Well, Iām no longer a ābeginnerā 
ā¦ and I will never be āadvancedā 
So that puts me in that great big messy mass of āinter-ā ā¦. No! I am not a number! I am a free man! Donāt label me, buddy! 
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Just a quick note to say I am a bit overwhelmed by the quality and length of the responses and will get around to replying to you all.
Just a couple of points
Based on my own criteria if I am honest I donāt tick all of the boxes.
Justin has a Grading system so it is reasonable to judge yourself against those if you are so inclined but appreciate many others will have different criteria.
Michael
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Michael, I am happy you asked this question and made the list. I suspect most of us who are still honestly at some level of beginning think about this. I do understand most of the more philosophical comments, and find @jkahnās analysis helpful (except that as a beginner I do find your list helpful!). Still they donāt address (for me) the situation where I want to do self-assessment before making a decision, say, about joining a class or a community group. We understand that itās good to play with those who are better than we are, but that has limits.
A personal example: When I started Grade 2, I attended several sessions of a country-style jam at a local grange hall. They stated loudly and clearly that beginners are welcome. And welcome I was! However: I did not have the skills to even participate. Granted part of this is due to the structure of the particular jam, but most of it was me not knowing what I didnāt know. I felt useless, wasnāt learning anything because I could barely participate, and after three times I never returned. It just wasnāt worth the time investment. The interesting thing is that 18 months later, Iām still not sure I could keep up at a beginner level, though I do consider giving it another try! Of course, Iāve got other things going on nowā¦ 
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Yes thatās one of the many problems with labels, when itās not something that has an objective measure that is universally agreed upon then theyāre of little use. And trying to get broad agreement on something that is hugely subjective (like guitar playing) is never going to happen. Itās much more useful to have an accurate description of what skills are actually required for a given situation than trying to do it via a very arbitrary skill level
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Yes I will get around to replying but I decide to see what Google came up when asking the question. So this is what the AI version came up with, surprisingly quite similar.
Very well put!
I was also calling myself advancing beginner for the first two or even three years if any body asked, or when someone said āoh, you play the guitarā I replied āI practice the guitarā 
but suddenly I decided I was a guitar player and something like low intermediate level. Itās not important anyway how youād call it and everyone of us has different strengths, isnāt it?
But, Michael, yes, Iāve asked myself that question for some time too. Somehow we want to step up, itās undestandable.
If youāre saying that playing with a pick was needed, Iād still be a beginner, but in a chat with RIchard (close2you) he said something like itās certainly good to be able to use a pick, but some of the greatest players donāt use a pick, so itās up to meā¦
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I tend to agree that slapping a label on yourself is less useful than giving yourself honest evaluations of the things you can do well, the things youāre learning, the things youāre struggling with, and so on. Thatās certainly more helpful and targeted and helps you to direct energy.
Iām personally not at the level of beginner anymore where I donāt know much of anything and need to learn a lot about everything. Certainly I still have room to learn about everything, but I am at a stage where I can target specific things where Iām deficient and build those up while using other skills that I have learned and I donāt feel quite so overwhelmed.
I have written a lot in my learning log about a similar experience with a local group. Itās not genre-focused, but it purports to be beginner-friendly and I struggled HARD the first time I went about a year ago. I stepped away after that first time and continued to learn. I went back about 9mo later and STILL struggled, but I knew more and realized that some people in particular had been playing for so long that they appeared to have forgotten what it was like to be completely new to playing guitar. Iāve been working with the group since then on a few things to help. The group has also made some subtle changes to a few things with the objective of being less intimidating to new players.
And then sometimes you just canāt make the changes necessary. I attended a local arts festival a couple weeks ago and one of the big draws for me were the open jams. The first ones I attended were GREAT. The leaders were super accommodating to beginners and made it fun. I even went to see one of them live about a week after the jam and we ended up sharing phone numbers in order to jam together some other time. I went to another one later in the day and a whole different crowd was there. Lots of fiddles, some other instruments, and they were pretty darned good. There was no way I was going to be able to keep up with them on much of anything. They tried to be welcoming and encouraged us to join in. Told us we were totally welcome to call out a song, too. Compared to what they were playing, anything we would have done would have been REALLY slow and I just didnāt get vibes from them that theyād have been happy playing that way. So yeah, I totally understand that feeling of being useless.
Thing is, none of the jams had ability level labels. They had genre-related labels. Americana, blues, bluegrass, old time, Celtic, genre-fluid, etc. So I went into it expecting them to be too much for me. I was absolutely thrilled that the Americana and blues jams were attainable for me. Which absolutely thrilled me, honestly, because nobody had any kind of music. The leader for the Americana jam called out his chord changes and we did a fair bit of free-playing chord progressions, which was cool. And song choices were mostly songs Iāve played already. The leader of the blues jam called out the key and the form (thankfully everything was pretty much 12-bar blues, and I can play a single string swing rhythm in a couple keys of 12-bar blues).
