What Comes Next: Your Path Forward
You have completed the Acoustic Guitar Journey Beginner Course. You can play seven open chords, power chords, a barre chord, two scales, fingerpicking patterns, and songs from rock, metal, folk, and Hindi film traditions. You read TAB fluently, understand music theory fundamentals, and can improvise over a blues progression. This page maps out where you can go from here.
Immediate Options
Section titled “Immediate Options”1. Take a Grade 1 Guitar Exam
Section titled “1. Take a Grade 1 Guitar Exam”You are prepared for either of these examinations:
Trinity Rock & Pop Grade 1 Guitar
- Website: trinityrock.com
- Format: Three performance pieces (your choice from the Trinity syllabus or free-choice pieces), a technical exercise (scales/chords), and a sight-reading or improvisation component.
- Your course repertoire can be submitted as free-choice pieces. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “About a Girl,” and “Fear of the Dark” (intro) are strong choices.
- Exams are held at registered centres. Check the Trinity website for centres near you.
RockSchool Grade 1 Guitar
- Website: rslawards.com
- Format: Three performance pieces (from the RockSchool book or free choice), technical exercises, sight-reading or ear tests.
- Similar to Trinity in scope. Your course skills align with both syllabi.
How to register:
- Visit the exam board website.
- Find a registered exam centre near you.
- Register for the next available session (typically held every few months).
- Purchase or download the exam syllabus to confirm piece requirements.
- If submitting free-choice pieces, check the board’s submission guidelines.
What to expect on exam day:
- Bring your guitar (your Saga SF-600C-BK is perfectly suitable), a pick, and a tuner.
- You will have a few minutes to warm up and tune.
- The examiner is not trying to catch you out — they want to see what you can do.
- A Trinity Grade 1 pass requires roughly 60%. A merit is 75%. A distinction is 87%.
2. Continue Building Repertoire
Section titled “2. Continue Building Repertoire”You have the skills to learn many songs beyond this course. Here is how:
- Find chords online. Websites like Ultimate Guitar (ultimate-guitar.com) have chord charts and TAB for thousands of songs. Search for a song you love and look for versions labelled “easy” or “beginner.”
- Start with songs that use chords you know. Many popular songs use only G, C, D, Em, and Am — your core vocabulary.
- Work out the strumming pattern. Listen to the recording. Is it in 4/4 or 3/4? Are the strums even or syncopated? Match one of the patterns you know, then adjust.
- Learn the melody. If TAB is available, learn the vocal melody or guitar solo on a single string. This deepens your connection to the song.
Songs that use your current chord vocabulary:
| Song | Artist | Chords |
|---|---|---|
| ”Wish You Were Here” | Pink Floyd | Em, G, A, C, D |
| ”Horse with No Name” | America | Em, D (two chords) |
| “Wonderwall” | Oasis | Em, G, D, A (capo 2) |
| “Let It Be” | The Beatles | G, D, Em, C |
| ”Kal Ho Naa Ho” (title track) | Sonu Nigam | Am, G, C, D |
| ”Tum Hi Ho” | Arijit Singh | Em, C, G, D |
| ”Nothing Else Matters” (intro) | Metallica | Em (fingerpicking) |
| “Zombie” | The Cranberries | Em, C, G, D |
3. Deepen Your Improvisation
Section titled “3. Deepen Your Improvisation”Your Am pentatonic Box 1 (frets 0–3) is one of five pentatonic positions that span the entire fretboard. Learning the other four boxes gives you access to soloing across the entire neck.
Next steps for improvisation:
- Learn Am pentatonic Box 2 (frets 3–5) and Box 3 (frets 5–8).
- Practise connecting Box 1 to Box 2 with slides.
- Solo over backing tracks in different keys (transposing the box pattern to different starting frets).
- Learn the blues scale (Am pentatonic + one extra note: Eb/D#). This adds tension and colour to your solos.
