The first 5 things beginner guitar players should

learn
1. Guitar anatomy 101

If you’re going to start playing

guitar, it’s helpful to become
familiar with its basic anatomy.
The above diagram is a great
place to begin. Here’s a little more
information about some of the key
parts:

 Tuning pegs: these are

the pegs on the headstock
of your guitar. Use these to
adjust the tension of the
strings, and in turn, tune
the instrument.
 Frets: located on the neck of your guitar, frets are strips made from metal embedded
on the fretboard. These help you play different notes.
 Sound hole: on acoustic guitars, the sound hole allows the instrument to project a
louder sound.
 Saddle: Adjusting the action on a guitar is key to producing great sound. The action
refers to the distance between the strings and the fretboard. To change the action,
you’ll need to adjust the saddles, where the strings sit.

2. Holding a guitar
This may seem a little too basic, but, if
you’ve never actually held a guitar
before, you might need a little guidance.

If you’re right-handed, grip the neck with

your left hand. Your right hand should
naturally sit on the sound hole. If you’re
left-handed, you have a few options.
First, purchase a guitar specifically for
lefties. Second, re-string the guitar in
reverse order and flip the whole thing
upside down, so your right hand is
gripping the neck. Finally, leave it as is,
and see how ambidextrous you are!

3. Tuning a guitar

Playing an out-of-tune guitar can

seriously hinder your playing
experience. As a beginner guitar
player, your best bet is to purchase a tuner. These are easy-to-use devices that give you a
perfect result every time.

You can also try tuning apps, but these aren’t as reliable. Of course, you can learn to tune a
guitar manually, but this is a little trickier, especially if you’re just starting out.

4. Playing open chords

Open chords are one of the first skills

a beginner guitarist will learn. Master
just three, and you can play a whole
host of popular songs.

Aside from attending guitar lessons,

following a chord chart is one of the
best ways to get acquainted with the
basics. Check out this chord chart as
a place to start. Remember to take it
slow – make sure every string rings
clearly.

Once you feel confident playing three or four chords, you can start practicing transitions.
These may seem near impossible at first, but you’ll develop muscle memory – these chords
will soon become second nature.

5. Strumming in rhythm

Playing chords accurately and clearly is

one thing – strumming them in rhythm is
another. Start with a simple one-stroke-
per-beat pattern. You might like to use a
metronome to keep you in time.

Then, you can begin experimenting with

more advanced strumming patterns.
Scientifically Proven Ways to learn the guitar faster
1) Practice in the ideal learning environment

The room you choose to spend so much of your time practicing and learning the guitar will make
a big difference to how easily you learn.

2) Workout and train regularly

A lot of guitar playing for newbie’s and experts is about spatial awareness, remembering a lot of
things and the ability to think clearly in the moment. Great news, there is a whole host of
research that shows exercise helps in large amounts for all of the above.

3) Know your chronotype and practice accordingly

A Chronotype is a person’s propensity to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period. It’s
basically our body clock. Many of us describe ourselves as either ‘night owls’ or ‘early birds’.

4) Meditate

When The Beatles went to India they arrived being pop superstars. While they were there, they
discovered mediation, Ravi Shankar and other things. They came back music pioneering legends.

In my opinion the later Beatles stuff is incredible and most rock, pop, prog and indie music that
we have heard since just wouldn’t sound the same if it wasn’t for the Beatles trip to India.

Meditation wasn’t the only thing they discovered there, but it was something that they used to
create better, deeper and more spiritual music.

5) Chew Gum

You might not believe it but those little breath fresheners can actually help your guitar playing.

So, not only will you have minty fresh breath to help mask the smell of all that festival beer and
wine you may have been guzzling this summer but you will also be improving your guitar
playing too.

6) Sleep

Not only is sleep good for our bodies and health in general but it is absolutely critical when
learning anything new. Many researchers agree that time ‘lost’ by having an early night is more
than made up for by the advantages that our brain gains in return.

7) Keep On Achieving

Guitar playing is incredibly fun and the way to keep on being motivated enough to learn it and
learn it well is to achieve something every day.

If you don’t keep your motivation levels up high especially in the complete beginner stage of
learning guitar then you may find just like the running enthusiast that suddenly quits to go back
to old habits of smoking, drinking and cinnamon swirls you may find you suddenly quit the
guitar.

8. Listen to Music While Taking a Nap

Everyone loves a nap. Nobody more so than me when I get chance.

Every time you nap (which of course is great for re-charging your batteries) you can now get a
double whammy of benefits.

Research suggests that by listening to the music you are learning when napping you will
remember that piece better.

9. Use Multiple Sources of Media

Whenever you learn anything new, write it down, repeat it, play it, sing it. Memory works best in
both auditory and visual formats.

