Question: How do I understand guitar music theory in full? Where EXACTLY do I start? I mean I could play all the technical stuff, I could make a solo sound right, but I just don't understand the theory behind what makes my guitar playing sound good, and how I could improve on it.

Tom Hess's Answer: Until and unless I learn a lot more about your current musical skills, music theory knowledge and your musical goals , I cannot give you a specific plan to follow for studying music theory for guitar. There are many reasons for this, but the main reason is because the amount of music theory you need to know is largely dictated by your goals as a guitarist. Most likely you do not need to learn music theory "in full" (in other words, you do not need to master all there is to know about music theory) to become the guitarist you want to be. Before I start teaching music theory (or any topic) to my online guitar students I ask them a detailed list of questions about their musical background and ambitions. Only after studying their answers to these questions can I determine what they should learn and where they need to start.

So my main suggestion for you is this: in order to understand what you need to learn about music theory you need to find a guitar teacher who understands what it takes to reach your musical goals and will build a strategic plan for getting you there in a short amount of time.

Improve your guitar music theory now using online guitar lessons.