Track Your Progress

Progress on guitar often feels invisible from day to day. You practise a chord change for a week and it still feels clumsy — then one morning it clicks and you wonder when it happened. This tracking system captures your progress so you can see how far you have come, set meaningful goals, and stay motivated through the difficult stretches.

How to Use This Guide

Daily: After each practice session, fill in the Practice Session Log (30 seconds — just ticks and a note).
Weekly: At the start of each new session week, set your three weekly goals and review last week’s results.
Per phase: After completing each phase’s sessions, run through the Phase Milestone Checklist.
Monthly: Compare your earliest recordings to your latest. Write one sentence about what has improved.

You can copy these tables into a notebook, print this page, or recreate them in a spreadsheet — whatever you will actually use.

Practice Session Log

Use one row per day. Fill it in immediately after you finish practising — it takes 30 seconds and prevents the “did I practise yesterday?” uncertainty that erodes habits.

Date	Minutes	Warm-Up Done	Technique Focus	Song Practised	One Thing I Improved	Fingertip Pain (1–5)
		Yes / No
		Yes / No
		Yes / No
		Yes / No
		Yes / No
		Yes / No
		Yes / No

How to fill in each column:

Date: Today’s date.
Minutes: Total practice time. Honest number — 12 minutes counts. Zero counts too (write it down so you see it).
Warm-Up Done: Did you do finger stretches and tune your guitar before playing? Yes or No.
Technique Focus: What specific skill did you work on? Examples: “Em to Am transitions,” “downstroke strumming at 80 BPM,” “C major scale ascending.”
Song Practised: Which song or exercise from the current session? Write the name.
One Thing I Improved: The most important column. Write one specific thing that got better, no matter how small. “Am chord sounded cleaner.” “Hit the chord change on beat 1 twice in a row.” “Got through the riff without looking at the TAB.” These small wins compound.
Fingertip Pain (1–5): 1 = no pain, 5 = had to stop early. Track this during Phase 1 to see the callus-building progress. By Week 4, you should consistently be at 1–2.

Weekly Goals Framework

At the start of each session week, set exactly three goals. Not two, not five — three. This keeps you focused without feeling overwhelmed.

How to Set Good Weekly Goals

Each goal should be specific, measurable, and achievable within the week.

Bad goals (vague):

“Get better at chords”
“Practise more”
“Learn the song”

Good goals (specific and measurable):

“Transition from Em to Am within 2 beats at 70 BPM”
“Practise every day this week for at least 15 minutes”
“Play the first 8 bars of ‘Come As You Are’ from memory at 60 BPM”

Weekly Goal Tracker

Week	Start Date	Goal 1	Goal 2	Goal 3	Result
1					Achieved __ / 3
2					Achieved __ / 3
3					Achieved __ / 3
4					Achieved __ / 3
5					Achieved __ / 3
6					Achieved __ / 3
7					Achieved __ / 3
8					Achieved __ / 3
9					Achieved __ / 3
10					Achieved __ / 3
11					Achieved __ / 3
12					Achieved __ / 3
13					Achieved __ / 3
14					Achieved __ / 3
15					Achieved __ / 3
16					Achieved __ / 3
17					Achieved __ / 3
18					Achieved __ / 3
19					Achieved __ / 3
20					Achieved __ / 3
21					Achieved __ / 3
22					Achieved __ / 3
23					Achieved __ / 3
24					Achieved __ / 3

At the end of each week: Write how many goals you achieved out of 3. If you achieved all three, your goals may have been too easy — push a little harder next week. If you achieved zero, your goals may have been too ambitious — scale back and build up. Hitting 2 out of 3 most weeks is a healthy pace.

Phase Milestone Checklists

After completing each phase’s sessions, work through the relevant checklist. For each skill, rate yourself honestly:

Solid — I can do this consistently without thinking about it
Getting There — I can do this most of the time but it still takes concentration
Needs Work — I struggle with this more often than not

Do not worry about having everything at “Solid” before moving on. The course uses spiral progression, so skills from earlier phases are reinforced in later phases. “Getting There” is enough to continue.

