i can play a lot of things at this point and most videos here have been aimed at a level that doesnt challenge me anymore. thank you so much for providing me a checklist!!! it has renewed my passion to learn more!! YOU ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB!!

You are awesome bro! I have been confused for so long but you gave me incredible clarity. Keeping shining and I pray for your continuing success! Cheers.

This is so extremely helpful! So much information out there makes it really confusing but the way you put it makes it seems so much more easier to know where to start

This is probably the best guitar learning video I’ve ever seen, I’m self taught, but had no idea what to learn next. This video is going to help me so much in my journey. Like, I had never thought to learn the notes up to the fifth fret.

This is the video I have been looking for for years, I have been stuck at around the 4th/5th level for a good 3-4 years with no idea what to learn next. There is just a sea of information out there and this video has given me a map to work with. Thank you for all the effort you put into this video and sharing your knowledge simply because you want to see others succeed.

Dude, this is exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you for taking the time to make this video, and being so comedic through it!! CHEERS!

omg, thankyou so so so much. honestly, being someone that likes having tasks and organize myself and have points to follow and steps to kinda figure out where i have to start, what to work with again and all, and this was incredibly necessary. got my sub

This is awesome. I had a great guitar player as an instructor but he let me lead the lessons so I know bits of levels 0 to 4 but have gaps in each. This helped me understand those gaps and shaped my path forward.

Dude, thank you...this is exactly what I needed. I started about 18 months ago and on your scale I'd probably land on the line inbetween 2 and 3, but I've been stuck in a groove and wondering where I need to go next. Also production on this is very good, WAY above 448 followers... this channel will rocket 🚀

Thank you ! I agree with you about the importance of guitar lesson structure. Your time and sharing your talents is greatly appreciated by many.

this is genuinely the most helpful video on the steps of guitar. everything else is too broad. i really love how you did this thank you

I've felt pretty stuck for some months, and I've just been learning new things here and there, and this roadmap is definitely helpful, I've totally gotten a little bit of every level, I'm coming up on my second year playing, and I'm coming up on about a level three, so that's pretty comforting that I'm still progressing. Will totally check in on this video periodically to see where I'm at and if I hit another brick wall where I need to go next. Thanks man =] peace and love, hope ur channel continues to grow.

2 weeks in to learning and I didn't really have any solid goals set for myself. I appreciate your insight and will try and build a curriculum for myself based off this video, thanks!

thank you so much! I really needed this guidance. It's one of the most helpful videos I've seen in awhile.

Kevin, you are right in your introduction about the merry-go-round of trying to organize how to learn the guitar in what order. I have already watched a couple more of your videos, and each one gave me needed tools to work with. But this video in particular is what every future guitarist needs to know and thanks to you ,now I do,thank you so much.I am a subscriber. See you in the next video.

Thank you. This is exactly the sort of information that I should have been told decades ago. I've since gotten myself past the wall, but have to congratulate you on not only sharing this but doing it in such a clever and insightful way.

the quality of the video is absolutely stunning! Amazing job dude, your channel deserves a lot more

Thank you so much. This means the world to me, to have found this. Zooming out and understanding what is necessary to where you are at in your playing is wisdom applied. Thank you so much Kevin. All the best.

This is gold. Thank you for taking the time to make this video! Cheers!

I'm a beginner, but I started with learning how to change my strings (after buying a used guitar with two strings missing). 😊 This is the best guitar instruction channel that I have found: concise, logical, and you have a great sense of humour. 👍🎸

Kevin my friend. This is one of the most important videos in my life. Thank you. I have been trying to play guitar since 2015. Just not been able to focus. I got my shit together last year and just practiced random stuff. I developed a relationship with the guitar first. Just playing whatever. A haphazard manner of learning lol just mixing all the 6 levels. But now I can follow this beautiful roadmap. Great job man, I subbed. Will check out your other stuff. Thank god for the Internet and people like you!

Didn´t know i needed this Video :) ! Thank you, it´s nice to have a roadmap of what to learn.

I LOVE the way you explain things dude! Thanks a bunch for this, I've been playing for about a year but I'm just getting to level two now

Thank you so much for this, ive felt lost for my entire guitar journey and this short video has helped immensely. Thank you again. You've earned a sub.

Love this video! Can’t wait for the series!

Kevin, the information and insights you shared are very valuable and useful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience on the subject matter.

Thanks for your video. There is so much unstructured material on the internet that overwhelms the beginner to the point of abandoning... A video like this works great as a roadmap. I´ve been in Level 1 for several years on and off. I´m motivated to start again and follow your levels. Keep the good work!

