Adding Color: C · F · G and the Pentatonic Box
Time for the chord everyone fears — F — but we use a friendly 4-string version, not the full barre. With C, F, and G you unlock the key of C. Then we meet the pentatonic scale box: five notes in one tidy shape at the 5th fret. This single box is the foundation of nearly every guitar solo ever played.
Concepts
Rhythm vs. lead: chords keep time; a solo is single notes from the box played over those chords.
The pentatonic box has no "wrong" notes — that is why you can improvise with it immediately.
Roll your index finger to cover strings on the easy F; keep your thumb low behind the neck.
Graduation
Play the lick cleanly, then noodle your own 4-note phrase from the box over a C–F–G backing.