Go from your first chord to confident, expressive playing
A structured, beginner-to-intermediate guitar curriculum that takes you from your very first chord to confident, expressive playing — with a downloadable PDF companion to reinforce every lesson off-screen.
"I'd rather you genuinely own one concept than rush through ten — so we go at the pace the music actually requires."— Andy Lee Alverson
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Play 20+ essential open and barre chords cleanly and switch between them with confidence
- Read chord charts, rhythm slash notation, and basic tablature without hesitation
- Strum and fingerpick in a variety of rhythmic patterns across multiple time signatures
- Understand the major scale and how to use it to play melodies and simple solos
- Learn 5+ full songs end-to-end across different styles — pop, folk, blues, and rock
- Use the downloadable PDF companion to practice chord diagrams, scale maps, and song charts anywhere, no screen required
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 28 lessons
Your First Week on Guitar
Establishes the physical and visual literacy foundations every beginner needs before playing a single note. Students leave this module able to tune their guitar, understand how written guitar notation works, and play their first four open chords cleanly enough to switch between them in a simple progression. The PDF companion section introduced here covers parts-of-the-guitar diagrams, blank chord-chart grids, and a tuning-reference page.
- 1.1Anatomy, Posture, and TuningIncluded
- 1.2Reading Chord Charts and TablatureIncluded
- 1.3Your First Three Chords — Em, Am, and EIncluded
- 1.4Your First Four Chords — Adding G and DIncluded
Core Open Chords and Rhythm Foundations
Expands the open-chord vocabulary to the full beginner set and builds the rhythmic reading and strumming skills needed to play real songs. By the end of this module students can strum in multiple time signatures, read rhythm slash notation, and perform a complete folk song from start to finish. The PDF companion gains a full open-chord reference chart, rhythm slash notation guide, and the first full song chart.
- 2.1Completing the Open Chord Set — C, A, D7, and DmIncluded
- 2.2Reading and Playing Rhythm Slash NotationIncluded
- 2.3Strumming Patterns — Downstrokes, Upstrokes, and SyncopationIncluded
- 2.4Time Signatures — Playing in 3/4 and 6/8Included
- 2.5Song Study 1 — Full Folk Song End-to-EndIncluded
Fingerpicking and Expressive Playing
Shifts focus from the strumming hand to independent fingerpicking technique, giving students a second, distinctly different voice on the guitar. This module builds right-hand finger independence, introduces the Travis-picking pattern foundational to folk and country, and teaches students to blend picking and strumming within a single arrangement. A complete pop/folk ballad is learned end-to-end. The PDF companion gains fingerpicking-pattern diagrams, hand-position illustrations, and the second full song chart.
- 3.1Right-Hand Fingerpicking FundamentalsIncluded
- 3.2Travis Picking and Alternating BassIncluded
- 3.3Blending Strum and Fingerpick — Dynamic ArrangementIncluded
- 3.4Song Study 2 — Full Pop/Folk Ballad End-to-EndIncluded
Barre Chords and Fretboard Navigation
The most physically demanding module of the course, tackling barre chords — the gateway to playing in any key anywhere on the neck. Students first build a mental map of the fretboard before learning E-shape and A-shape barre chords, minor barre chords, and power chords. This module explicitly addresses the strength and hand-positioning challenges that stop most intermediate players from progressing. A full rock/pop song using barre chords is learned end-to-end. The PDF companion gains a full fretboard note map, barre chord shape library, and the third song chart.
- 4.1Understanding the Fretboard — Notes and OctavesIncluded
- 4.2Cracking the F Chord and E-Shape Barre ChordsIncluded
- 4.3A-Shape Barre Chords — Unlocking the A StringIncluded
- 4.4Minor Barre Chords and Power ChordsIncluded
- 4.5Song Study 3 — Full Rock/Pop Song Using Barre ChordsIncluded
The Major Scale — Melodies, Solos, and Music Theory
Opens up the melodic and theoretical dimension of the guitar. Students learn the major scale as a physical pattern on the fretboard, use it to play recognizable melodies, understand how chords are built from the scale (harmonization), and play their first real solo. The module culminates in a full blues song with a lead break, combining rhythm and lead playing for the first time. The PDF companion gains scale pattern diagrams, a key chart, a chord-numeral reference, and the fourth full song chart with lead notation in TAB.