Ive been stuck in level 2-3 for 2 years now since im incredibly inconsistent and i never know what songs to play or what to learn next. Thank you for making this video, this makes me want to play the guitar again ❤

Dude I appreciate you and this video so much. I feel like I have sifted thru hours upon hours of BS to finally just get a simple, concise list of what I need to learn and the proper order/layout to get where I want to be in regards to learning to slay on my super sick axe of shredding and sometimes country pickin. Thank you so much!

Love the video man! I took some notes and will be following your plan. Thanks for the content!

My dude, you rock!! Thank you for sharing these insights!!

You're on a path to greatness my friend!

Beginner: How to hold the guitar How to hold the pick Parts of the guitar Names of all strings + Up strums and down strums How to fret a single note How to pick a single note How to tune the guitar: What is a note? How many notes are there? What is a Chord What is a key? What is a half step? What is a whole step? Level 1: Basic open chords: E, E Minor A, A Minor. G, C, D How to strum in time. Count/Play note values How to change strings Songs: For what it's worth - Buffalo Springfield Wagon Wheel - Darius Rucker Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple Seven nation army - The White Stripes Iron Man - Black Sabbath Level 2: Alternate Picking 1st Position Pentatonic Scale (Minor Pentatonic Scale) All notes up to the 5th Fret What is syncopation? How to count beat subdivisions Songs: Sweet home Alabama: - Lynyrd Skynyrd Running Down A Dream - Tom Pretty House of the rising sun - The Animals Highway to hell - Ac/Dc Hurt - Johnny Cash Level 3: 2nd Position Pentatonic Scale (Major Pentatonic Scale Bar/Barre Chords (F major, B minor) Play Barre Chords with 5th and 6th string roots (Minor and Major) Learn all the notes on the fretboard Solo over backing tracks Songs: Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits Layla - God And The Dominos Wish you were here - Pinky Floyd Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin Level 4: All 5 Positions Of The Pentatonic Scale Major and Minor Diatonic Scales How to play 7th chords Bends Vibrato Hammer-ons Pull offs Natural Harmonics Pinch Harmonics How to build a major scale How to Build a Triad How do 7ths relate to Triads How to Harmonize The Major Scale The Nashville Number system Chord Progressions Functions of Chords Recommended to get a guitar teacher at this point Songs: Any song. If your level isn't high enough. Get better. Level 5: Learn the modes (FOCUS HARD) Learn all the Intervals Learn the caged systems Arpejios in the caged shapes Learn to identify triads in the caged system Mode Theory Chord tone soloing Compound time signature

Finally! This is the content I've been searching for! 2 years ago I started learning the guitar. I used paid online platforms and I learned the basics: open chords, strumming patterns, pentatonic scale, etc. I felt I knew enough to move on. But I had no idea what to do! I had no clear idea what to practice and where to find the resources. I subscribed to Patreons of good guitar teachers, but their content is clearly above my current skills. Your video helped me to identify where I am and what are the gaps I need to work on! Thanks a ton!

What an incredible resource you’ve put together here!

I've been feeling pretty lost recently with all of this, i have ideas on what i need to do and what i want to do but you've really helped conceptualize it and i appreciate that a lot, thank you for making this video :)

Thank you for making this! About a month after I started learning theory and the guitar(together, cause all the videos said people slack on theory - btw, I love it and don't find it boring at all), I've noticed a lack of structured information on how to actually progress. I was even planning on making such a video if I reached the point where I feel I know enough to actually attempt it, but I'm so happy someone beat me to it, and did so in such a precise and articulate manner. You did a truly fantastic job!

This was an awesome video, thank you! It's exactly what I was looking for, and never finding from any other videos.

Bro, your generosity is overflowing. I love how you explained that you want to help others by making this in-depth knowledge so accessible. You’re an amazing human; because of you, I get to progress. Thank you!

Fantastic video! Two points. First, I want to emphasize the last point on level 6. I think it’s really important that people pick a genre, pick a lane so to speak. In general, this roadmap helps to distill the millions of learning options into a linear path. It minimizes the noise so that people can focus on one thing at a time. So to this end, I think the final point is really key. You have to specialize or else you will never be a master. SRV was a blues player primarily. That’s where he chose to singularly specialize himself. Name a great guitarist and you will see this is a consistent truth. That doesn’t mean that if you pick jazz, you can’t circle back and play some metal. SRV was starting to get funky and jazzy before his untimely death, for example. But I think that at this stage, people should stick with a single genre and do their best to master it. Another thing: write and record songs. In fact, I think that at levels 4, 5, and 6 you should record, mix, and master an entire project, utilizing all of your acquired technique and theory to that point. Almost like a thesis or capstone. For reference, I would place myself firmly at the beginning of level six, still figuring out where I want to specialize. and I have two large recording projects completed. It’s great to look back on, and it’s reassuring whenever I cringe at a musical choice, because this tells me that I have actually gotten better. But above all, I learned a ton making those albums, and I love them. Even if they are amateurish.

