True mastery is a lifelong journey, but this one-year plan will take you from an absolute beginner to a confident, multi-skilled musician capable of playing, singing, and understanding music at an advanced level.
30-60 minutes of focused practice daily is far more effective than a 5-hour cram session once a week. Your brain and muscles build connections while you sleep.
You'll need a keyboard (a 61-key touch-sensitive model is a good start), an acoustic or electric guitar, and a quiet place to practice.
You will not be perfect, especially at first. The goal is progress, not perfection. Celebrate small wins.
The most important skill is listening. Listen to music you love and try to figure out what's happening. Listen to yourself when you practice, and be honest about what you hear.
Goal: Understand the language of music. Get your hands and voice working. Focus on Piano as the primary tool for visualizing theory.
| Week | Weekly Focus | Music Theory | Piano | Guitar | Singing | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | The Building Blocks | Notes on the Staff, Rhythm (Whole, Half, Quarter) | Find Middle C, posture, finger numbers. Play a 5-finger C Major scale. | (Not yet) | Posture & Diaphragmatic Breathing. Hum on a single pitch. | Play C Major scale on piano, hands separately. |
| 3-4 | First Chords | Major Scales (C, G, F), Key Signatures | Learn C, G, F major chords (root position). Practice switching between them. | (Not yet) | Sing a 5-note scale (Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So) on "ahh". | Play the chords to "Twinkle Twinkle" on piano. |
| 5-6 | Rhythm & Minor Keys | Time Signatures (4/4, 3/4), Eighth notes, A minor scale | Practice A minor, D minor, E minor chords. Play simple pieces using these chords. | Introduce Guitar: Anatomy, tuning, holding the pick. Learn E minor & A minor chords. | Match pitch to piano notes. Sing the A natural minor scale. | Strum Em and Am on guitar with a simple down-strum. |
| 7-8 | The I-IV-V Progression | Primary Chords (I-IV-V) in C and G Major. | Play I-IV-V progressions in C (C-F-G) and G (G-C-D). | Learn G, C, and D major chords. Practice switching G-C-D. | Sing arpeggios (1-3-5) of major chords you're learning. | Play the chord progression for "Sweet Home Alabama" (D-C-G) on guitar. |
| 9-10 | Expanding Your World | The Circle of Fifths, The "pop" progression (I-V-vi-IV). | Learn to play C-G-Am-F. Start working on simple songs from a lead sheet. | Master switching between G-C-D-Em. Learn a basic 4/4 strumming pattern. | Sing the melody of a simple song while playing the chords on piano. | Play and sing a simple 4-chord song on either piano or guitar. |
| 11-12 | Hand Independence | Chord Inversions (Root, 1st, 2nd) | Practice inversions of C, G, F. Right hand plays melody, left hand plays root position chords. | Introduce the Capo. Play a G-shape song in the key of A (capo on 2nd fret). | Work on dynamics (singing loud vs. soft) over a scale. | Phase 1 Complete: Record yourself playing a 4-chord song on piano and a different one on guitar, singing the melody to both. |
Goal: Develop fluency on both instruments. Start to see the patterns connecting them. Introduce barre chords and more complex theory.
| Week | Weekly Focus | Music Theory | Piano | Guitar | Singing | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-15 | The Barre Chord Barrier | 7th Chords (Major 7, Minor 7, Dominant 7) | Learn Cmaj7, G7, Am7. Integrate them into progressions. | The F Barre Chord. Use JustinGuitar's method. Practice daily. | Sing intervals (Major 3rd, Perfect 5th) against a drone note. | Play a song using G, C, D, and the F barre chord. |
| 16-18 | The Blues & Pentatonics | The 12-Bar Blues structure. Minor Pentatonic Scale. | Learn a simple 12-bar blues in C. Left hand plays bass notes, right hand plays chords. | Learn the A minor pentatonic scale (Position 1). | Sing the minor pentatonic scale. Try to "scat" using these notes. | Improvise a simple guitar solo over a 12-bar blues backing track. |
| 19-21 | Fingerpicking & Arpeggios | Understanding Triads on the fretboard and keyboard. | Play arpeggiated versions of your chord progressions (e.g., C-G-Am-F). | Learn basic fingerpicking patterns (e.g., P-I-M-A). Apply to your chords. | Focus on legato (smooth connection between notes) in scales. | Play "Hallelujah" or "Everybody Hurts" using fingerpicking. |
| 22-24 | Reading Music | Reading lead sheets (melody line + chord symbols). | Practice playing the melody of a standard (e.g., "Autumn Leaves") with right hand, chords with left. | Learn to read guitar TAB fluently. Start learning songs from TAB. | Develop head voice vs. chest voice. Practice transitioning smoothly. | Phase 2 Complete: Perform a 3-song set for yourself. 1. Piano + vocal. 2. Strummed guitar + vocal. 3. Fingerpicked guitar + vocal. |
| 25-26 | Ear Training Focus | Use Tonedear.com for Interval & Chord identification. | Hear a simple melody and try to pick it out on the piano. | Hear a chord progression (e.g., G-C-D) and identify the chords on guitar. | Sing back a short melody played on the piano. | Correctly identify all major/minor triads by ear. |
Goal: Combine your skills seamlessly. Begin to think like a composer and improviser. Your instruments become extensions of your musical ideas.