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Jenny @Jenndye429
You are right I have received a variety of views.
I understand what you mean between skills and competency, you have to put your skills together in such a way that you make music in the style you want to do. Toby is right, you are always learning things, it is part of life.
I would say I think if you want to play the sort of music I am interested in then with an acoustic guitar, being able to play with a pick and fingers is necessary, as some songs work best with just your fingers, strumming or fingerstyle. I know your type of music tastes are different to mine.
As I said āAcoustic Rhythm Guitarā then the key word is rhythm is king/queen, I agree, but I think there is differently levels of skill to this. If you are just playing by yourself with nothing else, then your tempo is your own but if you have a click track or backing track then you have to try and match that. However, when playing loosely with others when learning a song at the guitar club you have to be in time with the others However playing in a band which I know you do, and I have done at guitar club performance. Then things become much more critical as you all have to be in time and be aware of the agreed arrangement of the song and this is a world away from just playing a guitar at home.
I donāt think I am going to persuade my wife to play the drums!!!
Nate @Mustela
I agree, some of the things I said are complementary such as singing, although unless the song is purely instrumental then matching the singing to the guitar is important. In a band situation, if the singer speeds up or slows down then you have to be aware of it.
I donāt play the piano, but I am aware that are Grade exams by various organisations and presume there will be similar for guitar and other instruments. I have absolutely no interest in going down that route, but they must have strict criteria to gain a grade, some people may be aware of what they are. Thanks for your input.
Mathieu @math07
Thanks for the complement, there is no doubt I have well exceed my expectations when I started and finding a local guitar club has helped enormously and having time to practice.
You are right different people and organisations will have different criteria.
Learning new things has always interested me but sometimes you try to take on too many things at one go and I have certainly fallen into that trap.
Rick @stitch
I am not really after gaining labels and brownie points it was more wondering how far I had developed after all Justin has a Grade System so he must have put some though into that and it is likely to be different to others. You are absolute right you can be good at one particular thing but poor in another.
The second point about being able play a song by listening and watching another guitarist, is that not an advance skill. I have had a little bit of go at this, let me explain. The guitar club when the weather is good in the summer meet down at the beach to play a few songs. Occasional passerby would say can you pay a particular song, and somebody would say something like we do this in the Key of G, and you have to play along and listen to which chord you should be playing, not easy but a great challenge for a person like me.
Toby @TheMadman_tobyjenner
I am not losing any sleep wondering what level I am at, and I think you are right a better word from where I am at is āAdvancedā rather than āAdvancingā?
My list was thinking around the subject and there are certainly a few of those I would not give myself a tick such as barre chords. I can play them, but can in song always change in and out of them quickly and accurately, no.
There would maybe some merit in sub-division to Intermediate, but I think this just complicated things unnecessary.
Toby, your insight into things is always well thought out and well said, thank you.
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I try my best 
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I think of it more as a skill all levels of guitarist should start to develop as soon as the can play songs. The more you play with others the more natual it becomes.
Iām not talking complicated songs Iām talking campfire versions.
Using your example of play this in G. If a beginner pays attention when learning to play songs they should pick up on most songs in G will contain G C and D and if there are 4 chords it will most likely be Em. If that doesnāt work try Am.
You donāt need music theory to figure this out, just pay attention to what the other members of your group are playing. Watch and listen. You will learn a lot faster doing this than looking at tabs or chord sheets.
If you make a mistake keep you stumming hand moving to the rhythm and try and catch up. Nobody will die if you screw up.
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Another guitar teacher that I sometimes watch on YouTube made a list of āThe least you should know on guitar.ā Hereās his list:
tuning your guitar
read tab and chord charts
learn open chords C A G E D Am Em Dm C7 A7 G7 E7 D7 and B7
learn 3 strum patterns
learn your 5th and 6th strings
learn power chords
Barre chords E shape and A shape
know minor pentatonic scale shape
play the major scale on one string
know a major and minor scale shape
four lead techniques - hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, string bends/vibrato
muting (both hands)
Food for thought 
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Jeff @SDKissFan
You are right about not to put too much pressure on yourself just keep learning and progressing, above all enjoy what you are doing.
James @Socio
Oh no, you have just given me another song on my āTo Do Listā
Mark @markr31
60ās Garage band. I think I know the sort of music you like.
David @BurnsRhythm
I know what you mean about not attaching labels but in some situations, they can be useful which I presume is why Justin has come up with them.
