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Meanderer · The Songbook

You know tunes, and tunes are what the music is made of.

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Mindset

Meanderer

No set goal, no set routine. You play when the mood takes you.

You pick up the guitar when you feel like it, play what comes to mind, and put it down when you are done. There is no plan and no particular finish line. Plenty of people play this way their whole lives, and there is nothing wrong with it.

What it gives you
There is no pressure in it, so you have never burned out. You still play because you want to.
The blind spot
Without a target or a routine, the same few tunes and licks come out every time. Weeks can pass without the guitar, and a year from now your playing sounds like it does today.
The next move
Start smaller than you think: one tune, right after something you already do every day. Once that sticks for two weeks, give it a target.

Signature strength: Repertoire

The Songbook

Your repertoire is ahead of your other skills. That matters more than it sounds: every other skill is learned on tunes, and tunes are what get you onto the bandstand.

The player this strength resemblesGrant Green He recorded everything: standards, blues, Latin tunes, gospel and soul-jazz, and made each one sound like his own.Listen to: Born to Be Blue

Deep dive

What a Meanderer Songbook is like

You play when the mood takes you. Some weeks that is every day, some weeks not at all. When you pick it up, you play what is under your fingers: a few tunes, some licks you like, a bit of noodling. Then life happens.

There is nothing wrong with playing this way, and it has kept the guitar fun. But without a goal or a routine, your playing mostly stays where it is. If you took this quiz, part of you would like more from it, and the gap is smaller than it feels.

The tunes you know are the heart of your playing. A small daily habit would keep them sharp and add one more at a time.

What gets in the way

  1. Out of sight, out of mind. The guitar is in its case, the day fills up, and a week goes by.
  2. Not knowing where to start. There is so much to learn in jazz that picking anything feels arbitrary, so you play what you already know.
  3. Doing it alone. Nobody notices whether you played this week, including you.

From members who started where you are

“I never feel like “I want to play but I don’t know what to practice” anymore. Even if I only have 5 to 10 minutes to grab the guitar, I can look at the curriculum and have something that’s moving me forward.”
Erwin S, CGA member · Watch the video
“If you’re winging it, using YouTube videos and self-study books, you’re basically all over the place with your learning. The Chase Guitar Academy provides a structure for me that I don’t have on my own.”
Buford Noris, CGA member · Watch the video

What fixes it

  1. A two-minute habit

    One tune, right after something you already do every day. Small enough that you never skip it.

    In the academy: A daily plan from your track, so you know exactly what to practice each day

  2. A first tune picked for you

    Take the 60-second Level Assessment and get your first tune and a goal for the week.

    In the academy: Start Here and the Level Assessment

  3. People to play with

    Adult players working on the same tune, and live classes every week. Watch live or catch the recording.

    In the academy: The CGA community and live classes for every member

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What the quiz adds

Your own six bars, and a plan

A profile is half the picture. The quiz also ranks your six skills against each other, names the one to work on first, and gives you a 30-minute daily plan and a starting point. It takes about 10 minutes.

Take the quiz

Other Meanderer profiles

The Songbook in the other mindsets