10. Use Mnemonics Where Possible

Writers such as Tim Ferriss have taught me some very useful things about learning and
increasing one’s ability to learn and recall knowledge at a faster and more efficient rate.

Whenever you learn anything new it’s a great idea to use mnemonics to help you remember it
quickly whenever you can.

simple mnemonic is Big Cats Eat Fish.

This is used to help a student remember which notes don’t have sharps or flats between them.

I will say:

“Every note has a sharp or flat between them except for:

 Big Cats which is B and C

 Eat Fish which E and F
Top 3 Guitar Chords For Beginners

If you're just beginning guitar, you might be wondering which chords you should learn
first. There isn’t a definitive answer to this question but we’d recommend starting out
with G major, C major and D major.
These aren’t necessarily the easiest chords to learn, but they’re probably the most
useful and here’s why.

Those T-Shirts Are Right!

There’s a good reason we chose to list the top 3 guitar chords and we’ll try to explain it
without getting too bogged down in music theory.

Remember those t-shirts? You know, the one’s that say, ‘this is a chord, this is another,
this is a third, now form a band’? Well, it’s no coincidence that they list 3 chords on the
t-shirt and not just 2.
They list 3 chords because you should be able to play any song using a minimum of 3
major chords. This is because they contain all the notes of the scale. In this case,
you're going to be learning the 3 major chords in ‘G major’ (the key of ‘G’). The chords
are G, C and D and collectively they contain all the notes from the ‘G major’ scale.

G, C and D are some of the most commonly used chords in popular music and are used
in literally thousands of songs.

Why Not Start With C, F and G?

That’s a good question. C, F and G are the major chords from the key of ‘C’ and there’s
nothing to stop you from learning those first if you like. Hang on a minute - yes there
is: it’s F MAJOR, which can be a real pain in the neck if you’re a beginner! Ok, so you
could learn A, D and E (key of ‘A’) or D, G and A (Key of ‘D’), so why do we suggest G,
C and D?

They're Used In Loads of Songs!

G, C and D are some of the most commonly used chords in popular music and are used
in literally thousands of songs (we’ll list some of the most well-known later). Also,
they’re not too difficult to learn and they sound really good together (hence their
popularity).

Are you ready to learn them? Ok, here we go.

G major Guitar Chord

There’s a few different ways to play this chord but we suggest you start with the below:

 Place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string
 Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the 6th string
 Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 1st string
 Leave the other strings open
 Play all the strings

It can be a bit hard to start out with but as this chord is so commonly used, it’s really
worth the effort.

C major Guitar Chord

Again, there are a few variations but we’d start like this:

 Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret of the 2nd string
 Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string
 Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 5th string
 Leave the other strings open
 Play all the strings except the 6th

It can be a bit of a stretch but it's well worth persevering with this chord.

D major Guitar Chord

You should find this chord the easiest of the 3 to learn:

 Place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 3rd string
 Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the 1st string
 Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the 2nd string
 Leave the other strings open
 Play all the strings except the 5th and 6th

Make sure you stretch your 3rd finger properly. When you’re just starting out, the 3rd
finger can tend to get too close to the fret and deaden the note, so keep practicing the
stretch.

Time For A Change

Once you’ve practiced all these chord shapes and are playing them cleanly, you need to
start changing between the chords. This can be quite tricky to start with but, once you
build up your muscle memory, you won’t even have to think about it.

When you change chords, you’ll probably feel like moving your 1st finger before the
others. This is because your 1st finger is dominant. The thing is though, for a lot of
guitar chord changes, you’re probably better off if you move some of the other weaker
fingers first. It may feel counter intuitive to begin with but it’ll make your changes
smoother in the long run.

G to C Chord Change
As we mentioned above, the trick here is to lead the change with the 3rd finger and not
the 1st. You’ll then find that the other 2 fingers fall into place. It also makes for a really
seamless transition. Don’t get disheartened if you struggle at first, G to C is a
notoriously difficult change when you’re just starting out on the guitar, but you’ll
definitely get there in the end.

C to D Chord Change
With this change, it’s important to move the 2nd and 3rd fingers initially, as they're
already on the correct frets. They just need dropping down a few strings. If you lead
with the 1st finger, you’ll find that your 3rd finger lags and makes the change a bit
clunky.

D to C Chord Change
Once again, when you change from D to C, try to move your 2nd and 3rd fingers before
your 1st. When fingers 2 and 3 are in place, you’ll find the 1st finger heading towards
the 1st fret anyway.

C to G Chord Change
Here you need start by moving the 3rd finger down to the 1st string and getting the
other 2 fingers up to the top strings.

Chord Changing Tips For Guitar

These can be a great help.

 keep your fingers low over the fret board - conserves the movement you
need to make when changing
 Keep your fingers vertical - helps stop you muting strings by mistake
 Visualise the chord in your head first - If you picture the chord in your head
slightly before the change, you’re more likely to hit the chord cleanly (this is our
favourite tip and really works, try it and see!)

