Guitar Theory Roadmap & Lessons | Guitar Theory Online

Phase 1 - Essential setup

Foundations

Start with the language of music and the mechanics of guitar, so every advanced concept has something solid to sit on.

Guitar Theory Overview (How to Use This Site)

Understand the full roadmap and how each topic builds into practical musicianship.

Key Terms and Definitions

Learn the shared vocabulary so lessons are easy to follow and remember.

The Musical Alphabet

Master note naming and enharmonic spelling to avoid confusion later.

Finding Notes on the Fretboard (Including the Magic Triangles)

Map notes confidently across strings and positions without memorizing random shapes.

Rhythm Basics

Learn how music is organised in time, including beats, bars, simple note lengths, rests, and how time signatures work.

Interval Basics

Understand how we measure note distance using semitones, interval numbers, and core interval qualities.

Chords - Introduction to Triads

Learn how major and minor triads are built and understand the structural difference between open and closed chord positions.

7th Chords - Extending Triads

Extend triads by adding sevenths and build major, minor, augmented, and diminished 7th chord types.

Introduction to Scales

Learn what scales are, how they organize notes, and how they connect melody, chords, and harmony.

Phase 2 - Core language

Core theory

Learn the core systems that explain key centers, harmony, and interval relationships.

1. Major and Minor Pentatonic Scales

Learn how the formulas differ, how relative pentatonic scales share notes and how their patterns connect across the fretboard.

2. The Five Positions of the Pentatonic Scale

Practise the five connected A minor and A major pentatonic positions with interactive tablature and audio playback.

3. Major Scale Positions on Guitar

Learn the full set of connected major scale shapes across the fretboard.

4. Play the Seven Major Scale Positions

Practise all seven connected major scale positions with interactive audio and tablature playback.

5. How to Harmonise the Major Scale

Build diatonic triads and understand chord quality across the scale.

6. Keys and Key Signatures

Track tonal center quickly so transposition and analysis are easier.

7. The Circle of Fifths

Visualise relationships between keys, accidentals and common movement patterns.

8. The Natural Minor Scale

Connect relative and parallel minor sounds to major-key thinking.

Phase 3 - Harmonic shapes 1 lesson published Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â· 7 planned

Chords and voicings

Go beyond shape memorization and learn how chord quality, function, and tension actually work.

Chord symbols and chord formulas

Read chord notation and translate major, minor, diminished, augmented, seventh, suspended, added, extended, and altered symbols into interval formulas.

Triads across the fretboard

Turn triad theory into practical guitar knowledge using three-string sets, root position, inversions, and connected locations across the neck.

Building chord voicings from intervals

Choose and locate the required chord tones, then decide what can be doubled or omitted to construct playable voicings, including 1-5 power-chord structures.

Seventh chord voicings

Apply the seventh chords introduced in Foundations through practical maj7, min7, dominant 7, m7ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€žÂ¢Ã‚Â5, and dim7 voicings and inversions.

Extended, suspended and altered voicings

Use sus2, sus4, add9, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, and altered dominants while learning which chord tones a playable guitar voicing actually needs.

CAGED as a chord-voicing framework

Use five overlapping fretboard regions to locate chord tones and extract alternative voicings instead of memorising five large shapes.

Chord inversions and bass movement

Explore slash chords, chosen bass notes, pedal tones, and moving bass lines to understand how the bass reshapes a chord's sound and function.

Connecting voicings across the fretboard

Voice progressions within one neck region, choose nearby inversions, minimise unnecessary movement, and compare open, closed, and spread voicings.

Phase 4 - Melodic language Planned curriculum

Scales and modes

Develop a flexible scale framework so you can target chord tones and shape lines with intent.

Major scale as the parent system

Anchor scale relationships to one central model for easier recall.

Natural minor and relative/parallel keys

Compare tonal centers to hear mood changes and chord behavior differences.

Pentatonics and blues scale

Build expressive, style-flexible phrasing using high-impact note choices.

Modes of the major scale

Learn modal color and when each mode fits over chords or vamps.

Harmonic minor and melodic minor

Explore advanced sounds and their related chords for modern harmony.

Scale degrees and avoid notes in context

Choose tension notes intentionally and resolve them musically.

Pattern sets (CAGED, 3NPS, string sets)

Move horizontally and vertically so ideas flow across the neck.

Phase 5 - Real-world playing Planned curriculum

Harmony and application

Translate theory into live musicianship with practical frameworks for rhythm, melody, and arrangement.

Building chords from a key (diatonic harmony)

Derive usable chord palettes quickly for composing and arranging.

Chord function (tonic, subdominant, dominant)

Hear forward motion and release so progressions feel purposeful.

Common progressions (pop, blues, jazz basics)

Recognize shared movement patterns used across genres.

Voice leading and smooth chord movement

Create cleaner transitions with minimal movement between chord tones.

Improvisation frameworks (chord tones, guide tones, tension and release)

Shape solos with direction by targeting strong notes and planned tension.

Songwriting tools (melody from chord tones, harmonising melodies)

Turn theory ideas into memorable hooks and supportive chord beds.

Ear training and transcription (putting theory into reality)

Close the loop by connecting what you hear to what you can play and explain.