Here's an outline of topics your teacher can cover with you depending on your level of ability.

• Pentatonic scales
  • Construction
  • 5 basic fingerings
• Importance of pentatonic scales to the language of rock guitarists
• Alternate picking
• Study of 12 bar blues
• Blues scale/pentatonic scale relationship
• Blues licks and phrasing
• Fundamental rock guitar techniques
  • String bending
  • Vibrato
  • Hammer-ons
  • Pull-offs
  • Slides
• Major scale and Major scale diatonic harmony (triads and 7th chords)
• Importance/function of I, IV, and V chords and study of chord shapes
• Open position chord voicings
• Power chords
• Barre chords

• Study of early blues solos and their relationships with rock guitar solos (comparing a solo of Muddy Waters to Jimi Hendrix, for example)
• Importance of Dominant 7th chords in rock music
• Analysis, learning of favorite rock songs:
  • Chords progressions and solos
• Modes of the major scale and related chords
• Uses/applications of different modes in rock songs
• Two-handed tapping
• Whammy bar techniques
• The rock guitar sonic palatte:
  • Use of distortion, reverb, delay, etc.
• Historical development of rock guitar style/significant guitarists:
  • Blues Guitarists: Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, etc.
  • Rock guitarists: Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton
  • Chuck Berry (one of the first
  • Roots in blues
  • Rhythm playing/lead playing analysis
• Importance/influence of 12 bar blues and blues music on
• Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Keith Richards
• Birth of Heavy Metal guitar styles from music of the 70s (Van Halen, Led Zeppelin)
• Influence of the vocal qualities of blues singers/guitar players on rock guitarists
• Heavy metal guitar styles: drop/lowered tunings
• Metallica's guitar styles: Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield

• Functional analysis of rock chord progressions
• Investigation of song forms (Intros, Verses, Chorus, Bridge, etc.)
• Position playing and learning scales in all positions/alternate fingerings in positions
• Major, Minor, Diminished, Augmented triads and chord functions
• Harmonics, artificial harmonics, pinch harmonics
• Sweep/economy picking
• Rock guitar styles of the 70s, emergence of Van Halen and his technical/sonic contributions to the instrument
• Influence of Van Halen's guitar style on major rock guitarists of the 80s: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc.
• Minor scales/related chords and uses in rock guitar: Aeolian, Harmonic, Melodic, Dorian -7th chords and chord functions
• Arpeggios: three note (triads), four note (7th chords)