Guitar learning path
Always know what to practise next.
Pick a module and the app hands you one step at a time: what to play, what to watch out for, and an exam that tells you when it's done. Pass it and the next step opens.
- modules live
- 2
- modules live
- steps
- 36
- steps
- exams
- 33
- exams
How it works
Practise as long as you like. The exam decides.
Every step has two buttons. Practice runs the exercise with no pressure and no marks. Exam runs it once at a locked tempo and grades it, and only a passed exam completes the step.
- 01
Steps open in order
The first step of each module is open from day one. Every next step unlocks when the one before it is complete, so there is never a question of what comes next.
- 02
Practice is free play
Read the goal and the tips, then run the exercise as often as you need. Practice sessions log like any other session but never close the step.
- 03
An exam closes it
The exam plays at the tempo the step sets and scores your accuracy. Fail it and nothing is lost: practise more and retake it whenever you're ready.
What a pass takes
- Pass, one star80%+
- Two stars90%+
- Three stars95%+
Below 80% the step stays open. A passed exam can be retaken whenever you like.
Steps without an exam
A few steps are not played. Each module opens with Before You Begin, a short read and a checklist you tick to confirm you have the basics. Guitar Fundamentals ends by asking you to pick your first song, which goes onto your list of songs to learn.
The map
Every stage, in order
This is the real path, step for step. The icon says how each step is closed: an exam that listens to your guitar, an exam you answer by clicking the fretboard, or a checklist.
Guitar Fundamentals
3 stages · 13 steps · 11 exams
- 01Foundations
- Before You Begin
- First Melody
- Rhythm Fundamentals: Quarter Notes
- String Crossing
- Vibrato
- Rhythm Fundamentals: Eighth Note Alternate Picking
- 02Legato & Scale Shapes
- Legato: Hammer On
- Legato: Pull Off
- Pentatonic First Box
- 03Advanced Techniques
- String Skipping
- Rhythm Fundamentals: Triplets
- Bending
- Pick Your First Song
Fretboard Mastery
5 stages · 23 steps · 22 exams
- 01Fundamentals
- Before You Begin
- Low E String: Open Position
- Low E String: Upper Position
- A String: Open Position
- A String: Upper Position
- Fret 5: All Strings
- Fret 7: All Strings
- Fret 9: All Strings
- 02Octaves
- D & G Strings: Open Position
- D & G Strings: Upper Position
- B & High e Strings: Open Position
- B & High e Strings: Upper Position
- 03Boxes
- Fretboard Box: Frets 0-4
- Fretboard Box: Frets 4-8
- Fretboard Box: Frets 8-12
- 04Whole Neck
- Whole Neck: Natural Notes
- Whole Neck: Every Note
- 05Play!
- Play: Low E String
- Play: A String
- Play: D String
- Play: G String
- Play: B String
- Play: Whole Neck
First lesson
First Melody
The first played step of Guitar Fundamentals. Play your first real melody on a single string, one note at a time.
The exam
Play the full melody from start to finish at a slow, even pace: every note rings cleanly with no buzzing or skipped strings.
Tempo locked at 50 BPM
Fretting hand
Press just behind the fret wire with your fingertip, not on it, not far behind it. That's where the note rings cleanest. If it buzzes, you're either too far back or not pressing firmly enough.
One note at a time
Play each note, let it ring fully, then move to the next fret. There's no rush. Slow and clean is the only goal here.
The modules
Who each module is for
Both live modules are open from the start. Take one, or run them side by side.
Guitar Fundamentals
The foundation every guitarist needs
- Who it's for
- Beginners who can already hold the guitar, tune it and read a tab, and want someone else to decide the order.
- Where it takes you
- From a melody on one string to legato, the first pentatonic box and bending, then a first song to learn.
- What you need on day one
- I know how to hold the guitar properly
- I know how to hold a pick
- I know how to tune the guitar
- I know what a metronome is and how to use one
- I can read guitar tablature (tabs)
- Microphone
- Needed for all 11 exams: each one listens to you play.
Fretboard Mastery
Know every note, everywhere on the neck
- Who it's for
- Players who know a few shapes but can't name the note under their finger, or find the same note higher up the neck.
- Where it takes you
- Every note on every string, octaves and fret landmarks, then finding them on the guitar against the clock.
- What you need on day one
- I know the 6 open string names (low to high): E A D G B e
- I know what a fret is and how frets are numbered
- I can see the inlay dots on my own guitar (or the diagram above)
- I understand most steps are clicked on a diagram, and the last stage has me play on my guitar
- Microphone
- Not needed for 16 of the 22 exams, which you answer by clicking the fretboard. The 6 exams in Play! listen to you play, so those need a microphone or an audio interface.
Requirements
When the app has to hear you
Everywhere else in the app, detection is optional and you can skip the microphone prompt. Learning Path exams that grade your playing are the exception: the app can't mark what it can't hear, so they don't start without it.
Guitar Fundamentals
All 11 exams listen.
Fretboard Mastery
6 of 22 exams listen, all in Play!.
Practice mode, checklists and click exams
No microphone needed. Practice runs with detection off if you skip the prompt.
What detection needs
- 01
A microphone or an audio interface
A laptop microphone works for these drills. An interface is cleaner and quieter, and the desktop app is faster still.
- 02
Browser access to it
The browser asks once. Say yes, or nothing downstream works.
- 03
A one-time calibration
Set the input level, then play each of the six strings so the app learns how your guitar sits against concert pitch.
- 04
A tuned guitar and a quiet room
Detection compares what it hears with the note it expects. Headphones keep a backing track or amp out of the reading.
What exists today
Two modules live, three on the way
The live modules are complete, start to finish. The planned ones are topics we're building next, and aren't playable yet.
Live now
- 13 steps
Guitar Fundamentals
The foundation every guitarist needs
- 23 steps
Fretboard Mastery
Know every note, everywhere on the neck
Planned
Rhythm
Groove, syncopation and strumming patterns
Scales & Modes
Pentatonic, minor, major and modes
Improvisation
Expression and phrase building
Finish a module, keep the guitar
Complete every step and a reward waits at the end of the path, headed by a trophy guitar for your collection. Open it and claim it.
Guitar Fundamentals
RPS Osprey Custom (Legendary) · 200 Fame · 1 free case · 2 Epic parts
Fretboard Mastery
Fairmont Stratocaster Heavy Relic (Legendary) · 300 Fame · 1 free case · 3 Epic parts · 1 Legendary part
Frequently asked questions
Unlock rules, the Scale Map and what happens after a failed exam are covered in the knowledge base: How the Learning Path works
Can I skip ahead to a later step?
No. Steps open in order, and the next one unlocks when the one before it is complete. Both modules are open from the start, so you can work on them side by side.
What happens if I fail an exam?
Nothing is lost. The step stays open, you can go back to Practice, and you can retake the exam as many times as you need. A passed exam can be retaken too: a new pass replaces the earlier stars, a fail changes nothing.
Does time on the Learning Path count as practice?
Yes. Practice and exam sessions log like any other session, so they count towards your streak, points and statistics.
Rather set your own order?
Guitar practice planner
Ready-made routines, your own plan or Auto Plan, when you already know what you want to work on.
OpenInteractive guitar practice
What an exam feels like from the inside: the tab scrolls and every note you hit is marked live.
OpenDaily guitar practice plan guide
15, 30 and 60-minute routines with example exercises and advice on what to play each day.
OpenStop guessing what to practise.
Free account, no card. Signed in already? The buttons take you straight to the path.