The Guitar Brief — Nora
Practice Plan — Next Phase

The Guitar Brief

By Ted Sablay · For Nora
Vol. I · No. 1 May 19, 2026

A structured plan for the next phase of Nora's playing. Twenty minutes of daily practice paired with the items I'll be folding more deliberately into our lessons. The goal: bridge what she already knows from piano and violin onto guitar, and give her the timing and transition skills that turn a chord-holder into a player.

PART 01

Daily Practice — Twenty Minutes

Block A

Metronome Timing

5 Min

Set the metronome at 60 BPM. Strum any single chord.

  • Min 1: one strum per beat (quarter notes)
  • Min 2: one strum every two beats
  • Min 3: the new up/down pattern, slowly
  • Min 4–5: same pattern at 70, then 80 BPM
Build an internal clock. The foundation everything else sits on.
Block B

Chord Transitions

5 Min

Pick two chords from A / Dm / F. Metronome at 50 BPM.

  • Beat 1: chord one. Beat 5: chord two. Beat 9: chord one.
  • Speed is irrelevant. Clean changes in time score.
  • Add a third chord only when two work. Raise tempo only when clean.
The actual hard skill in rhythm guitar — switching, not holding.
Block C

Play Along With a Recording

5 Min

Pull up the Nirvana song on YouTube at 75% speed.

  • Day 1–2: hold one chord, strum only the downbeat. Lock to the drums.
  • Day 3–4: downbeats and upbeats.
  • Day 5+: the full strumming pattern.
Lock to an external time source. Essential step before playing with anyone else.
Block D

Sight-Reading on Guitar

5 Min

Take any single line of piano sheet music — doesn't need to be related to the song.

  • Read each note. Find it on the fretboard. Play it.
  • No tablature. No speed pressure.
  • Just notation → fretboard mapping, repeated.
Bridge her existing reading from piano and violin onto guitar. The long-term direction.
PART 02

What I'll Build Into the Lessons

  1. Clearer curriculum arc.Specific technique and repertoire milestones for the next 3 and 6 months — not just "the next song."
  2. Chord transitions in the lesson itself.Currently a solo practice item. Moving it into the lesson so I can correct in real time.
  3. Play-along as a standard exercise.Every lesson includes work against a recording or metronome.
  4. Phased move off tablature.Parallel notation first, then standard notation only. Concrete trigger for the switch.
  5. Theory and physics-of-music materials.Sharing the math/music content I've been developing. Nora's reading background means she can absorb this quickly.
  6. More song input from Nora.Her choice when possible. Forced repertoire is bad teaching.
  7. Lesson prep done in advance.Tablature and materials ready before the lesson so the time is spent playing.
  8. Ear training.Adding interval and chord identification by ear into the rotation.
PART 03

Month-End Progress Check

By month-end, Nora should be able to:
  • Play A, Dm, F at 80 BPM with metronome — clean strumming, no muted strings.
  • Transition between any two of those chords at 60 BPM without dropping the beat.
  • Play the verse melody along with the recording at 90% speed.
  • Read at least four lines of standard notation directly on guitar without tablature.
If she's not there by then, we adjust the plan — not the timeline.
Warmly, Ted Sablay
— End of Brief —