I made my own guide to teach myself guitar... Can anyone share thoughts?

General
1

TLDR: Wrote a booklet with my own guitar learning method, would love feedback, here’s the link…

A couple of years ago, I started learning classical guitar. Just for context, I was a (not-so-good) classical pianist when I was younger, so I already knew some music theory. I searched for a ‘system’ I liked, but couldn’t find anything that worked for me. I wanted to learn to improvise and play all over the fretboard, but I didn’t like the CAGED method or other methods I found, for different reasons.

So, I decided to make my own system, even though I didn’t know how to play guitar well at first. I figured I could learn about the guitar, like how the frets and tuning work, and then apply the music theory I already knew.

Surprisingly, I think my system turned out pretty good. It’s more focused on theory and technique than most methods, but it meets my needs. That said, I’m a bit eccentric sometimes, so maybe it’s not as useful as I think. If anyone wants to check it out, I’ll drop the link below.

Heads up, it might seem confusing or unnecessary at first, but I think it helps in the long run. You could also use it for bass, and it might actually work better on bass.

So, my question is: Does this booklet make sense? Do you think it could be helpful?

Link: https://file.io/Wv8WCER3Zp5x

P.S. Ignore the Chord section for now… it’s still a work in progress.

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I’ll check it out when I get home, but it’s great that you worked through your own ideas. That’s the best way to learn!

I do think the CAGED system shouldn’t be treated as the only way to approach the guitar. The CAGED system is built into the guitar itself. No matter what system you use, if your guitar is tuned the standard way, the C shape open chord, the A shape bar chord at the 5th fret, the G shape at the 8th fret, the E shape at the 8th fret, and the D shape at the 10th fret are all C major chords. That’s the basic lesson of CAGED – open chord shapes are movable up the neck.

The real power of CAGED, or any system, comes when you understand intervals. Understanding intervals lets you connect different ideas. I think a lot of people avoid theory because it involves numbers or new vocabulary. CAGED can be taught without using these, which is part of the problem. CAGED isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but understanding how to relate ideas together with intervals is what really moves players forward.

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@Vesper
You could also think about connecting the CAGED chord shapes with diatonic scale patterns.

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The link broke, so here’s a new one…

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8cynonr6fyftnl0ix8jwu/New-Linear-Standard-Guitar-System.docx?rlkey=lkfay4yq6pzqk8u6y1waeh8p1&st=thljcnj1&dl=0

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Hey, I checked out your booklet. It’s pretty cool that you made this. I found it pretty easy to follow until about page 18 when you introduced the 12-string guitar layout. I could see this being useful for guitarists who play 7-string guitars or more.

You talked about triads, but didn’t really get into chords. A natural next step could be introducing 7ths with triads. Then, you could explore extended chords like 9ths and 11ths. Chord inversions and alternate chords like suspended chords would also be good to explain.

I’ve seen some teachers approach patterns the same way you did. You moved to 3-notes-per-string patterns quickly, but you only covered one of the patterns. There are seven total 3-notes-per-string patterns and five diatonic patterns. Guitarists almost never use diminished scale patterns.

Maybe consider doing another revision before publishing it.

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@Oakley
Thanks for the feedback! I’ll probably revise it later.

About the 12-string thing – I wanted to show the patterns work no matter which string you start on. So, you can start on a note on the bottom string and still follow the same pattern on all the strings above it.

It looks like I need to explain that part more clearly.

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Well done – made perfect sense to me.

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Just read through it. I definitely follow every example you show, so that’s good! I appreciate your unique take on the fretboard. I also think in unusual ways that probably only make sense to me, like giving different positions on the fretboard personalities. These ‘personalities’ help me remember things and make connections. Coming up with your own shapes and reorganizing the neck in your head is something I do too, and it helps me understand things better.

I think your method and CAGED have similar struggles, though. You go more in-depth with the principles than how CAGED is often taught, which is great, but I think ‘systems’ are usually best as supplements to a deeper method. I was introduced to CAGED early on, and even though I now see how helpful it is for understanding the guitar, I also got stuck using it too much in the long run. It was helpful for organizing my thoughts, but I ended up depending on it too much.

It’s funny that you’re a piano player learning guitar. I went the opposite route – I started piano after learning guitar. When I started with piano, I found a book that completely changed my view on how theory should be taught. It was the Faber Adult Piano Adventures books. It was such a great way to learn theory. It wasn’t new information for me, but the way it was taught was so natural. Over 180 pages, it walked you through dozens of songs, each showing a new idea. It introduced things like 3rds, 5ths, and 7ths early on, and then spent the rest of the book teaching songs using I-IV-V progressions in major and minor keys. The whole method blended theory and songs really well.

Comparing this to ‘systems,’ many are taught with the goal of getting you into advanced ideas too fast. Your method goes into modes and diminished scales before even covering pentatonics, which might be a bit too quick.

I think it’s better to start slow with sounds first and work up to more complex stuff. In math, you don’t learn calculus until after you’ve mastered addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

That said, I think systems do have a place. They’re helpful for sure, but it’s just a shame that CAGED gets too much attention when there are other important lessons out there. With a bit more cleanup (like your diagrams – they’re hard to read), some reorganization (maybe pentatonics and triads before modes), and more focus on real music examples, this could be a great addition to the learning resources available.

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@Vesper
Thanks for all your input! I see what you mean now about modes before pentatonics. I thought of modes as a more basic concept, but I see how they can be more complex from a technical guitar standpoint.

Now that you mention it, I didn’t really organize it from a practical guitar-playing perspective – it was all more theoretical in my head.

If I decide to make a more complete method in the future, I’ll definitely rethink the order of content and add more application-focused material.

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@Amory

I didn’t organize it in a practical guitar way

Yeah, I got that feeling when I read it, but it was tricky to give feedback without considering that. Hope that makes sense! I also think in ways that make sense to me and put meaning to things. Thanks for sharing the booklet – it was fun to read!