Phase 1 Milestones (After Session 6)

Skill	Solid	Getting There	Needs Work
I can name all six open strings (E A D G B E) from memory
I can tune my guitar using a tuner without help
I can play the Em chord with a clean sound on all strings
I can play the Am chord with a clean sound on all strings
I can play the E major chord clearly
I can transition between Em and Am within 3 beats at 60 BPM
I can read basic guitar TAB and play a simple melody from it
I can maintain a steady downstroke strumming pattern at 70 BPM
I can play the “Come As You Are” riff slowly from TAB
My fingertips no longer hurt after 20 minutes of playing

Phase 2 Milestones (After Session 12)

Skill	Solid	Getting There	Needs Work
I can play all open chords: Em, Am, E, D, A, G, C
I can play E5 and A5 power chords with palm muting
I can transition between any two open chords within 2 beats at 70 BPM
I can strum in both 4/4 and 3/4 time with a metronome
I can play a down-up strumming pattern at 80 BPM
I can play the “Iron Man” riff with power chords
I understand the 12-bar blues chord structure
I can play at least one Hindi film song with chord accompaniment
I can read TAB confidently and learn new pieces from it
I practise daily for at least 20 minutes

Phase 3 Milestones (After Session 18)

Skill	Solid	Getting There	Needs Work
I can play the C major scale (one octave) ascending and descending at 60 BPM
I can play the Am pentatonic scale (box 1) ascending and descending
I can play a basic fingerpicking pattern (Travis picking) on open chords
I can perform hammer-ons and pull-offs clearly
I can play syncopated strumming patterns with muted strums
I can play a simplified F barre chord (even if it takes a moment to set up)
I can play a melody line from TAB with correct rhythm
I can use dynamic variation — playing some sections louder, some softer
I know note names on the first three frets of all strings
I can play at least 6 songs from the course repertoire

Phase 4 Milestones (After Session 24)

Skill	Solid	Getting There	Needs Work
I can perform three complete songs from memory
I can improvise a simple phrase over a 12-bar blues in Am
I can read simple standard notation on the treble clef
I can identify major vs minor chords by ear
I can play along with a backing track and stay in time
I can play at least 8 songs from the course repertoire
I understand key signatures for the keys of C, G, and D major
I can perform strumming, fingerpicking, and single-note playing
I feel confident enough to play in front of another person
I feel ready to attempt a Trinity or RockSchool Grade 1 exam

Chord Transition Speed Test

This is a concrete way to measure your chord-changing ability over time. Set a metronome to the indicated BPM. On each beat, switch between the two chords. Count how many clean transitions you make in 60 seconds.

Test yourself on the same pairs every two weeks and record the number.

Chord Pair	Week 2	Week 4	Week 6	Week 8	Week 10	Week 12	Target
Em → Am (60 BPM)							60
Am → E (60 BPM)							60
D → A (70 BPM)							50
G → C (70 BPM)							50
G → Em (70 BPM)							50
Em → G → D → C (80 BPM)							40 cycles

How to count: A “clean transition” means both chords ring out clearly with no buzzing or muted strings, and you arrive on the new chord by the beat. If the chord buzzes or you are late, it does not count.

Typical beginner progression: In your first test, you might get 15–20 transitions per minute on an easy pair like Em → Am. By Week 8, that number should double. Watching these numbers climb is one of the most motivating parts of tracking.

Recording Log

Record yourself once a week playing your current song. Keep a log so you can revisit old recordings and hear your progress.

Week	Date	Song / Piece Recorded	What Sounded Good	What Needs Work
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
10
12
16
20
24

Comparing recordings: After you have four or more entries, listen to your earliest recording alongside your most recent. The difference will surprise you. Progress that feels invisible day-to-day becomes unmistakable over weeks.

Practice Streak Tracker

Consistency is the single biggest predictor of progress on guitar. Mark each day you practise, even for just five minutes. The goal is an unbroken chain.

Month template (copy for each month):

Mark each day with a check or the number of minutes you practised. If you miss a day, leave it blank — do not try to “make up” for it with extra practice the next day. Just pick up your guitar tomorrow and keep going.