4. Master the Full Barre Chord
Section titled “4. Master the Full Barre Chord”Your simplified F major is functional, but the full barre chord shape unlocks every major and minor chord in every key. It is the single most important technique for intermediate guitar.
Daily barre chord practice (5 minutes):
- Form the full F barre chord (finger 1 barring all strings at fret 1).
- Strum all six strings. Identify which strings do not ring.
- Adjust pressure and finger position until all strings sound.
- Hold for 10 seconds. Release. Repeat 5 times.
- When F is solid, slide the shape to fret 3 (G major barre), fret 5 (A major barre), and fret 7 (B major barre).
This will take weeks of daily practice. That is normal. The barre chord rewards patience.
5. Start the Intermediate Course
Section titled “5. Start the Intermediate Course”The intermediate course picks up where this one ends. It covers:
- CAGED system — Five chord shapes that map the entire fretboard
- Full barre chord fluency — Major and minor barre chords in all positions
- Modes — Dorian, Mixolydian, and other scales that give you new melodic colours
- Extended chord voicings — Seventh chords, suspended chords, add9 chords
- Advanced fingerpicking — Fingerstyle arrangements, independence exercises
- Advanced strumming — Funk patterns, reggae rhythms, complex time signatures
- Deeper genre exploration — Blues, jazz, classical, Hindustani music on guitar
- Grade 2–3 preparation — Technical and theoretical skills for higher certification
Recommended Resources
Section titled “Recommended Resources”| Book | Author | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Book 2 | Will Schmid, Greg Koch | Intermediate reading, technique, and repertoire |
| The Guitar Handbook | Ralph Denyer | Comprehensive reference for all skill levels |
| Fretboard Logic | Bill Edwards | CAGED system and fretboard mastery |
Apps and Websites
Section titled “Apps and Websites”| Resource | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Ultimate Guitar (ultimate-guitar.com) | Chord charts and TAB for thousands of songs |
| Songsterr (songsterr.com) | Interactive TAB with playback |
| JustinGuitar (justinguitar.com) | Free structured video lessons (complements this course well) |
| Yousician (app) | Gamified practice with real-time feedback |
| Metronome apps (any) | Essential for continued tempo practice |
Backing Tracks
Section titled “Backing Tracks”Search YouTube or Spotify for:
- “12 bar blues Am slow backing track” — for pentatonic improvisation
- “Backing track in G major” — for practising chord progressions and melody
- “Slow rock backing track” — for general soloing practice
Playing along with backing tracks is one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to develop your skills.
Genre Paths
Section titled “Genre Paths”Your course has given you a foundation in multiple genres. Here is how to go deeper in each:
Rock and Metal
Section titled “Rock and Metal”- Learn more power chord riffs (AC/DC, Green Day, Ramones — all heavily power chord based)
- Study palm muting patterns from Metallica and Megadeth rhythm guitar
- Learn pentatonic soloing in the style of Slash, Jimmy Page, and Tony Iommi
- Work toward full barre chords for playing complete rock songs
Hindi Film Music
Section titled “Hindi Film Music”- Explore the chord progressions of Arijit Singh, Pritam, and A.R. Rahman songs
- Learn to play ragas on guitar using the pentatonic and major scale patterns you know
- Study the vocal melodies of Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi — transcribing them to guitar builds your ear and your fretboard knowledge
- Hindi film music uses many of the same chord progressions as Western pop — your G-C-D-Em vocabulary applies directly
Fingerstyle
Section titled “Fingerstyle”- Learn fingerpicking arrangements of songs (many available on YouTube and TAB sites)
- Study Travis picking patterns in the style of Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel
- Practice arpeggio patterns with more complex chord shapes
- Fingerstyle is an excellent path if you enjoy playing solo guitar without a band
- Deepen your 12-bar blues vocabulary with turnarounds, shuffles, and walking bass lines
- Learn all five pentatonic box positions
- Study blues guitar in the style of B.B. King, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters
- The blues is the foundation of rock — everything you learn here feeds back into your rock playing
