Beginner Guitar Lessons
Explore our wide variety of online guitar lessons designed with the beginner in mind.

All-Purpose Rhythm Guitar A few rhythm techniques useful in a wide variety of playing styles and situations

Alternate Tunings Made Easy David Hodge explains alternate tunings from the ground up. Music to 'Handsome Molly'

Blues Lead Phrasing Building licks from a few essential notes.

Building Fingerstyle Arrangements Instructor Andrew DuBrock explores the development of a simple melody into a complete fingerstyle arrangement, using the traditional tune 'Greensleeves.'

Chords 101 Everything you wanted to know about chords and strums (but were afraid to ask).

Creating Chord Progressions Coming up with your own chord progressions with basic chords.

Crosspicking Pop Songs Use simple crosspicking techniques to create full, driving acompaniments to pop tunes, country songs, or any other song you can think of.

Do the Shuffle Chris Grampp gives an easy introduction to one of the most popular rhythms of all time.

Easy Fingerpicking Unlock the flowing rhythm of Coldplay's 'Clocks' with one simple pattern.

Embellishing Cowboy Chords Create countless easy and cool patterns by adding hammer-ons and pull-offs to first-position chords.

Fingerstyle for Flatpickers An introductory fingerpicking lesson using blues progressions and walking bass lines.

Lead On! Fire up a rockabilly-style lead over a classic Merle Haggard song.

Movable Minor Chords Happy Traum shows you how to play minor chords up and down the neck.

Movable Open-String Chords AG's music editor shows you how to turn simple chord patterns integrating open strings into magic bullets you can fire from across the fretboard.

Music Notation Key Learn how to read music with this useful guide. It covers the basics of guitar tablature and standard notation as used in our lessons.

Rhythms in Three Get comfortable playing rhythm in 3/4, 6/8, and 12/8, and you'll open up a whole new world of songs to add to your repertoire.

Step Up to the Barre Play any major, minor, or seventh chord in any key with barre chords.

The Beginner's Guide to Guitar Learn to play guitar the fun and easy way, right from the beginning. Whether your passions lie in rock, jazz, fingerstyle, blues, or any other style of music, this guide will introduce you to chords, melodies, and rhythmic patterns you need to start playing today. -Play simple, three- and four-note chords -Learn the notes on the guitar’s strings -Start strumming new rhythm patterns -Play 32 fun, easy songs

What Chord Names Mean (Part 1 of 2) David Hamburger demystifies confusing chord names, turning them into a tool so you can know exactly what you're playing. In this lesson he'll cover major, minor, augmented and dimished triads and seventh chords.

What Chord Names Mean (Part 2 of 2) Starting where Part one left off, Hamburger walks you through sixth chords, five chords, suspended chords, extended chords, and chords with altered extensions.

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