Your Complete Guitar
Foundation
The 12-week structured program that builds every fundamental pillar of the instrument — and the on-ramp to Sonora's acclaimed Core Program.
What you will learn in this 12-week program
The Sonora Prep Program covers every fundamental dimension of the instrument in a structured, progressive sequence. By graduation, you will have the skills, vocabulary, and confidence to move forward as a real musician.
Open Chords & Tuning
Tune by ear, build clean chord shapes, and strum your first full songs from week one.
Strumming Patterns
Command a versatile library of strumming patterns that work across rock, folk, jazz, and more.
Scales & Music Theory
Understand major scales and pentatonic scales and how they connect to the music you love.
Rhythm & Timekeeping
Internalize steady rhythm so you can lock in with other musicians.
Fingerstyle Technique
Develop independent picking-hand fingers to unlock classical and contemporary fingerstyle repertoire.
Barre Chords & Keys
Play any chord shape in any key by mastering barre chord technique across the neck.
Lead Guitar Articulation
Execute hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, bends, and vibrato — the vocabulary of expressive lead playing.
Ensemble Playing & Jamming
Learn to hold lead and rhythm roles and practice holding your own over jam tracks with others.
Everything you need to succeed
If you have wanted to become a guitarist all of your life, now is the time. We have helped thousands of students just like you build a genuine, lasting command of the instrument.
Designed For Beginners
This program is for beginners or those picking up the instrument again after a long time away.
12 Weeks
You'll receive detailed lessons and structured practice plans each week to guide you along the path.
Build Strong Foundations
Develop a complete foundation of guitar fundamentals so you can play, jam, and grow with confidence.
Mentor & Community
Interact with others on the same path through Zoom calls and our Skool community group.
Twelve weeks to a complete foundation
Understand the Basics, Open Chords, and Your First Songs
We'll start from ground zero — understanding the basics of the guitar, including how to tune, note names, string names, and proper posture. We'll dive into essential technique with a heavy emphasis on learning open chords, enabling us to begin learning songs immediately.
Strumming Patterns, Scales, and More Popular Songs
We'll expand your library of strumming patterns — simple yet versatile — allowing you to play a wider range of your favorite songs. We'll introduce major scales and pentatonic scales, opening up melodic and lead guitar vocabulary.
Rhythm and Timekeeping, Open Position Scales, and Power Chords
We'll delve deeper into rhythm and playing in time. New scale shapes in open position unlock the brighter, twangier sounds of bluegrass, country, and rock — plus power chord technique for when you really want to rock.
Fingerstyle, Barre Chords, and Some More Challenging Songs
We shift focus to the picking hand with fingerstyle technique — exploring classical and modern repertoire. We also introduce barre chords, unlocking the ability to play in any key, just like your favorite songwriters.
Lead Guitar Licks, Articulation, and Your Expanding Repertoire
Foundational lead guitar techniques and essential articulation — hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, slides, and vibrato. We'll build out your song repertoire so you have a growing library of pieces you can play start to finish.
Ensemble Playing, Lead & Rhythm Roles, and Jamming
In the final stretch we bring everything together in a musical context. You'll learn how to approach playing songs with others, understand the difference between lead and rhythm guitar roles, and practice stepping into each role over jam tracks. By graduation, you'll know what it feels like to hold your own in a room full of musicians — and you'll be genuinely ready for the Core Program.
A complete foundation — Core ready
Most beginner courses hand you a few chords and call it done. The Sonora Prep Program is different. We walk you through every fundamental pillar of the instrument — Technique, Music Theory, Rhythm & Timing, Ear Training, Fretboard Knowledge, Improvisation, Repertoire, and Tone — so your proficiency is complete, not patchwork.
That completeness is what makes graduates genuinely ready for what comes next. The Core Program — Sonora's intermediate curriculum, where guitarists at every level come to sharpen their craft, including Grammy Award-winner Billy Strings — expects students who already have these foundations in place. Prep makes sure you arrive that way.
The on-ramp to Sonora's Core Program
Prep builds the foundation. Core builds mastery. Thousands of guitarists have followed this path.
Get Access For Only $97
Sonora Prep Program
Ideal for those picking up a guitar for the first time, or picking up the instrument again after a long time away.
- Structured curriculum with weekly milestones
- Unlimited support and guidance from mentors
- Structured assignments and real-song projects
- Access to the Skool community
Look at what our students are saying
Frequently asked questions
Ideally, you should practice every day, as consistency leads to the greatest results. We recommend a minimum of 20 to 30 minutes of practice as a baseline. If possible, adding an additional 20 to 30 minutes would be phenomenal at this stage of your development. But, once more, the most important detail is practicing every day!
Of course! Our program takes the average student roughly 12 weeks to work through, but you can absolutely progress at whatever pace feels appropriate for you. The recorded lessons are ready for you to move through as quickly or as slowly as feels appropriate for your development. The key is that our curriculum provides the highest value content every step of the way, and each exercise builds logically from one to the next. You'll receive precisely the materials you need at the right intervals, regardless of your pace.
Any day of the week, you can submit videos of your work through our platform and one of our mentors will respond with personalized feedback tailored to your needs.
Absolutely not! Anyone can begin learning guitar at any age, provided they are prepared to dedicate the time and energy to the journey. We've worked with students of all ages, from 10-year-olds to people in their 70s and 80s, and we've seen excellent results across the board.
Access to our materials is for life. You can return anytime to refine your skills using the program's resources as often as you'd like.
Start your 12-week Prep Program today
Build every fundamental — and arrive at the Core Program genuinely ready to excel.
Structured curriculum. Mentor support. Lifetime access.