I rarely comment, but as an aspiring instructor, this was very helpful. I'm level 5 moving smoothly through to 6 thanks to Rick Beato, Jack Gardiner and Tom Quayle. I've been looking for a way to start giving back and I finally feel like I have something to offer to other aspiring guitarists. I've been trying to formulate a simple outline like this myself, but like you said, that's hours and hours of content. This will expedite my organization process significantly. Thanks for posting and keep up the good work! - Trevor

This was honestly such a helpful video thank you!!

yay! Thank you for thi series, I am excited to learn guitar now

Liked the video, gotta say that chord tone soloing and even the CAGED system are not hard concepts to learn and should be applied earlier on, like level 3. You truly never look back after learning these frameworks and they can elevate any beginner to intermediate

Hello Kevin! I'm lurking around late beginner-intermediate boundary and this concise curriculum-like guide provided me a much needed roadmap. Thank you, and wish you the best on your KZfaq journey! I'd like to ask a little question: I really liked the song recommendation sections. I get that it really becomes personal after a certain point but could you maybe inclined to give song recommendations for further Levels you described from your own perspective? Like explaining the techniques or chord progressions involved and how they may relate to the Level in question? Not like full on playalong tutorials but more like a bite-sized analyses to what to look for in a given song that you've picked. I dunno hopefully I was able to make sense not a native English speaker :)

This is such an informative video! Thank you for giving us this solid roadmap! You're truly a legends!

You rule man! im sort of a beginner and i've been looking for this exact video for over a year now. Turns out i know a couple concepts from advanced levels but i still lacked fundamentals on previous levels, so that's why my guitar playing is all over the place. Thank you so much for this!

why does this guy have no subs or views? This video was edited to perfection and really helped me out!

i feel like i’m technically at level 3 because with my theory background i’m solid on keys and the staff, rhythms and etc as well as compound time signatures, extended chords and other advanced theory, but i’m at 3-4 when it comes to applying it to the guitar and committing it to muscle memory. im working on it though, and it’s been validating to feel like i’m finally becoming an intermediate player even though i’ve only been playing for a year and some change. gotta keep telling myself by the time like 5-10 years go by i’ll be leagues ahead of what i first set out to learn 🤞🏽

Mate, this is exactly what I was looking for! All other channels I've been watching seem to have forgotten how the beginner's mind works, we need a road map! Thanks!

Thanks for this video. I am a beginner (midway through level 1 by your system) and spent the first month bouncing between a few of the well-know YT instructors. They're all good, but I wasn't really making any progress until I tried Justin and found that his ability to quickly get me into practice routines that were fun and felt like I was actually PLAYING something really clicked with me. Once I get the week's lesson about licked, I pick around and watch other videos on things that may be a bit beyond where I am now, but are fun to try. I found your combination of great information, transparency, and humor really engaging so I immediately subscribed. I will definitely check out your Level 1 style topics and see what additional tips/tricks/methods I might find there. Thanks again!

The analytical person in me is always asking, "Where do I start and in what order do I progress?" Thank you, this video is immensely helpful. I am watching this video as a level one player.

I am beyond thankful for this. I'm unbelievably comfortable on acoustic but every time I try to play electric it's like I have absolutely no idea what instrument I'm holding. This checklist is unbelievable. Let's get it

This is what I was looking for! You nailed it and saved many many people like you explained and experienced yourself! This is true of a gem

Keep making more. Im serious, don't stop. - Lucas Tractorfuel

Dude... this helps so much. Thank you for making this easily accessible for us!

I’ve been trying to find a video like this! My dad gave me a guitar a couple weeks ago and I’ve been wanting to learn to play for a long time, this makes me feel less overwhelmed thank you!

Great quality, Useful information, and Funny, 10/10. Thank you for posting.

