Guitar Success Checklist v2

This quick exercise will help reveal your current guitar playing strengths and areas
you can focus on and improve next.

This takes about five minutes.

Just answer each question in turn.

At the end you will be presented with your completed checklist and personal
action plan.

So, before we begin one background question…

DO YOU HAVE A GUITAR YET?

Yes

WHAT TYPE OF GUITAR DO YOU HAVE?

Acoustic/Steel String

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHERE YOU’RE AT WITH GUITAR?

Newbie - ready to go

Okay! We're going to go through a number of guitar playing skills. For each one,
select if you can already do it and if it's a skill you want to have. If you're not
interested in that skill, just leave it blank.

PLAY BASIC GUITAR CHORDS

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

I can do this

CHANGE CHORDS IN TIME

I want to do this

Fingering chords accurately is important, but equally important is being able to

change from one chord to the other in time.This is a stumbling block for many
students and is likely the biggest issue I see with self-taught beginners in my music
school. One of the problems is that when you get accustomed to slowing down to
change chords it's a difficult habit to break. Sometimes it's even difficult to detect
because it begins to sound normal. To avoid this problem I have students practice
chords in groups called common chord patterns. This way they learn the chords in a
way that they’re often used in popular music. It's also helpful to practice with a
timekeeping device like a metronome or drum machine. Sometimes it's difficult to
detect changes in rhythm unless there's something to measure against. The key is to
start slow and play in time… Then speed up little by little. Additional
Recommendation: changing chords quickly and smoothly.

CLEAN SOUNDING CHORDS

I want to do this

It's common when learning chords that some of the strings will either buzz or be
muted out. Nothing takes the place of practice and experience, but here are a few
tips to help… 1) Try to place your finger as close to the fret as possible without
putting it on top. If the finger is too far back the string will tend to buzz against the
fret. If it's on top of the fret it will sound muted. 2) It helps to have a good arc in your
fingers when forming chords. I'm talking about going up and straight down on the
fretboard. This will allow you to put enough pressure on the string without straining.
3) Practice placing your fingers on the guitar in the form of a chord, strum the chords
and see how it sounds, then adjust your fingers and see what it takes to improve the
sound. After about 10 seconds of doing this take your fingers off and start again. Do
this a little each day and you'll see the sound begin to improve. Additional

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

Recommendation: Here’s some more help: Real Secret To Playing Chords Effortlessly
Without Muting Strings

PLAY BAR CHORDS

I want to do this

Bar chords are the single biggest hurdle for beginning guitar players. Being able to
play bar (or Barre) chords is a milestone that opens up a whole new world of playing
guitar possibilities. Unfortunately for many, it’s a painful experience. Some even
choose to just avoid playing bar chords, missing out on the whole bunch of guitar
playing fun. Though it might seem that bar chords are difficult, in reality, it's the
haphazard approach that makes it difficult. By preparing properly and practicing
systematically you’ll find playing bar chords to be fairly painless. Recommendation:
Here’s help to making bar chords easy along with some tips on how to place the
fingers properly… this will save you a lot of time and frustration: Barre Chords | The
Ultimate Guide

TUNING MY GUITAR
I want to do this

There are several methods I teach students to tune the guitar depending on the
situation. The most common is to use an electronic tuner. Nowadays they’re easy to
use, accurate and affordable. I also teach how to tune by ear so when you find
yourself without a tuner you can still tune the guitar to itself. Recommendation: I’ve
created a video that shows several different methods: How to Tune Your Guitar

READING MUSIC NOTATION

I want to do this

Among the many questions beginning guitar students ask, this is the one I get often:
“Do I need to learn how to read guitar notes?” Some might think it’s obvious that if
you want to play an instrument that you must read music. Others point to the many

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

rock guitarists that apparently don’t read a note and question if they should waste
their time with following little dots on paper. The truth is, you don’t have to read
music to play guitar. In fact, many well-known guitarists don’t read traditional notes.
But… and you knew there was a “but”… there are some clear advantages, and it’s
really not that difficult or mystical as it might initially appear on the surface. To learn
more and access a free Guitar Note Chart go here: Guitar Notes: Best Method And
Free Guitar Notes Chart