Guitar Songs You Can Play Using G , C and D

If you’ve practiced the changes in the previous section, you should now be ready to
tackle some of the songs we’ve listed below.

 Already Gone (Eagles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Hb4JOwnj2m0&ab_channel=MusicDrawing%EB%AE%A4%EC%A7%81%EB
%93%9C%EB%A1%9C%EC%9E%89
 Blowin in the Wind (Bob Dylan)
 Good Golly Miss Molly (Little Richard)
 I'm A Believer (Monkees)
 Leaving on a Jet Plane (John Denver)
 Love Me Do (Beatles)
 Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash)
 Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)
 Sweet Home Alabama (Lynrd Skynrd)
 The Joker (Steve Miller Band)
 The Tide is High (Blondie)
 You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)
1) A Major
A major is an easy
chord to start with,
since the entire chord is
located on the second
fret, so you can free up
your other fingers to
mix it up. All you do is
put your first finger on
the fourth string,
second finger on the
third string, and third
finger on the second
string – all on the
second fret.
2) C Major

C major is one of the

most widely used guitar
chords for a reason.
The chord is a delicate
combination of your
basic C, E, and G notes.
Your second and third
fingers will align along
a slanted pattern to
achieve the chord.
Don’t worry if it’s tough
at first – your fingers
will loosen up over
time.

3) D Major

D major has a unique

triangular shape. Use
your first two fingers to
play E and G on the
second fret, then hold
down the B string on
the third fret with your
third finger. The
resulting sound is
optimistic and
heartwarming, and it
may sound familiar
from many famous
lighthearted tunes.
4) E Major

The E major chord is

unique in that it
requires every string to
play. Put your first
finger on the first fret
of the third string, then
put your second finger
on the second fret of
the fifth string. The
third finger goes on the
second fret of the
fourth string. Lastly,
hold them all down and
strum in a cohesive motion. Try to hit them all in one swoop!
Still haven’t taken the leap and purchased your first guitar? While most
beginners choose an acoustic, you may be interested in some cheap
electrics! You can find a quality electric guitar under 300 if you look
closely!

5) G Major
The G major chord may be a
little more challenging than
some other chords, and it
can be hard to quickly reach
other chords after playing it.
To play it, your first finger
goes to the second fret of
the fourth string, your
second finger goes to the
third fret of the fifth string,
and finally, place your third
finger on the third fret first
string and strum them all
carefully.
6) A Minor

If you can play E major,

A minor should be
easy. Simply move your
finger up one string.
This chord is also very
close to A major – just
move the B note from
the second fret to the
first. Minor chords have
a morose feeling to
them, which makes
them great for breakup
songs. The A
chord really is a staple for beginners to learn!

7) B Minor
Moving on to barre chords is a big step
when mastering the guitar, and the B minor
chord is a good place to start. A barre chord
involves placing your finger across several
strings at once, as opposed to just using the
tip of your finger to hold down a specific
note.
Here’s how to play it:

 Rest your finger flat across strings 1 to 5 on the second fret

 Put your third finger on the fourth fret of the fourth string
 Your fourth finger goes on the fourth fret of the third string
 Your second finger goes on the third fret of the second
string
 Strum all chords in unison without hitting the sixth string
8) C Minor
C minor is a popular chord for
songs that want to tell a story
with heartfelt emotion. It is
both sad and meaningful,
lingering long after it has been
strummed. Unfortunately, it is
also one of the hardest chords
to play because it requires you
to twist your hand awkwardly.
To play it, put your pointer
finger barred on the third fret
from the first to fifth strings,
while placing your second
finger on the second string (B) on the fourth fret. Lastly, your third
finger will need to go on the fourth string (D) and the fourth finger will
go on the third string (G) – both on the fifth fret.

9) D Minor

The D minor chord is almost

exactly like its D major
counterpart. However, you’ll
need to move the high E
from the second fret to the
first fret. The fifth and sixth
strings will need to be muted
for the chord to sound
correct. D minor sounds like
you’re gearing up to deliver
something impactful. It’s
commonly used by musicians of all types, but it sounds especially at
home in a good country or folk song.
10) E Minor

If you’re looking for

easy guitar chords, E
minor is a good place
to start. All you need to
do is play an E major,
except you remove the
G string component.
Even novices can
master the E minor
chord in a matter of
minutes.

11) G Minor
This isn’t a chord you’ll be
playing much, but it can be a
nice punctuation point to a
song. G minor has a creepy
sound if done right. To play,
simply use the third fret and
barre all six strings. Then place
your third finger on the fifth fret
on the fifth string. From there,
you’ll use your fourth finger to
hold down the fifth fret of the
fourth string – also known as
the D string. Then, strum with confidence.