A new kind of guitar progress tracker

A to-do list for becoming
a complete guitarist.

Guitar Skill Tree gives you a clear, structured map of everything that goes into playing guitar well — and shows you exactly where you are on that map. Know where you are. Know where you're going.

▶  Open the App Get it on Google Play
The Problem

Most guitarists don't know what they don't know.

Guitar learning is vast, and without a structured map it's easy to spend years improving in some areas while entire regions of your playing remain untouched. Scales without harmony. Technique without ear training. Speed without feel.

Guitar Skill Tree makes the invisible visible. Every skill, every milestone, every gap — laid out clearly so nothing falls through the cracks.

Scales
7.2
Arpeggios
4.5
Technique
5.8
Improvisation
3.0
Ear Training
2.0
Next Steps
↳ Minor Pentatonic — 90bpm eighths, all keys
↳ Major 7 Arpeggio — Shape 1 (E shape)
↳ Interval Recognition — Major 3rd vs Minor 3rd
What it does

Everything in one place. Nothing overlooked.

A Complete Skill Tree

Scales, arpeggios, triads, chords, technique, ear training, sight reading, theory, improvisation and repertoire — over 300 skills structured into a coherent, progressive system built on decades of teaching experience.

Visual Progress

Radar charts, category breakdowns and grade mapping give an honest, at-a-glance picture of where you are across every dimension of your playing. Imbalances become immediately visible.

Intelligent Next Steps

The app recommends what to work on next based on where you are in the tree. Skip anything you're not ready for. Circle back when you are. Always know what to practise.

RSL Aligned

Full RSL Grades 1–8 repertoire for acoustic and electric guitar. Track certified grade and development level separately — because having a certificate and having the skill are two different things.

Repertoire as Context

Songs aren't just songs — they're case studies. Every piece in the repertoire connects to the harmony, technique and theory being developed in the skill tree.

A Real Standard

60 to 120 bpm across quarters, eighths, triplets and sixteenths. Through all 12 keys via the circle of fifths. No vague criteria — every milestone is precise, measurable and honest.

Skill Echoes

Some practice physically builds other techniques. Master your scales with alternate picking and the app credits your picking too; arpeggios feed sweep picking; three-note-per-string runs build legato. Real, earned crossover — never faked, and only from what your hands actually do.

For Guitar Teachers · Coming Separately

A studio tool, in the works

  • A dedicated teacher edition is in development, separate from the player app
  • Track multiple students, each with their own skill profile
  • See at a glance where each student is strong and where the gaps are
  • Align teaching with the RSL curriculum without being limited by it
  • Give students a visual map of their journey — motivation built in
For Guitarists

A compass for self-directed growth

  • Discover exactly what you don't know yet
  • Follow a structured path without needing rigid lesson plans
  • Set your own pace — skip what's not relevant, return when it is
  • Measure real progress with honest, specific milestones
  • Build toward wholeness rather than specialising by accident
Built by
Werner Bonthuys
Guitar Teacher · Session Musician · Author · Haarlem, Netherlands

Guitar Skill Tree grew out of more than three decades of playing, performing, recording and teaching guitar. It is the teaching system I wished had existed when I started — a complete, honest map of what it takes to become a well-rounded guitarist.

The methodology behind the app draws on the RSL Awards curriculum, the CAGED system, the circle of fifths, and years of refining what actually works with real students across all levels.

Now Available

It's here.

Guitar Skill Tree runs right in your browser — on any phone, tablet or computer. Open it, set where you are, and start working through the map. Your progress stays on your device — no account, no sign-up, nothing to lose track of.

▶  Open the App Get it on Google Play
Questions or feedback —
info@learnguitar.nl  ·  learnguitar.nl