UNDERSTAND GUITAR THEORY

I want to do this

Guitar theory should be learned little by little as part of a balanced program for
learning to play guitar. This includes learning the terminology that will allow you to
talk to other music players. By understanding some of the mechanics of how music
works and the language involved you will gain a sense of confidence that the
uninitiated long for. To make the most of your effort follow these guidelines: 1) Learn
in small bites. Absorb and apply what you learn. This will help you connect it to the
guitar and playing music. 2) Study in the correct order. Start with intervals, then
learn how to apply this knowledge to chords and scales. 3). Using your ears is
essential. Don’t settle for intellectual understanding only. Learn to identify the sound
of intervals, chords, and scales. 4) Make time to let go of thinking about music theory
and just play from your heart. No amount of intellectual knowledge can replace
inspiration. Recommendation: Guitar Theory That Doesn’t Suck

JAMMING WITH OTHER MUSICIANS

I want to do this

Jamming with other musicians can be a lot of fun and is a great way to get better.
You end up playing longer with others and you’ll learn new things from them at the
same time. It also can be scary. The easiest way to get started jamming is to have
one person play rhythm guitar using chords and have another person playing the
lead (or melody) guitar. If you happen to have a drummer to keep the beat all the

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

better, but not necessary. Recommendation: Real Guitar Live #41 | Q & A Session |
Improvisation.

PERFORMING CONFIDENTLY LIVE

I want to do this

I’m naturally on the introverted side and playing in front of others used to be really
difficult. Over the years I've learned how to work with this to the point where I enjoy
performing. I still feel nervous, but it's a nervous energy that actually makes it more
exciting instead of being debilitating. Here are the two main things I’ve discovered:
1) Be prepared. I used to practice until I felt I was almost there and then assume I'd
work it out on the fly. Not! Practice the material until you can play it by yourself
easily. Then practice it some more. 2) To deal with the actual fear of performing in
front of others there's really only one thing that works. Psychologists call it
systematic desensitization. That’s a fancy word for doing it over and over. Start
small, with one or two people and play something easy. Then push your comfort zone
little by little. Keep looking for opportunities to play for others. Recommendation:
Performing Live With Confidence And Reducing Performance Anxiety.

CREATING MY OWN MUSIC

I want to do this

One of the most enjoyable aspects of music is creating your own. It can, however,
seem sort of daunting. There is no one right way to create music, but here are some
tips that can help you get started: 1) Listen to music with the intention of getting
ideas on what you like and don't like. 2) Learn the basics of music… Especially
common chord patterns. Much of popular music is created using common patterns
and if you can play these patterns as a starting point to create your own music. 3)
Experiment and make up short chord progressions and melodic phrases that sound
good to you. Record these on a recording device such as your mobile phone. 4)
When you've collected enough recordings take time to listen to your recordings and
see if any of them can fit together. It's common practice for both writers and

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

composers to collect bits and pieces and then combine them together into larger
works. 5) When combining bits and pieces try to think about what would sound good
as a verse and what would some good as a chorus. The chorus should repeat
regularly and stay pretty much the same. The verse can vary more. This form is
commonly called ABAB. Try to organize your music this way to give it a sense of
structure. There are other structures but it's good to start with a simple one. 6) If
creating your own music is important to you this is something you’ll want to work at
a little every day along with practicing the mechanics of playing the guitar and
learning music fundamentals.

IMPROVISING A SOLO
I want to do this

My favorite part of performing is exploring different notes while expressing myself

