(CGA) Module 1 – Setup: Make Things As Easy As Possible

This module will give you the perfect introduction into the world of guitar.

You’ll learn all the essential things a beginner guitarist must know and we’ll plug every hole in your basic knowledge before moving on and teaching you perfect guitar technique.

Let’s do it! 🙂

1.1 – An Overview Of The Guitar Journey

In this first lesson Mike gives you a bird’s eye view of what the ideal guitar journey looks like. (Don’t worry if you haven’t followed it so far!)

Mike will explain what order you should approach things and give you a useful overview of the whole guitar journey.

Download a copy of our guitar map to see the ‘ideal’ journey a guitarist should take.

1.2 – How To Choose A Guitar

Picking a guitar can be confusing. There’s a lot to consider and it’s vital to your chances of progressing as a guitarist that you pick wisely.

In this simple lesson you will learn the 3 criteria to choose a perfect guitar.

1.3 – What You Need To Know About Your Guitar And Its Anatomy

In this short lesson Mike explains the essential things you need to know about your guitar and its anatomy.

This lesson will teach you the correct names for the various parts of your guitar.

1.4 – How To Use A Guitar Amp & Create The Tone You Want

It can be hard to get a good tone from your amp when you first start playing. In this lesson Mike explains what the different controls of an amp do and how you should use them to create the tone you want.

Essential viewing for electric guitarists! 🙂

1.5 – Game-Changing Pieces of Preparation That Instantly Make You Sound Better

Skip any of these 4 things at your peril! In this lesson we cover a lot of ground, including:

✓ The notes of the strings.

✓ The importance of using new strings and the string gauge you should buy. (Important!)

✓ Tuners and how to tune. Sharps and flats.

All cool and important stuff that makes you a better guitarist!

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1.6 – Three ‘Must-Know’ Pieces of Music Theory

In this useful lesson Mike covers 3 essential pieces of music theory:

✓ Notes vs chords

✓ The notes of the musical alphabet (including ‘what are sharps and flats?’)

✓ The difference between major and minor chords.

1.7 – Understanding The Structure of Songs (And Why It Matters For A Guitarist)

What are the different elements of a song and why is this knowledge important for guitarists?

This is important and fundamental stuff. Don’t skip this! 🙂

1.8 – How Are Rhythm, Lead and Bass Guitar Different?

These 3 types of guitar perform very different roles. In this lesson Mike covers the key differences in the styles of play required for each one.

This is important for all guitar learners, but it is crucial if you intend to play with other guitarists.

1.9 – How To Read Guitar Chordboxes

In this lesson Mike explains how to read guitar chordboxes.

You can find a more thorough explanation (with lots of real visual examples) by clicking here.

1.10 – How To Understand Guitar Tablature (“Guitar Tab”)

You may have heard of guitar tablature before. Sometimes it’s called ‘tab’.

It’s a simple way to ‘write’ guitar music down.

In this lesson Mike explains what guitar tab is and how to read it.

1.11 – The Notes of The Musical Stave – Part 1

This lesson explains what the notes are on a musical stave. (AKA “Sheet music”.)

This is NOT essential for a guitarist to know. There are tons of amazing guitarists who don’t read sheet music, but this lesson is included here as some students like to know it.

(Mike’s note: If you’re a total beginner, I’d recommend you skip this. There are far more important things you should focus on! However, if you’ve been playing for a while, or are simply interested, then by all means check this out.)

1.12 – The Notes of The Musical Stave – Part 2

As with the above lesson, this is NOT essential knowledge for the beginner guitarist. But for those of you who like digging into music theory, this is an important lesson.

This lesson explains what the different note symbols relate to (whole note, quarter note, half note and eighth note).