Acoustic Guitar Lessons: A 10 Step Program For Rapid Progress

Looking for acoustic guitar lessons? We’re going to take you through our world renowned 10 step program for acoustic guitar. 

In this free guitar lesson you will learn:

• 3 quick and easy tricks to help you learn the guitar fast.
• 4 must-know scales that WILL make you sound amazing.
• The no1 secret to mastering guitar chords.
• 3 essential tips that will boost your guitar progress.

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1) Acoustic guitar lessons – Buy a good quality acoustic guitar

Owning a good quality guitar is VITAL when learning to play acoustic.

Over the years, we’ve seen hundreds of students come to lessons with bad acoustic guitars. Owning a bad acoustic guitar will stunt your progress.

If you’re not sure what acoustic to buy, this article will help you out: What’s The Best Beginner Guitar?

Why is this important?

• Buying a good quality acoustic guitar makes acoustic guitar lessons easier.
• Bad quality acoustic guitars are difficult to play and can lead to poor technique.
• Bad acoustics don’t good. Buying a good quality acoustic will make you sound great.

2) Acoustic guitar lessons – Learn to tune your guitar

Learning to tune your guitar is SO important when playing acoustic guitar. This should be the first thing that you learn on guitar.

If your guitar isn’t in tune, EVERYTHING you play will sound bad.

Don’t let a simple mistake stunt your progress as a guitar player, learn how to tune your guitar.

Learn how to tune your guitar in this free lesson: How To Tune A Guitar: A Guide For Beginners

What type of tuner should I buy?

There are three types of guitar tuners on the market.

Microphone Tuners

These tuners use a microphone to hear the notes of the guitar. More advanced microphone tuners will have a jack socket which you can plug your guitar into.

Clip On Tuners 

These tuners clips on to the top of your head stock. They work by picking up the vibrations of the strings.

Tuner Apps

If you find physical tuners hard to use, buy a tuner app for your iPhone or Tablet.

These tuners use the microphone inside your device to tune your guitar. These tuners are easy to use and reliable.

There are loads of guitar tuners on the market, but for acoustic guitar these tuners are perfect. For more information on tuners, go here.

3) Acoustic Guitar Lessons – Have Good Posture

One of the most important acoustic guitar lessons you can learn is that:

The quickest and easiest way to learn the guitar is to have good posture.

Even though posture isn’t the sexiest thing about playing the guitar, it’s essential to know if you want to learn acoustic guitar.

Choose What To Sit On Wisely

You must choose an appropriate piece of furniture to sit on when you learn guitar.

Here are a few items you should avoid at ALL costs:

• Arm chairs.
• High stools.
• Low sofas.

All of these restrict your movement and make guitar playing difficult.

What should I sit on?

You can sit on anything you want, as long as:

• Your knees are at a 90 degree angle when you sit down.
• Your arms are free from obstruction.

If you follow both of those rules, learning to play the guitar will be a breeze.

Learn more about guitar posture here: How To Play Acoustic Guitar – Beginner Guide

4) Acoustic Guitar Lessons – Learn Stepping-Stone Chords

The easiest way to learn guitar chords is to:

• Learn easy chords first. 

One problem we see when people first start learning acoustic guitar, is that they try to play chords which use 3 or more fingers. This is incredibly hard if you’ve only just started.

This is where stepping-stone chords come in. Stepping-stone chords are easier versions of more complex.

Here’s a classic example of some stepping-stone chords:

Can you see how the stepping-stone versions use less fingers? These chord voicings are easier and sound just as good.

But that’s the easy way out?

Think of it like this:

If you were running a marathon, you wouldn’t run 26 miles at the start of your training.  You build it up slowly, running a mile at a time until you reach your goal.

It’s the exact same idea when learning guitar; play an easier chord to start with, and when you feel ready, you can move to more advanced chords.

That way, you will learn to play guitar faster AND you’ll sound great in the process. What’s not to like!

Learn to play more stepping-stone chords here:14 Easy Guitar Chords For Beginners

Learn 12 EASY beginner chords with our popular guide

✅  Stop struggling. Start making music.

✅  Learn beginner-friendly versions of every chord.

This is our most popular guide and it will improve your chord ability quickly! 😎

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5) Acoustic guitar lessons – Learn To Strum

Strumming is a key part of playing acoustic guitar. Strumming technique is what enhances your musicality.

Learning chords is an essential part of learning guitar. However, strumming technique makes your playing come alive.

Before we learn to strum, you must know how to hold a pick. Here are 3 simple-steps which will show you how to hold a guitar pick.

1) Do a thumbs up sign

2) Place the pick on the top of your hand with the pointy edge facing towards you

3) Clamp your thumb down

That’s it! Now we now how to hold a pick. Let’s learn how to strum.

How do I strum a guitar?

When strumming the guitar make sure that:

• Your right elbow is on the ridge of the acoustic guitar.
• Make sure your wrist is at a straight angle, it shouldn’t look like a swans neck.

Here’s what your strumming arm should look like from your perspective:

To learn more about strumming technique, go here:How To Strum A Guitar