through improvisation. I love when I can travel off the “beaten path”. Improvisation
may seem mystical witnessing it in the moment. I can assure you it’s not. The best
way to get started is to first learn and practice a scale. If you're just getting started I
recommend the A minor pentatonic scale. This is a common scale to use for rock and
blues music. First practice the basic scale in one position on the guitar. Then practice
different variations or exercises derived from the scale so that you can start and stop
at different places within the scale. At the same time practice playing some licks that
are composed of notes from this scale. Licks are short little phrases that you can
practice ahead of time. When you practice the phrase enough you’ll be able to play it
with ease. Start with three or four fairly easy licks. You can always add to your
“repertoire” as you progress. Now the fun part. Play along with chord changes. You
can create your own by recording yourself playing chords and then playing it back
while you practice improvising. There are also many pre-recorded backing tracks that
you can use online. Make sure the chord changes are in the same key as your scale
and licks...in this case A. You can also practice by playing with another guitar player.
One guitar player plays the chords while the other practices improvising. Then you
switch roles so everyone gets a chance. Do this a little bit every day either with
backing tracks or with another guitar player. As time goes on you can add to your

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

"lick" repertoire, learn new scales and practice over different chord progressions. As
you progress you'll be able to listen to guitar solos that you like and borrow licks and
phrases to add to your own playing. Recommendation: How to Improvise a Solo With
The A minor Pentatonic Scale (with free backing track)

STRUM AND SING AT THE SAME TIME

I want to do this

When you watch someone who's been playing and singing for years it looks as if it's
as easy as walking down the street. But when you try it you realize it's not as easy as
it looks. It reminds me of patting my head and rubbing my tummy at the same time.
The key is to get one of the actions going without having to think about it too much.
For some who are more experienced at singing it's easiest to focus on the guitar and
let the singing take care of itself. For most, however, it's best to practice the guitar
chords separately until it becomes fairly automatic... Then add the singing. Here’s a
step-by-step approach to getting started playing and singing at the same time. 1)
Chose a song that uses only two or three chords and that you know. 2) Strum the
chords to the song straight down just to keep time. 3) Now “sing” the melody using
syllables such as “la, la, la”. Listen carefully to where the chords change with the
melody. 4) When this seems reasonably comfortable replace the “la, la, la” with the
lyrics of the song. Don’t try to add embellishments or style to the vocal part yet. Just
sing the melody as clearly as possible. 5) Now replace the straight down strums with
a strumming pattern. Do this by practicing the strumming pattern with the chords
first, then adding it to the song. 6) Finally work to add style to the vocal part to make
it sound more musical... keeping in mind that sometimes less is more. One of the
best things you can do when learning guitar is to learn a few common chord patterns
and practice them until you can play them automatically... without thinking. Then
when choosing songs look for ones that are composed of those chord patterns.
Recommendation: Easy Method To Sing and Play Guitar

PLAY FINGERPICKING PATTERNS

I want to do this

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

Many songs lend themselves well to fingerpicking as opposed to strumming. Being
able to play even a handful of fingerpicking patterns will add a tremendous amount
of variety to your guitar playing. When learning your first fingerpicking patterns it's
important to learn good basic technique. You’ll be creating habits that will allow you
to play easily and effortlessly. Start with a basic pattern. Place your thumb on the
bass note and one finger on each note of the chord. If you start with a C chord, for
example, you would place your thumb on the 5th string, your first finger on the 4th
string, your 3rd finger on the 3rd string, and your 3rd finger on the 2nd string. Now
press the thumb down to sound the bass note. Pull each finger into the palm, starting
with the first finger, until you’ve played all four notes. Once you can do this evenly
try moving to another chord. A good exercise would be to go from the C chord to the
G chord. Go slow and try to get the notes as even as possible. You'll likely find it
most difficult to stay even when 1) placing your fingers back on the strings, and 2)
changing chords. In the beginning, you'll need to work on the right-hand first and get
comfortable with the motion of plucking the strings and replacing the fingers. Little
by little, with practice, it will become one fluid motion. Be patient with yourself… but
persistent. Keep coming back at it a little bit each day. Check-in with your right hand
regularly to make sure you're staying relaxed. Stop and shake out your hand if you
need to... then start up again. Recommendation: Essential Fingerpicking
Accompaniment Patterns for Guitar

PLAY SOLO FINGERSTYLE GUITAR

I want to do this

There are many different approaches to learning to play fingerstyle guitar. The
classical approach is typically to learn a single-note melody, then add harmonies with
your thumb. The pop approach is to start with chords, then add fingerpicking parts
for the melody. To get started, learn some basic fingerpicking patterns using basic
chords. Start with simple songs with simple chords. And over time you will develop
an ear for hearing how the melodies interact with the chords. Here’s an order for
playing a solo fingerstyle song that has worked for many students: 1) Chose a simple

