EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED: a guitar and case, a pick, a capo, and a 3 ring binder to put your songs in. (I recommend plastic sleeves to protect them.) A printed chord sheet is a must at first too! I have one you can print below. Start with chord sheet #1.
Let’s Get Started!!! Sit on a firm chair (with no arm rests) and lay your guitar on it’s side across your lap, strings facing out, with the neck of your guitar in your left hand, and your pick in your right hand. You should hold the pick on the fat end of the pick, and let the pointed side pluck the strings of your guitar.
Tuning Your Guitar, and Chord Introduction: Now follow the steps in the “Tuning Your Guitar” video below. When you get your guitar in tune, print off the “Beginning Guitar Chord Sheet #1, and go through the video, practicing each chord. You should practice all 12 chords on the sheet for the first few minutes every time you practice for a few weeks, or until you can grab each chord fairly quickly. (I would probably skip the “Some Basics… ” video for now, until you feel you want more info on equipment, picking or strumming… maybe after a few days.)
You’re Ready for Your First Song!!! Go print off the 1st song on the list… Twinkle Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Watch the tutorial video and try to follow along. You do not have to have this song solid to move ahead to the next song. I often teach 2 or 3 songs per lesson. When you can play it pretty well, you don’t need to keep practicing it, you get to…
Move On to the Next Song! I recommend going in order because each one gets a little harder, and adds a new skill. Just work your way down the list of songs on the beginner page. At first, I start with 5 little kids songs, because believe it or not, they teach you some basic techniques, and picking and strumming patterns you will need down the road. Plus, everybody knows these songs… it helps when you know it. But rest assured, you will not be stuck in this section very long if you practice.
Practice, Practice, Practice! I recommend practicing 30 minutes a day. If you practice every day, you will be playing harder songs in a couple of weeks. But even if you only have time to practice 15 minutes 2 or 3 times a week, you will still progress a lot, but not as quickly. That’s okay, just don’t give up entirely! By the time you are through the beginner list, you will be ready for just about any of the “Beginning” level songs on my site. When you think you are ready for harder songs, print off the “Intermediate Chords #2 sheet (at the very bottom), and watch the video! Then find an intermediate song you thinks sounds fun, and give it a try! In no time, you will be playing songs off the radio. Even some of the last few songs at the bottom of this list have been on the radio more recently!
EVERYTHING ON THIS PAGE IS FREE!! (Rainy Day members have access to hundreds of songs!)
I recommend going through these videos in the following order:
| SONG TITLE | ARTIST | DIFFICULTY LEVEL | VIDEO | PRINT SONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUNING YOUR GUITAR | — | Beginning | VIDEO | (No page to print) |
| BEGINNING GUITAR CHORDS SHEET #1 | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| SOME BASICS, STRUMMING, PICKING, etc.. | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| TEN LITTLE INDIANS | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| INSIE WEENSIE SPIDER | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| OLD MCDONALD HAD A FARM | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY | — | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| OH MY, IT’S HARD TO BE HUMBLE | Mac Davis | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| GOOD RIDDANCE | Green Day | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| SILENT NIGHT | Franz Gruber | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| WE ARE GONNA BE FRIENDS | Jack Johnson | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| EDELWEISS | Richard Rodgers | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| STAY | Taylor Swift | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| STUCK LIKE GLUE | Sugarland | Beginning | VIDEO | |
| INTERMEDIATE CHORDS #2 | — | Intermediate | VIDEO | |