| Week | Weekly Focus | Music Theory | Piano | Guitar | Singing | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27-29 | The Modes | Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, etc. Understand their moods. | Improvise over an Am-G progression using A Dorian mode (all white keys). | Learn the major scale pattern on guitar. Play C major scale all over the neck. | Sing a major scale, then flatten the 3rd and 7th to create a bluesy/Dorian feel. | Record a jam of you improvising on piano or guitar using modes. |
| 30-32 | Songwriting 101 | Common song structures (Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus). | Write a simple chord progression you like. Find a melody over it. | Write a riff. Build a song around it using a common structure. | Write simple lyrics to the melody you created on piano. Try to match rhythm and emotion. | Write and record a simple original verse and chorus. |
| 33-35 | Advanced Chords | Suspended (sus2, sus4) & Add9 chords. Secondary Dominants. | Learn to use chords like Cadd9, Gsus4. Add a D7 before a G chord in the key of C. | Learn common moveable chord shapes (e.g., D-shape up the neck). | Develop vibrato. Practice a steady, controlled oscillation on long notes. | Arrange a simple pop song, adding your own chord substitutions. |
| 36-39 | Transcription | The art of listening to a song and writing down the music. | Transcribe the melody of a pop song. Then figure out the bass notes. | Transcribe a simple guitar solo or riff by ear. Use a slow-downer tool. | Transcribe the vocal melody of a singer you admire. Note their phrasing. | Phase 3 Complete: Transcribe and learn to play/sing a full song by ear, without looking up the music. |
Goal: Refine your unique voice. Focus on performance, improvisation, and creating original work. Move from proficient musician to true artist.
| Week | Weekly Focus | Music Theory | Piano | Guitar | Singing | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40-42 | Improvisation | Chord-Tone Soloing. Outlining the chord changes with your melody. | Over a C-F-G progression, only play notes from the C, F, and G chords as they happen. | Do the same on guitar. This is the key to melodic soloing. | Improvise vocal melodies over a backing track, thinking about chord tones. | Have a 5-minute "conversation" improvising between your two hands on piano. |
| 43-45 | Style Analysis | Pick a genre (Jazz, Funk, Folk). What makes it tick? | Jazz: Learn shell voicings and walking bass lines. Funk: Focus on syncopated 16th-note rhythms. | Jazz: Learn basic 7th chord voicings. Funk: Learn muted "chick" strumming. | Analyze the vocal style. Is it breathy? Is it sharp? Is it behind or on top of the beat? | Play and sing a song in a style that is new to you. |
| 46-48 | Composition & Arrangement | Arranging a song for multiple parts. Using your DAW. | Record a piano track. Then add a counter-melody. | Record a rhythm guitar track. Then overdub a lead guitar part. | Record a lead vocal. Then record a harmony part (a 3rd or 5th above/below). | Arrange and record a cover song where you play all the parts. |
| 49-52 | The Grand Finale | Putting It All Together | Review your weakest areas. Are you solid on key signatures? Can you identify modes by ear? | Polish 2-3 of your most advanced pieces. Work on dynamics and emotion. | Polish 2-3 of your most advanced songs. Work on rhythmic precision and tone. | Practice performing. Record yourself and watch it back. Work on stage presence, even in your room. |
| 🏆 THE ULTIMATE MILESTONE: Write, record, and produce a complete, original song where you perform the piano/keyboard parts, guitar parts, and all vocals. | ||||||
This year will give you an incredible foundation, equivalent to years of traditional lessons. From here, the path is yours to choose:
Do you love jazz piano? Shredding on guitar? Become a true master of one.
The ultimate test and joy is making music with others.
The best way to solidify your knowledge is to explain it to someone else.
There is always more. Explore music from other cultures, complex orchestration, electronic music production. The journey never, ever ends.
Welcome to the most rewarding pursuit of your life. Be patient, be joyful, and make music every day. You can do this.