Guitar Basics

Here are some lessons for beginners. You might find the new One-Finger Guitar Chord Primer especially helpful, because it gets you started making music with one simple chord shape.

Download Playing Guitar: a Beginner's Guide (free pdf ebook) whether you want to learn rock, blues, jazz, fingerstyle or folk, or play lead or rhythm, Playing Guitar teaches you the foundation skills you need in a way that's clear, encouraging and fun.

-- Guitar Basics, Episode 1 --
- What's it like?
- The piano
- Tuning

-- Guitar Basics, Episode 2 --
- What to study
- Why to study
- About discomfort

-- Guitar Basics, Episode 3 --
- Breadcrumbs
- A simple blues
- Common problems

-- Guitar Basics, Episode 4 --
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Unfair comparing

-- Guitar Basics, Episode 5 --
- The point of scales
- About hand position
- A bluesified scale

-- Guitar Basics, Episode 6 --
- Music: a working definition
- How we recognize music
- Two Five One: a specific starting point

-- Guitar Basics, Episode 7 --
- Bad habits
- Getting aware
- On good habits

More on the Basics

GuitarNoise.com: One of the most helpful sites for beginners. Lots of songs with *exactly* how to play them. MP3s, too.

The parts of the guitar.

Guitar Chords (GC) builds your chops and helps you identify harmonies by ear. GC teaches you chord substitution; Jazz, Rock and Blues progressions; transposing songs; harmonizing melodies; fingerpicking, alternating bass, arpeggios, and much more.