There are various levels of guitar playing – from a beginner level where only a few chords are played to more advanced fingerpicking skills. In this article we will look into the types of skill levels you can reach while learning to play the classic stringed instrument.
At a higher level, you should be capable of strumming chords at most tempos, as well as writing your own music and hopefully playing alongside other musicians.
But this is often where many guitarists become stuck. While you may never reach this level, it is still possible to be an excellent guitarist without reaching this plateau; you simply need a different style and approach.
Beginner
Beginner guitarists typically possess the skills required to play basic songs and chord progressions. Additionally, they can strum chords at different tempos while learning music theory as well as how to play some scales.
Be it playing in your garage band or simply singing along with friends, being able to play along with other musicians is an important milestone in developing your craft. Doing so shows your improved technique and timing while understanding the importance of working as part of a team; additionally, it develops your ear by forcing you to listen for individual parts within songs from other musicians as you learn how to pick out individual parts that make up whole songs.
At this level, you’ll be able to jam with friends or perform at gigs with no problem. You should also be capable of playing most chords in any key and developing an understanding of writing music for yourself. Furthermore, interval training (learning the difference between two notes played one after another) and beginning improvising melodies should have become part of your training regimen, as should being able to recognise chords while listening and transcribing some of your favourite guitar heroes so as to apply their techniques in soloing your own solos.
Intermediate
At this level, you should have mastered basic chords, song structure, and musical theory. You should be able to play full songs while having an ear for melody, creating both complete songs and improvised music, and creating complete songs using melodic improvisation techniques like vibrato or string bending that alter notes sounding more dramatically than previously possible. You will likely also have improved your lead guitar skills using techniques such as vibrato and string bending that modify the note’s sound further.
Beginner guitarists typically progress past this skill level when they begin exploring more complicated music and begin to improvise a bit. Your finger dexterity should improve, making playing for longer periods less taxing on your fingers.
At this stage, it’s wise to focus on one or two genres and learn their specific chord progressions, styles, and sound palettes. Doing this will enable you to narrow your practice items so that you don’t spread yourself too thin and lose mastery of anything; it will also help with your overall development as a musician.
Advanced
Reaching this level requires already having an impressive understanding of chords and being comfortable playing a range of songs, as well as an appreciation of timing—the subdivision of beats.
At this level, you should have an excellent grasp of barre chords and their cheaters, as well as power chords, which only involve 2 or 3 strings and are moveable up or down the neck, giving you control over how their sound changes as you alter their position on your neck. They are commonly used in styles like distorted guitar music or classic rock.
At this stage, you will begin to add complexity to your lead playing by adding techniques such as vibrato and bending to alter the tone of each note. Furthermore, new challenges, such as playing 12-bar blues without using chord charts, will present themselves.
At this level, it is vitally important that you continue making strides forward rather than resting on your laurels. Even those who have reached this level should remain ambitious to further enhance their guitar playing. Focusing on genres you enjoy may make your playing even more striking and unique.
Professional
By this stage of practice, you have created your own style of playing and feel very confident about your skills. Your timing is flawless, chords are solid, and you are effortlessly playing songs. Additionally, you are capable of improvising lead lines or writing original music pieces with ease.
At this stage, you are ready to join a band and perform live. At this stage, you should be able to strum songs of any tempo with accuracy, have basic musical theory knowledge, be able to read musical notes (reading tabs can be challenging!), and possibly play at professional standards without needing an additional guitarist as backup.
At this level, it’s possible to play rock or pop music proficiently; however, to become a pro musician, it’s essential that you reach the Advanced stage. If your goal is classical music, however, then reading music may also be necessary. Developing your skill level should always be an ongoing process as you strive to advance yourself; approximately 150 hours of practice are usually required in order to reach a basic level of proficiency.