Classical and Fingerstyle
Section titled “Classical and Fingerstyle”- Classical guitar technique uses nylon strings, but the fingerpicking principles transfer directly
- Study simple classical pieces (Sor, Giuliani, Carcassi studies)
- Classical training builds exceptional finger independence and reading skills
Timeline Expectations
Section titled “Timeline Expectations”Guitar progress is not linear. Here is a realistic timeline for what comes after this course:
| Timeframe | What You Can Expect |
|---|---|
| 1–3 months after course | Full barre chord fluency. 5–10 new songs added to repertoire. Comfortable improvising over simple progressions. Ready to pass Grade 1 exam. |
| 3–6 months after course | CAGED system basics understood. Pentatonic scale in multiple positions. Seventh chords learned. Beginning to play with other musicians. Grade 2 preparation underway. |
| 6–12 months after course | Confident intermediate player. Can learn most popular songs from a chord chart or TAB. Basic understanding of modes and music theory. Starting to develop personal playing style. |
| 1–2 years after course | Advanced beginner to solid intermediate. Comfortable in multiple genres. Can play barre chords fluently, improvise in multiple keys, and perform confidently. Grade 3 level. |
The most important factor is consistency. Twenty minutes of focused daily practice produces more progress than two hours once a week. Keep a regular practice routine and you will continue to improve steadily.
Finding a Guitar Teacher
Section titled “Finding a Guitar Teacher”While this course proved you can learn on your own, a teacher can accelerate your progress — especially for intermediate and advanced skills where bad habits are harder to identify and correct.
What to look for in a guitar teacher:
- Experience teaching your preferred genre (rock, classical, Hindi film, etc.)
- Willingness to work with what you already know rather than starting from scratch
- Structured approach with clear goals (not just “play whatever”)
- Encouraging but honest — tells you what is good and what needs work
Where to find one:
- Local music schools and conservatories
- Online platforms (TakeLessons, Lessonface, or similar)
- Music shops often have notice boards with teacher advertisements
- Ask at local open mic nights or music gatherings
When you start lessons, tell your teacher:
- You have completed a beginner course (24 sessions, Grade 1 level)
- You can play all open chords, power chords, simplified F barre, two scales
- You read TAB fluently and basic standard notation
- Your goals (exam preparation, genre specialisation, general improvement)
This gives the teacher a clear starting point and avoids wasting time on skills you already have.
Your Guitar Going Forward
Section titled “Your Guitar Going Forward”Your Saga SF-600C-BK has served you through 24 sessions. It will continue to serve you well through intermediate study and beyond. Keep it maintained:
- Change strings every 2–3 months (or when they sound dull and feel rough). Fresh strings make everything sound and feel better.
- Wipe the strings after every playing session with a dry cloth. This extends string life.
- Keep it in a case when not playing, to protect it from dust, humidity, and accidental damage.
- Consider a professional setup if you have not had one. A guitar technician adjusts the string height (action), neck relief, and intonation. This can make your guitar significantly easier and more pleasant to play. A setup typically costs the equivalent of a few guitar lessons and is worth every penny.
When you eventually want a second guitar (and you will), you will have the experience to know what you want — an electric for rock, a classical for fingerstyle, a jumbo for strumming, or something else entirely. But your Saga will always be the guitar you learned on.
Final Words
Section titled “Final Words”You started with nothing — no knowledge, no skill, no experience. You now have all three. You are a guitarist. Not because a certificate says so, not because you passed an exam, but because you can pick up a guitar and make music.
Whatever path you choose — grade exams, new genres, songwriting, jamming with friends, or simply playing for yourself in a quiet room — the foundation is built. Everything that comes next rests on what you have already achieved.
Keep playing. Keep learning. Keep listening.
The music is yours.