- 5.1The Major Scale — Pattern 1 and Scale MechanicsIncluded
- 5.2Playing Melodies with the Major ScaleIncluded
- 5.3Chords from the Scale — Understanding Keys and ProgressionsIncluded
- 5.4Your First Simple Solo — Connecting Scale to SongIncluded
- 5.5Song Study 4 — Full Blues Song with Lead BreakIncluded
Putting It All Together — Songs, Styles, and the PDF Companion
The capstone module integrates every technique and concept from the course into polished, multi-style performances. Students play a fifth complete song, explore the sonic fingerprints of blues, rock, and acoustic pop, develop their ear for learning songs independently, and build a personal practice routine they can sustain after the course ends. The PDF companion is completed with Song Charts 5 and 6, a style reference guide, an ear-training worksheet, a practice-routine template, and a master chord, scale, and TAB reference index — making the full PDF a permanent take-home resource.
- 6.1Song Study 5 — Pop Song with Full ArrangementIncluded
- 6.2Style Exploration — Blues, Rock, and Acoustic PopIncluded
- 6.3Ear Training and Learning Songs by EarIncluded
- 6.4Building Your Personal Practice RoutineIncluded
- 6.5Final Song Study and Course ShowcaseIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
The Absolute Beginner
Never played a note — wants a structured start that doesn't assume anything and doesn't drop them in the deep end.
The Perpetual Beginner
Knows a handful of open chords but has been 'almost intermediate' for two years and needs a curriculum to finally push through.
The Frustrated F-Chord Fighter
Has tried barre chords multiple times, given up each time, and wants a methodical explanation of why they work — not just 'press harder.'
The Screen-Weary Learner
Loves the idea of a printable PDF companion so they can practice with chord charts and song sheets away from a device.
The Busy Adult Re-Starter
Played a little in their teens, life got in the way, and now wants a clear, unhurried path back into music without wading through YouTube.
The Song-Focused Player
Doesn't just want exercises — wants to learn real, complete songs across folk, pop, blues, and rock as part of the curriculum itself.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Andy Lee Alverson
If you've been meaning to "really learn guitar" for a while now — maybe you bought one, learned three chords, got stuck on the F, and quietly put it back in the corner — I want you to know that story is extremely common, and it's almost never about talent. It's about not having a clear path forward.
That's what I built Fretboard Unlocked to be: the path I wish someone had handed me when I was starting out. Not a collection of tips, not a random playlist of lessons — a proper, sequenced curriculum where every module earns the next one. You start with posture and your first three chords, and you end up playing full songs in multiple styles, reading rhythm notation, fingerpicking, navigating barre chords, and understanding enough music theory to actually use the major scale instead of just memorizing its pattern.
I teach the way I'd want to be taught: plain language, no unnecessary jargon, real musical examples, and enough dry humor to make a frustrating chord transition feel less like a personal failing. I don't rush through material to seem impressive. I'd rather you genuinely own one concept before we move to the next. The PDF companion exists because I believe the best guitar practice often happens off-screen — with a chart on your music stand, a pencil in your hand, and no notifications interrupting your flow.
The curriculum covers 20+ open and barre chords, strumming and fingerpicking patterns, rhythm notation, the major scale, five complete song studies across folk, pop, blues, and rock — and it closes with you building a personal practice routine you can actually sustain after the course ends. That last part matters to me as much as anything else. I want you still playing a year from now.
If you're a complete beginner, or someone who's been stuck at "a few open chords" for longer than feels comfortable to admit — this course was designed specifically for where you are. Come as you are. Bring the guitar from the corner.
— Your instructor, Fretboard Unlocked
— Andy Lee Alverson
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- 6 modules, 28 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed