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To start with music theory, consider using resources tailored for guitarists. Websites like music theory.net offer free lessons that are great for beginners, covering essential concepts in a practical way 1. Additionally, Justin Guitar provides a solid introduction to theory on his website, which is particularly useful if you're also taking his beginner guitar course 1. Focus on understanding basic chord progressions, keys, and how they relate to the music you play, as this foundational knowledge will enhance your playing and songwriting skills 3.
Sources
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Video · r/guitarlessons
These are the Best Online Resources to Learn Music Theory for GuitaristsCurates the best online music theory resources for guitarists at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, with guidance on what to learn and when.
At 0:00“Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced guitarist, it's always good to mix in some music theory learning with whatever technique or song you're currently working on. But what theory should you learn? When should you learn it? And from who? Well, I did that research for you so you don't…”
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Article · r/musictheory
Completed Modes ProjectShare diagrams mapping relative and parallel modes across the guitar fretboard with mnemonics to visualize connected modal shapes and relationships.
“r/musictheory • 4mo ago Why is this incorrect? 88 upvotes · 39 comments Books about history of music theory before Baroque? r/classicalmusic • 8d ago Books about history of music theory before Baroque? 7 upvotes · 15 comments I'm learning notation. Does this way make sense or not? r/musictheory • 7d…”
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Reddit thread · r/musictheory
Chord Progressions: What Comes Next?Asks for guidance on deepening chord‑progression skills—why they work and how to “tell a story”—inviting theory, voice‑leading, and practice strategies.
“Is it really just as simple as writing chord progressions that utilize the proper theory practices and voila, you're done? Is there more theory or more practice that I can do to gain a more solid grasp on what chords to use to make *this* emotion or *that* feeling? I am super excited to hear what y…”
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Video · Pickin' Lessons
Hot Pentatonic Licks: Mandolin LessonTeach movable mandolin licks using minor pentatonic and blues scales over major chords, adding the major third for bluesy resolutions, with position tips.
At 5:15“gonna dive into that a little bit further a little bit of theory to help us get going with that in the next lesson so jump on over to picking lessons calm remember you're gonna find the tab for the intro the worksheet with these scales and licks and the second video lesson we'll use the blues scale …”
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Video · Musora
Minor Pentatonic Magic (Ayla Tesler-Mabe)Teach how to improvise freely on guitar by deriving the minor pentatonic from the major scale, focusing on intervals, ear training, and practical fretboard visualization.
At 5:26“important and I also want to take a quick second to say that yes theory is important in terms of understanding music and realizing you're figuring out why the music you think sounds good sounds good but ultimately it's just there to sort of help you figure out what works and what doesn't and why tha…”
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Article · r/Guitar
Why would someone prefer the first method over the second? Major scale shapesExplores why players prefer five CAGED major-scale positions over a single repeating shape, debating memorization, fretboard visualization, and 3-notes-per-string consistency for speed.
“Doesn’t necessarily matter which order. The goal should always be to break out of patterns by learning and understanding them, know what makes them and why, until you see them all at the same time. 11 ItsJustAnOpinion_Man • 10mo ago You learn the first because it easily matches up to basic chord sha…”