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

2 or 3 chord song with a melody you know. 2) Play the melody by itself. 3) Play the
chords in a simple strumming pattern. 4) Play the chords on the “long” notes only
(1.5 beats and longer). 5) Play the chord on the first beat of each measure. 6) Put the
melody note inside of the chord if it’s not already in there. Recommendation: In this
lesson, I use the song "Happy Birthday" to demonstrate how to arrange a song for
fingerstyle guitar. Happy Birthday Fingerstyle Solo

USE JAZZY CHORDS

I want to do this

It can be a lot of fun to learn new chords. I think of it as learning a new vocabulary. I
encourage you to make learning new guitar chords a regular part of your learning
program. What I call "jazzy chords" are chords that use more extensions than most
standard folk or pop/rock guitar chords. They often have more dissonance (or
tension) built into them. They have names like Dm9, G7(#5), FMaj7, A13(b9), and so
on. Of course, there's not a clear line drawn in the sand. I often find I can use
extended or “jazzy chords” in other styles of music to add a little spice. The real key
to learning new jazz guitar chords is to practice them in some type of progression
that makes sense. In the same way that it's important to use new words you learn in
a sentence, these progressions can be used to strengthen your command of the
chords. Recommendation: Jazz Guitar Chords Progression #1

PLAYING FROM A LEAD SHEET

I want to do this

To take full advantage of sheet music would require learning how to read music.
However you can use many aspects of lead sheets to help play songs on guitar
without actually “reading” the notes. The most common way a guitarist uses sheet
music is as a chord chart. This means that you are following the chords and supply
the appropriate guitar strumming pattern. This does generally require that you know
the song well enough to be able to figure out an appropriate strumming pattern and
to know if what you're playing sounds right. When I use sheet music this way I'm just

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

using the chord symbols as a guide and using my ears to hear where the chords fit
with the melody. If you want to play the melody of the song on guitar you will either
need to learn to read standard music notation (recommended) or find music that has
the guitar tablature written out underneath the standard notation. Recommendation:
You’ll find step-by-step instructions and a free download here: How To Read Sheet
Music For Guitar

PLAYING SONGS BY EAR

I want to do this

Being able to listen to a song and play the chords and melody is a very valuable skill.
It is, however, a skill that most people will need to develop over a period of time and
with practice. The best thing you can do is to learn Common Chord Patterns. It’s
much easier to hear a pattern than to distinguish an individual chord. Most popular
music is either based on a common pattern or at least uses a pattern somewhere in
the song. By practicing the chord patterns, over time, you’ll be able to recognize
them in songs. Here are some tips that will help you to develop the skill of playing
songs by ear: 1) Start with simple songs. This is a skill that you'll have to develop. I
recommend simple folk songs or children's songs for practice. 2) Listen for the
movement from one chord to another. See if you can identify a common chord
pattern. 3) Some find it easiest to identify chords from the bass notes. Try listening
to the bassline and play it on your guitar. Then for each bass note identify by ear
what type of chord uses that note in the bass. 4) Some find it easier to work from the
melody. Try humming along with the melody and then play it on your guitar. From
there experiment with chords that fit with the melody, going back and forth with the
song to see if it sounds right. 5) I actually use a combination of the two. I go back
and forth between the bass line and the melody. 6) If I get stuck I resort to a web
search to see if someone has written out the chords. Even though a lot of stuff on the
web is not accurate it might help me find that one chord that I can't seem to get.
Recommendation: Common Chord Patterns.

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com

One last quick question.

ROUGHLY HOW OLD ARE YOU?

teenager

Hi. I’m Tomas. What’s your name?

MY NAME IS:
Lee

Where should we send your completed checklist and action plan?

EMAIL
lehoangminh112002@gmail.com

Guitar Player's Checklist ©2018 Tomas Michaud/ RealGuitarSuccess.com