Agreed as long as you are progressing allās well.
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Just a thought Michael -
Justinās grade system is a learning and teaching system, not necessarily a labelling system of where we are in our playing.
I think you would have to be proficient in all the relevant-to-you material in the intermediate grades before you could consider yourself an intermediate guitarist.
My learning is in Grade4 but Iām a long way off any thoughts of deeming myself an intermediate guitarist.
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Silvia @Silvia80
It seems that some people like labels while others, I suppose I shouldnāt not be surprised at that.
In some walks of life, labels are important.
Matt @mattswain
It is obviously causing a bit of discussion but as I said to Silva in some walks of life labels are important, like a Medical Doctor. In terms of driving, there are such things in the UK such as Advanced Driving Course but that is stretching the conversation into another area.
There is such a variety of techniques there are going to be very few people who can master them all.
Simon @simon_plays_bass
Your point about having grades in certain spheres can be important, not that I have skied for a while as I recall ski school is very much about putting you in the right class for your ability.
Looking at your different way of looking at things
16 songs in three weeks from memory ā definitely couldnāt do that.
6 songs in one week with chords sheets ā yes definitely I can do that and have done so on a number of occasions at the guitar club in the first stages of prepare for a performance. In fact, recently had chord sheets for 7 or 8 songs, country songs, more than half I had not heard before and perform them together at the guitar club the following week and yes did have somebody leading us through.
Boris @Boris1565
I think it is important to track your progress, when I look back on some of the things I had recorded not all published on AVOYP I have definitely progressed.
Shane @sclay
Agreed you need to tack stock and be honest with the real quality of your skills of a technique. The thing that comes through is the word āCompetenceā.
JK @jkahn
I think like your labels can be helpful, but to define them too much is perhaps less helpful as it very much depends on the type of music you want to play.
I think I am about at the stage where I can listen to a song try out a few strumming patterns and see which I think is best, although this may not be what is exactly being played as there is often more than one guitar being used, but as Justion says if sounds good then it is good or words to that effect.
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This label doesnāt tell you whether or not that person is any good at being a doctor, it just mean they passed a bunch of test to receive the label.
So the label Doctor would be equal to the label guitarest. They donāt label doc as beginner, intermediate or advanced.
If I remember corectly youāre an engineer, are you a intermediate or advanced engineer. What does it say on you bisiness card?
I think labels like campfire, blues, rock or folk guitarist tells people more about your playing than beginner or intermediate.
How good do you think a beginner Jazz player is.
Iāll give you a hint. In one of Justinās old videos he mentions that he started studing jazz. So should he be labeled as a beginner jazz guitarist or as an advanved guitarist learning jazz or does it really matter.
The label doesnāt change the fact that Justin is a very good guitarist and teacher
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Actually they do- which I didnāt realise when I began my studies.
We were Interns (baby doctors), Junior House Officers (JHO), Senior House Officers (SHO), Registrars, Senior Registrars and then Consultants at the top of the āpileā.
I spent five years thinking that SHOs were āEssay Joesā, as they were the ones who wrote most of the notes in the charts
Sighā¦ They were probably relieved when I hung up my stethoscope 
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Actually any person who has completed a phd can declare themselves as a doctor. I wouldnāt want an palenologists setting any bones other than the ones on dinosaurs 
So the term Doctor is more like musician. Doesnāt really say much about what they really do.
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Lieven @LievenDV
Thanks for your input and a very coherent intro.
Interesting your thoughts on me possibly being āearly intermediateā.
I think you are saying, if you know the song and have chord sheet can you can straight away play the song so it is recognisable but not perfect, in which case I would say I can probably do that, as this is what happens a lot at the Guitar Club.
Must confess getting myself confused between having a skill and competency, unless this is putting the various skills you have to sound good.
Brian @brianlarsen
Pithy and to the point as always. Be careful you are showing your age with reference to The Prisoner ā watched it at the time and again since, still donāt understand it but maybe that was the point.
Judi @judi
Yes, the question seems to have received some well thought out responses.
I know what you mean about joining a community club, in my case a the local guitar club I had been playing just over six months and found myself amongst players who had been doing this for many decades and some had played in local bands in their younger days. They were and will still be light years ahead of what I will ever be able to do, but they were very encouraging, and I have stuck with it and no doubt it has developed my guitar playing beyond what I would have done just playing at home.
Matthew @mattswain
I think it is one of those situations were putting a list down very much depends on what you are trying to do. A list for a lead guitarist would be completely different to a rhythm guitarist.
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Well in that case you passed the ābeginnerā stage for me
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Thanks Lieven @LievenDV
Michael