Guitar for Beginners

This course is still in progress as of May 2025… but I’m happy to give you a sneak peek at things in the meantime! I’ll continue to add lessons over the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Before You Begin…

Advice for New Guitar Players

Here's a handful of tips any new guitar player should keep in mind before getting started!

Video7:42

Choosing a Guitar

Looking to buy a new (or used) guitar? Here's a few tips to keep in mind as you shop around.

Video14:00

Other Gear You'll Need

Here's a round-up of all the additional gear you'll need to make learning guitar easier.

Video18:02

Guitar Anatomy for Beginners

Get to know the different parts of your guitar! This will make it easier to understand & follow along with teachers and other guitarists.

Video13:26

Are You Ever Too Old to Learn Guitar?

Are you worried you waited too long to begin learning guitar? Here's what some of the older members on the Song Notes website have to say on the matter.

Video4:44

Learning Without an In-Person Teacher?

Is it possible to learn without an in-person teacher? Here's my thoughts, along with a few reasons why private lessons may be helpful for you.

Video8:17

First Steps

How Sound, Pitch, and "Notes" Work

A quick overview of sound, pitch, what a "note" is — and why it's important for us to get our instrument in tune.

Video7:35

Getting In Tune

Before we play anything, we need to get in tune! This lesson teaches includes 3 different ways to approach this.

Video11:46

Holding Your Guitar Comfortably

Learn how to comfortably hold your guitar. Includes tips on how to angle it for easy playing.

Video10:06

Holding a Guitar Pick

Guitar picks allow us to get a clean, clear sound with minimal effort. First, let's learn how to properly grip a pick with our thumb and index fingers.

Video7:10

Sitting & Chair Advice

A few handy tips for sitting & posture when playing guitar... including some guidance on which types of chairs to avoid.

Video6:14

Standing & Using a Strap

When we need breaks from sitting, playing guitar while standing (using a strap) is an incredibly heplful way to mix things up. Here's how to do it!

Video5:12

Fretting Notes Cleanly

A zoomed-in walkthrough showing how to play individual fretted notes cleanly & without buzzing!

Video10:00

Additional Lessons Coming Very Soon!

This course is brand new, and I’m still adding various bits and pieces that are missing. Stay tuned for new additions, which you can expect very soon! Folks have been asking about this course for years, so believe me when I say I’m motivated to get it completed very soon.

Specific things I plan on adding:

• Additional lessons in the First Steps section! Fretting individual notes, an introduction to chords, an explanation of strumming & rhythm, how to use a pick, and plenty more topics. I plan to cap things off by teaching a few songs where we’ll put all this together.
• A print-friendly eBook (PDF) to give you print-friendly guide to the information covered in all these lessons. I reference this in a few of the videos… fear not, it’s on the way!
• Readable text and images on each lesson page — which will serve as an additional way to take in the information in each video.
• Finally, I’ll point folks to suggested next steps based on their desired goal (sing and strum, lead guitar & fun riffs, going deeper with music theory, etc).

Have any specific requests that you think would make for good additions to this beginner course? Send me an email and let me know what you’re interested in learning! Feedback, comments, or questions regarding the videos already here are also welcome.