Streak rules:

A practice day counts if you played your guitar with intention for at least 5 minutes (not just picking it up and putting it down).
Missing one day does not break the habit. Missing two days in a row does. If you miss one day, make the next day non-negotiable.
Your goal for the first month: practise at least 5 out of 7 days per week.
Your goal from month two onward: practise at least 6 out of 7 days per week.

When Progress Feels Stuck

There will be weeks where nothing seems to improve. Your chord changes feel the same, the song still has the same rough spots, and you wonder if you are wasting your time. This is normal. Here is what is happening and what to do.

The guitar learning curve:

Period	What Happens	How It Feels
Week 1–2	Everything is new. Fingers hurt. Basic chords are a struggle.	Exciting but physically uncomfortable
Week 3–4	Calluses form. First chords start to click.	Motivated — visible daily improvement
Week 5–8	Improvement slows. Chord transitions feel stuck. New chords (G, C) are frustrating.	Plateau — this is where many people quit
Week 9–12	Breakthrough period. Chord changes become semi-automatic. Songs start to sound like songs.	Renewed excitement
Week 13–18	Skills compound. Scales, fingerpicking, and new techniques feel achievable.	Steady, satisfying growth
Week 19–24	Performance readiness. You sound like a guitarist.	Confidence

The Week 5–8 plateau is the most dangerous period. You are past the initial excitement but not yet at the point where songs sound good. This is when practice tracking matters most — the numbers in your chord transition test and your recording log will prove that you are improving even when it does not feel like it.

What to do when stuck:

Go back to your recording log. Listen to your Week 1 recording. You have improved more than you think.
Check your chord transition speed test numbers. If the numbers are going up, you are not stuck — you are progressing faster than your perception.
Take a break from the hard thing. Spend a session just playing songs you already know well. Enjoying the guitar is not wasted time.
Revisit your weekly goals. If you are consistently hitting 0 out of 3, your goals are too ambitious. Set easier targets and build confidence.
Talk to someone about it — a friend, an online forum, or even just writing in your practice log: “This week was frustrating because…” Naming the frustration reduces its power.

Celebrating Milestones

When you achieve something significant, acknowledge it. Write it down. These milestones are worth celebrating:

First clean chord. The first time you strum an Em and all strings ring clearly.
First song. The first time you play a recognisable song all the way through, even slowly.
First transition. The first time you switch between two chords on the beat without pausing.
Calluses formed. The day you realise your fingertips do not hurt any more.
First recording you are proud of. The first time you listen back and think, “That actually sounds like music.”
Phase completion. Finishing each phase’s sessions and checkpoint assessment.
Metronome milestone. The first time you play a passage at the target tempo with the metronome.
Playing for someone. The first time you play guitar for another person, no matter how simple the piece.

Each of these represents real skill that did not exist before you started this course. Write the date next to each one when it happens.

Milestone	Date Achieved
First clean Em chord
First clean Am chord
First song played all the way through
Fingertips stopped hurting
First recording I’m proud of
Phase 1 complete
Phase 2 complete
First time playing for another person
Phase 3 complete
Played a song from memory without looking at TAB
Phase 4 complete
Felt ready for Grade 1 exam

Summary

Your tracking toolkit:

Tool	Frequency	Purpose
Practice Session Log	Daily	Track consistency and identify what you worked on
Weekly Goals	Weekly	Focus your effort on three measurable targets
Chord Transition Speed Test	Every 2 weeks	Measure concrete technical improvement
Recording Log	Weekly	Capture audio evidence of progress
Practice Streak Tracker	Daily	Maintain the habit chain
Phase Milestone Checklist	Per phase	Self-assessment of cumulative skills
Milestone Celebrations	As they happen	Recognise and remember your achievements

You do not need to use every tool every day. The Practice Session Log and Practice Streak Tracker are the daily essentials. Everything else runs on a longer cycle. The key is that when motivation dips — and it will — you have concrete evidence that your effort is working. That evidence carries you through the plateaus until the next breakthrough arrives.

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun