10-minute loops

Practice

Ten minutes beats an hour of noodling. Same loop, slightly cleaner, slightly slower changes.

First-week path

1. Day 1–2: tune, hold the guitar, E / Em / G, downstrokes.
2. Day 3: C and D, one strum pattern (D D U U D U).
3. Day 4: Am, switch G–Em–C–D slowly. No tempo pride.
4. Day 5: minor pentatonic box 1 in A, one string at a time.
5. Day 6: hammer-on 5h7 on the high E; natural harmonics at 12.
6. Day 7: print the glossary and play through every shape once.

A 10-minute loop (after week one)

1. 1 min — tune and play open strings. Listen.
2. 3 min — two chord changes. Only those two.
3. 3 min — one scale box, ascending then descending, one string at a time then across.
4. 2 min — one technique (hammer, mute, harmonic, or slide intonation).
5. 1 min — play something ugly on purpose and stop.

If the last minute is the only fun minute, the loop is too hard. Shrink the change, not the clock.

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Chords · Scales · Harmonics