Kids Guitar Lessons: Everything You Need To Get Started On Your Guitar Journey

‘Thinkin’ Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran

This song uses our C and our G chords, and a couple of new chords.

Let’s try them. Our first new chord is called C/E.

It’s really just a C chord with another note added to it.

This chord may look a bit like our Am at first, but look closer and you’ll notice that the second finger isn’t pressing down the third string. It’s pressing down the fourth string.

Our next new chord is named F.

F only uses the first two strings which we press down at our first fret.

So let’s have a go at ‘Thinkin’ Out Loud’.

The chord sequence is:

C     C/E     F     G

In this song, you only strum each chord the once.

We’ve put together a video demonstration to show you how it’s played:

Ready for another song?

‘Stand By Me’ by Ben E. King

Kids looking to show off to their parents or grandparents should definitely learn this song.

‘Stand By Me’ is a classic song from back in the day.

The chords are: G, Em, C and D.

We know the G and C, but what about these new chords?

The Em is another chord we can do with one finger:

As you can see, you need to press down the fourth string at the second fret.

Now let’s have a go at the D chord.

D is a chord that uses two fingers. We press the third string at the second fret and second string at the third fret.

We strum those two strings and also the open fourth string (the D string).

Here’s the chord sequence:

G           |              | Em           |                | C           |  D            | G           |              |

When playing ‘Stand By Me’ you need to play G and Em eight times and C and D four times.

This is much more than in the previous songs we’ve looked at, so count the strums as you play to help you along.

If you struggle to change the chords at first, don’t panic. These things take time. Patience is key.

Here’s a video that will help you learn the song:

Kids Guitar Lessons: Lead Guitar

You’ll likely have noticed, guitarists don’t just play chords. There’s also something known as lead guitar. ie. Picking tunes on the guitar using single notes.

Let’s have a go at playing lead guitar.

‘Smoke On The Water’ by Deep Purple

If your kids wanna rock, this is the song for them.

It can be played on just one string. For this example, we’re going to learn it on the D string. (4th string.)

Here’s the tab:

Not sure how to read tab? Have no fear. Check out this article: How To Read Guitar Tabs

And here’s a video that will help you learn to play ‘Smoke On The Water’:

Take your time and get all the notes right. It will sound better that way.

If you’re feeling a bit ambitious, after you’ve learnt ‘Smoke On The Water’ on the D string, you could have a shot at playing it with both the D string and the G string using your first and second fingers.

Here’s the tab:

Don’t try it with both strings until your confident doing it with one.

‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes

‘Seven Nation Army’ is another great song for the kids who wanna rock, it only needs one string.

Here’s the tab:

And here’s a video to help you get the hang of it:

As we keep saying, be patient when learning this song to make sure you get it right.

Go slowly before trying it faster.

Now let’s look at…

‘The Bond Theme’

Movie buffs will love this song.

Here’s the tab:

You’ll notice that it needs two strings, but the B string is only played open, so we don’t press it down at any point.

Here’s a video to help you learn it:

Feeling ambitious? Try the low string bit of The Bond Theme as well.

Note: this one is more difficult, so make sure you’re confident with the first one before trying it.

Here’s the tab:

And here’s a video demonstration:

Once you’re happy with these two single string songs, you could have a go at this three string song.

‘The Chain’ by Fleetwood Mac

This guitar riff is one you’ll recognise if you’re into Formula One racing because it was the theme tune.

In the full song, this riff doesn’t show up until right near the end, but thanks to Formula One, the ending is perhaps the most recognisable part of ‘The Chain’.

Here’s the tab:

As always, take your time. It’s more difficult than the others, so be extra-patient with it.

To learn this song, watch this video:

Kids Guitar Lessons: Some Helpful Tips

Practicing

The most important thing for anyone learning guitar is practice. Those who don’t practice, don’t make progress.

How much should I be practicing?

For a beginner, about 5-10 minutes a day is good.

If you can’t practice every day, try 10-15 minutes every other day.

Remember: even a small amount of practice beats no practice.

If there are some days when you just can’t practice for whatever reason, just make sure to practice on the days you can.

As you improve, you’ll find yourself  both wanting and needing to practice for even longer.

Your goals should be realistic

You can’t expect to have learned everything after just one practice. These things take time.

If you can only practice for five minutes, you’re probably best focusing on just ONE of the songs we’ve looked at today.

Enjoy yourself and be patient!

It’s vital to have fun when learning to play guitar, even when you’re trying something challenging like a tricky chord or a newer song.

With patience and realistic goals, you’ll enjoy learning a great deal more.