Basic Guitar Lessons: 6 Tips Every Guitarist Must Know

Want to learn basic guitar lessons? Then look no further! We’re going to show you every basic guitar lessons that you need to know. 

In this free basic guitar lessons you will learn:

• 3 must-know basic guitar lessons every beginner guitarist needs to know.
• The no1 secret to quick and easy guitar success.
• 3 epic guitar tabs which will make you sound amazing!
• 11 essential guitar tips that will take your guitar playing to the next level.

Over 250,000 guitar-learners get our world-class guitar tips & tutorials sent straight to their inbox: Click here to join them

Basic Guitar Lessons | Learn How To Play Stepping-Stone Chords

To become amazing at guitar quickly, you must learn how to play stepping-stone chords first.

Stepping stone chords are easier versions of standard open chords.

Here are a few examples:

Can you see how the stepping stone chords are easier?

Standard chords use 3-4 fingers for each chord. Where as stepping stone chords use 2 fingers.

But I don’t want the easy way out, give me the hard chords! 

Patience young padawan. Learning stepping chords isn’t a step back, it’s a step forward.

Stepping stone chords help you to progress to more difficult chords.

Don’t think of them as a road block, think of them as a progress accelerator. Learning stepping stone chords WILL help you learn the guitar faster.

To learn more about guitar chords, go here: How To Play Guitar Chords: A Beginner’s Guide

How do I play stepping stone chords?

Here are five of the most popular stepping stone chords:

• G6.
• Em.
• Asus2.
• Cmaj7.
• Dsus2.

Let’s learn them!

1) G6

To play this chord:

• Put your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string. (6th string.)
• Put your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the A string. (5th string.)
• Play all the strings!

It should sound like this:

Fancy a challenge? Check out this lesson to expand your G chord knowledge:  4 Easy Ways To Play The G Chord On Guitar

2) Em

To play this chord:

• Firstly, put your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the A string. (5th string.)
• Then, place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the D string. (4th string.)
• Play all strings.

Here’s what it sounds like:

Learn how to play more E minor chords here: Em Guitar Chord 4 Easy Ways To Play This Essential Chord

G6-Em

A fantastic way to practice guitar chords, is to practice chord changes.

Try this as a challenge:

• Change between G6 and Em.

To do this chord change, move your 2nd finger from the 3rd fret on the low E string (6th string) to the 2nd fret of the D string. (4th string.)

That’s all you need to do to nail this chord change.

Here are a few tips and tricks to help you master those chord changes..

• Take your time, move freely between each chord.

When you change between your chords, it’s far more important to play each chord clearly and correctly. Don’t rush your changes, take your time.

• When you play each chord, each note must be clear.

Make sure each note rings out clearly!

• Strum the strings with confidence.

As an added challenge, try and leave four beats between each chord. That should sound like this:

The next stepping chord we must know is Asus2.

3) Asus2

To play this chord:

• Put your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the D string. (4th string.)
• Put your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the G string. (3rd string.)
• Play this chord from the A string. (5th string.)

It should sound like this:

Want to learn more A chords, go here: 3 Easy Ways To Play The A Chord On Guitar

Em-Asus2

The great thing about the Asus2 chord, is that it uses the EXACT same fingering as the Em chord.

As these two chords are SO similar, you can practice changing between these two chords.

As a bonus challenge try this:

• Move between Em and Asus2.

In this audio clip, Mike explains how you can get the most out of these chord changes.

4) C major 7

To play this chord:

• Put your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the A string. (5th string.)
• Put your 1st fret on the 2nd fret of the D string. (4th string.)
• Strum this chord from the A string. (5th string.)

It should sound like this:

To learn more ways to play the C chord, go here: Easy Ways To Play The C Guitar Chord

G6-C major 7

To practice the C major 7 chord, try and move between G6 and C major 7.

Both of these chords share the same shape, however G6 starts on the low E string and C major 7 starts on the A string.

Try and practice this:

• Move between G6 and C major 7.
• Give yourself four beats to change between G6 and C major 7.
• Give yourself two beats to change between G6 and C major 7.
• Give yourself one beat to change between G6 and C major 7.

If you can nail these chord changes, you’ll be flying around the fret board in no time.

5) Dsus2

The final stepping stone chord you’re going to learn is Dsus2.

This chord is slightly harder as you have to strum from the D string. This is difficult for beginners as you have to skip the E and A strings.

To learn how to skip strings go here: How To Skip Strings While Strumming

Here’s this essential chord.

To play this chord:

• Put your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the G string. (3rd string.)
• Put your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the B string. (2nd string.)
• Strum this chord from the D string. (4th string.)

Here’s what it sounds like:

Want to learn how to play other types of D chord? Go here: 3 Easy Ways to Play the D Chord on Guitar

Basic Guitar Lessons | Learn How To Strum

Strumming technique is essential for any beginners.

To add musicality and rhythm to your guitar playing, you must learn how to strum.

Without strumming, your guitar playing can sound a little bland!

If you want to learn how to strum, check out these lessons:

• How To Strum A Guitar
• How To Skip Strings While Strumming
• How To Hold A Guitar Pick In 3 Easy Steps

Basic Guitar Lessons | Learn To Play Easy Songs

To get amazing at guitar fast, you must learn how to play guitar songs.

Here are 3 essential guitar songs every beginner must know.

Let’s get started!

1) Songbird by ‘Oasis’

Here are a few reasons why this guitar is perfect for beginner guitarists:

• The song uses two guitar chords.
• The strumming pattern is fun and interesting.
• It’s the same ALL the way through.

Here are the chords:

 

In this basic guitar lessons, Andy takes you through every step to play this beginner guitar song.