Blues, rock or pop: which style should you learn first?
Every style is built on the same foundations. Here’s when each one opens up, and how to choose where to start.
Short answer: the style you love listening to. Motivation beats everything. But it helps to know that every style sits on the same foundation, so the first few weeks look the same whichever you pick.
| Style | Opens at | What you need first |
|---|---|---|
| Blues | Stage 3 | 12-bar blues rhythm, Minor pentatonic, box 1 |
| Rock | Stage 3 | Power chords & palm muting, First riffs |
| Metal | Stage 4 | Power chords & palm muting, Muting & stamina |
| Funk | Stage 4 | 16th-note grooves, Barre chords |
| Jazz | Stage 5 | Chords in a key, 7th chords |
| Neo-soul & R&B | Stage 5 | 7th chords, Barre chords |
| Country | Stage 2 | Open chords & capo, Four-chord songs |
| Latin & Bossa | Stage 4 | Barre chords, 16th-note grooves, First fingerpicking |
| Pop & Acoustic | Stage 1 | Your first song, Strum in time |
| Indian fusion | Stage 3 | Your first improvisation, Copy what you hear |
Good first choices
- Pop & acoustic opens earliest: strum and sing four-chord songs within a couple of months.
- Rock and blues open once you have power chords and your first scale, a few months in.
- Funk, jazz and neo-soul need barre chords and 7th chords, so they come a little later.
Mix it up
Most great players borrow from several styles. Blues bends turn up in country; jazz chords turn up in neo-soul; Indian ornaments turn up in fusion. Once your foundation is solid, rotate styles every few weeks.
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