I remember when I first started learning the guitar. I had a cheap little blue electric guitar with a matching amp that my parents bought me when I was 12. Every since that day, I’ve been expanding my knowledge of the instrument.

At first, though, it was hard playing that little blue guitar. I couldn’t remember the names of the notes, so I wrote the names on masking tape and tapped it them directly on the fretboard. What a mess it made! 

I also had a hard time pressing down hard enough to sound a chord. Eventually I got the hang of it, but then I had trouble changing chords fast enough to play songs. I learned how to play power chords early on. This helped me when I began playing barred chords.

Eventually I learned how to play scales,  chord construction, how to create chord progressions, and how to play guitar solos. I learned it all one step at a time and you can too!

Before you jump into the deep water you’ll need to learn some of the absolute basics of playing guitar. For example:

• Parts of the guitar
• How to hold the guitar
• How to use a pick
• The names of the strings
• How to tune your guitar
• How to fret the guitar
• Guitar techniques
• Dot inlays
• The notes on the guitar
• How to read guitar tab
• How to read a chord diagram
• Common open chords
• Barre chords

Once you have mastered these topics you’ll be well on your way to bigger and better things!