Best way to learn chords and theory for a more advanced player?

General
1

I’m 39 and have been playing guitar since I was 16, but mostly just for fun. I enjoy blues, rock, and metal, and I’ve taught myself a lot of technique like muting, bends, tremolo picking, hybrid picking, finger picking, pinch and false harmonics, tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and my timing and intonation are solid. But I never really learned what the notes are called.

This year, some coworkers found out I play guitar and invited me to join their jam session. I started warming up for a bit, and they were impressed and asked me to join their band right away.

The problem now is that I need to know all the chords by name and learn the fretboard so I can work with the band and improvise on new songs. I don’t need all the techniques that many guitar courses teach, as I can already play the sounds and have the muscle memory for the chords. I just need to learn the theory part so I can communicate better with other musicians.

What do you all think is the best way to learn chord charts, scales, and fretboard navigation without wasting time on techniques I already know?

2

I did something similar for years, just learning songs with minimal theory. When I finally decided to learn the notes and chords, it didn’t take me long at all.

Here’s a good introduction to theory - Andrew Huang - Music Theory in 30 minutes

Fretboard memorization is the first step.

Try this: Random Music Notes Generator

It gives you random notes at a steady beat. Start by memorizing the notes on the low E string. You can just listen to a podcast or a movie while playing along for an hour. Keep doing it until you’re comfortable.

Then move to the A string, D string, etc. Eventually, practice all 6 strings. For example, for the first note, find it on the low E string, the second on the A string, and so on.

You can mix it up by doing the exercise on the bottom 12 frets, then the top 12 frets after a while.

If you do this for about a week, you’ll have it memorized.

Once you’re comfortable, use the website to test yourself on chords. Start with basic Major/Minor chords. There are a lot of variations, but if you know a few common ones, you’ll be fine.

For more complicated chords, you can use shell voicings, which are great for learning quickly:

Shell Voicings for Jazz Guitar

Again, test yourself using the random note generator.

When someone says, " F minor 7", “you’ll know the position of F and the two minor7 shapes.
For improvisation, learning the pentatonic scales and triads will get you far. Levi Clay has good courses on these.
Ultimately, any guitar course can work for you. This forum often recommends Justin Guitar for beginners, which might work well for you too. Just skip the technique stuff and focus on the theory.”, ,

3

@Noah
Amazing answer, thanks so much!

4

Totally get it, I recommend checking out this YouTube course on guitar theory.

And also this course about chord construction based on major triads and guitar tuning:

Fingerboard Breakthrough

5

Here’s a useful book: Guided Guitar Chord Practice Routines

It comes with free downloadable audio for every exercise.