Was looking for something like this when I was starting to re-learn the guitar 4 months ago - A simple and concise 'fundamentals roadmap'. I kept wondering why such clear guitar roadmap by concept isn't available. I enrolled in a lot of courses that supposedly teaches from the ground up (both free and paid). In the end, I had to stitch multiple sources just the same as browsing youtube videos to understand the topics. Hate it when the instructors say that there isn't a single roadmap and 'it depends on your goal'. Point was, the 'fundamentals' is supposed to be the same regardless of the goal because it's all the same instrument - the guitar. Contrary to my experience, this video only mentions that after* giving all the must-learn guitar topics at level 1-5. --- I made my own roadmap back then based on extensive googling and reddit rabbit hole. Started with CAGED, 5 pentatonic & diatonic patterns, Modes and Intervals. Soon realized that these are way difficult to put into context musically at my level and eventually worked my way backwards - wasted a lot of practice time. I wish I started by studying all about chords, progressions, functions, formulas and triads - just as you have stated in this video. That 4 months of 6 hours daily robotic, mechanical, scalar, shape-oriented, monkey-see monkey-do practice sessions now only made sense when I recently focused on chords and triads. That goes for both my musical approach and fretboard visualization. I can also finally hear and differentiate some intervals and at most 3 modes of the major scale - because of practicing chord progressions. I hope more new guitar learners find this video. I will be sharing this in all latest reddit and quora 'guitar roadmap' threads I could find. Thank you for making this!

Before my sickness takes over my body, I've always wanted to learn how to play the guitar. Thank you for this! I hope your channel grows even more.

Holy crap this is exactly what I’ve been looking for!!! I’ve been looking for some type of direction and thought a teacher would help but ended up a waste of time and money because I was past the point on my own of what they wanted to start me at. Thank you for this list and info it’s going to help my journey. Definitely a new subscriber for sure!!!

OMGGGGG literally!!!! Thank you so much for this video!!! Literally I’m honestly pretty new to playing the guitar and since I got it I’ve just been learning chords or playing guitar solos from some of my favorite songs but other then that I just feel like I haven’t been making progress and this is so helpful because I’ve been so stuck on where to really start. So thank you so much :D

I'm a super beginner in music and playing in guitar so half the things he's talking about I literally have no idea😭

level 7: you can finally play guitar hero expert charts (the hardest challenge of them all)

I've been looking for a proper roadmap for so long man, thanks for sharing!!

I've been looking for this info everywhere. Thank you so much! 🎉

This is great advise however I feel that a lot of importance is put on a lot of theory concepts at the beginning for lower levels. Yes you can reach greater heights in the long run with these concepts but it is important to also try to play what you like and have fun with it. Especially when starting out the entrypoint can seem big and having something to play or progress in that you can see/hear (playing some random pop tune) will really help you not lose interest. I feel this is really important; guitar has a lot to study but it is also meant to be fun.

What things can I learn that are guitar specific for people that already play instruments? For context, I've been playing piano and violin for over a decade already, so starting out has been really weird for me since I already know a lot about things like music theory and don't know much about technique and stuff, so I'd say I'm around 3 (even though I'm starting bar chords).

Thanks for making this Kevin. Ive been for a while and seemed like im hitting a plateu. And the situation was exactly like you showed in the beginning of the video. Really appreciate creating a journey map for learners 🙌

dude seriously thank you so much 😭🙏 u deserve way more recognition

The way I memorized my strings was like this: Top string E - EAT Next string B - BROKEN Next string G - GLASS Next string D - DON'T Next string A - ASK Bottom string E - EAT And you put it together like this: Eat Broken Glass! Don't Ask, Eat! E B G D A E Pretty catchy, yes? Logical, no? I think Spock would approve.

Bro literally said: 🧐

This is exactly the video i needed, thank you.

Best guide ive ever seen, thank you man

I will come back to this comment every time I start new level.

Don't tell me what to do. Thanks.

this video is AMAZINGLY helpful and made me actually realize that I was much further than I thought! It also helped progress much faster only in a matter of days, as I already understood some of the basics and now knew what music theory to catch up on. Thank you so much for making this, I'm seeing myself constantly referencing this video (which I already am lol) because this kind of curriculum is just extremly useful and takes a lot of the confusion off the process of how to learn guitar and where to start. It's super well made, thank you!!

great video u are really underrated as everyone is saying i got surprised when the OP of a great video like this doesnt have a million subscribers. i never comment but i thought i should to share some love. u are great mate keep making great videos

Pls like this comment remind me to practice

Nice video, but an american telling how to pronounce, c'mon!

This is what I’ve been waiting for. Thanks 🙏

This is the super serious guitar lesson I was looking for!!

this is exactly what i needed, having tasks laid out for me is exactly how i learn, thank you for making this!