Fingertips for specific levels can be found under the headings listed below.

All Students:

1. • Make a list of songs that inspire you and keep adding to it. Make a CD or playlist of these same songs and listen to it until you know every nuance on the air guitar.
   

2. • Subscribe to a Guitar Magazine: “Guitar World,” “Acoustic Guitar,” or “Guitar Player.”
   

3. • Go see professional guitar players perform. DVD is good, live is better.
   

4. • Play with other guitar players. If they are further along than you, all the better.
   

Beginning:

1. • To see improvement each day; practice a minimum of 30 minutes a day, 4 days a week (that’s 2 hours a week)
   

2. • Make a list of songs you want to play and keep adding to it. Make a CD or playlist of these same songs and listen to it until you know every nuance on the air guitar.
   

3. • Check out Easy Guitar Books and tab sites like <www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs> and see how much you can learn on your own. Ask your teacher to help you fill in the gaps.
   

4. • “The Ultimate Guitar Songbook” by Hal Leonard Publishing is a great book to start with.
   

Intermediate:

1. • Same as for Beginning students except more practice. Shoot for one hour a day/4 days a week.
   

2. • Check out ‘Recorded Versions” and “Play it Like it Is” Guitar Books and tab sites like <www.ultimate-guitar.com> and see how much you can learn on your own. Ask your teacher to help you fill in the gaps.
   

3. • Download the free 15 day trial version of Guitar Pro. It is $60 for the full version. That is only $5 a month for a year! This is an amazing tool to use with the site <www.ultimate-guitar.com>>
   

Advanced:

1. • Keep learning new music and skills.
   

2. • Download the free 15 day trial version of Guitar Pro. It is $60 for the full version. That is only $5 a month for a year! This is an amazing tool to use with the site <www.ultimate-guitar.com>>
   

Improvisation:

1. • Attitude! “It’s not playing a note, it’s arriving there.” Richie Havens in an interview with Boulder Weekly, 12/17/07
   

2. • Tools: Check out the Loop Station by Boss (aka RC-20 phrase Recorded) It is easy to use and a great companion for any guitar player wanting to grow in the area of improvisation. I have had mine on my foot pedal board since 2000. Still works great. You can tell which of my improvisation students own one; they are the ones who are growing the fastest!
   

3. • Level III: Going Deep (Bringing out the chord tones when playing over changes) “Long Chords and Short Phrases”
   

4. At first try, this takes a lot of attention, so warm up using (1) a chord progression where the chords last as long as you need them to and (2) play short/easy phrases that use one, two or three strings at most. This gives your attention and your ears a chance to warm up.