Guitarist Profile 22 of 24
Meanderer · The Mapmaker
You understand how the music is built.
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: Theory
The Mapmaker
Your musical knowledge is ahead of your other skills. You can look at a tune and see what is going on, which makes everything else faster to learn.
Deep dive
What a Meanderer Mapmaker 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.
You know how the music works. A routine would let you use it, one tune at a time.
What gets in the way
- Out of sight, out of mind. The guitar is in its case, the day fills up, and a week goes by.
- 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.
- 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.”
“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.”
What fixes it
- 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
- 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
- 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
Start your 7-day trial todayRisk-free: no charge today, cancel anytime.
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.
