I built this free four-part course for one reason: to prove that my approach to teaching guitar actually works. If you follow these four lessons in order and don’t skip ahead, you’ll be playing real songs sooner than you’d expect.
No gimmicks. No catch. Just four lessons that build on each other, starting from absolute zero.
Lesson 1: Your First Chords in the Key of D
Every key in music has at least three primary chords that sound good together. We’re starting in the key of D major, which gives us D, G, A, and one minor chord — B minor.
Most beginner courses start with the key of G. I like starting with D because it’s a beautiful key and the chord shapes teach you some good habits right away.
The D chord uses your bottom four strings (4th through 1st). First finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret. Second finger on the 1st string, 2nd fret. Third finger on the 2nd string, 3rd fret. Leave the 5th and 6th strings out when you strum — they’ll muddy up the sound.
The G chord is a bigger reach. First finger on the 5th string, 2nd fret. Second finger on the 6th string, 3rd fret. Third finger on the 1st string, 3rd fret. You use all six strings on this one. The tricky part is keeping your 1st finger from muting the open 4th string — arc your fingers and adjust your wrist until it rings clear.
The A chord puts three fingers on the same fret: 1st finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret; 2nd finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret; 3rd finger on the 2nd string, 2nd fret. Five strings total (skip the 6th).
B minor is your fourth chord. The easiest version uses just three strings: 1st finger on the 1st string, 2nd fret; 2nd finger on the 2nd string, 3rd fret; 3rd finger on the 3rd string, 4th fret. There’s also a bar chord version for when you’re ready.
Pick through each string individually. If any note buzzes or sounds dead, adjust your fingers until every string rings clear. That’s step one. Don’t rush to strumming until you can get clean sounds from each chord.
If you want more detail on open chord shapes, check out the beginner chords lesson.
Lesson 2: Putting Chords Together (Three Real Songs)
Now that you’ve got the chords, it’s time to put them in order. This lesson covers the chord progressions for three well-known songs, all in the key of D.
The goal here isn’t perfect strumming yet. It’s about nailing the chord changes on time. One strum per chord, counting four beats, getting each change clean and in rhythm.
Song 1 uses B minor, G major, and A sus 9 (just lift your 3rd finger off the A major — that’s it). The B minor gets a full bar (4 beats), then G for 2 beats, then A sus 9 for 2 beats.
Song 2 uses all four chords: D, A, B minor, G. Each chord gets 4 full beats. This is one of the most common progressions in popular music — you’ll hear it in thousands of songs.
Song 3 uses B minor, D, and G. The B minor and D each get half a bar (2 beats), and G gets a full bar (4 beats).
I always tell my students: don’t try to play along with the recording right away. It’ll be way faster than you can handle. Get the changes down at your own speed first, then gradually pick up the tempo. Use a metronome or drum machine to keep yourself honest.
For more tips on getting your chord changes smooth and fast, I’ve got a dedicated lesson on that.
Lesson 3: Adding a Real Strum
This is where it starts sounding like actual music.
The basic strum pattern for these songs works like this: beat 1 is a single downstroke. Beats 2, 3, and 4 each get a down-up pattern. So it goes: down, down-up, down-up, down-up. Count it as “one, two-and, three-and, four-and.”
A couple of strumming pointers that’ll save you a lot of frustration:
Treat your pick like a brush. Don’t hold it stiff and jab at the strings. Let it angle naturally — pointing slightly upward on downstrokes, slightly downward on upstrokes. Your upstroke will always be a little lighter than your downstroke. That’s normal and actually sounds better.
The third song has a trickier rhythm. The first beat has a quick “one-e-and” feel (down-down-up), then beat two is a single down. After that, beats three and four are normal down-ups. It takes some practice, but counting out loud really helps.
Once you can strum through all three progressions with this pattern, you’re ready for the final step.
Lesson 4: Arpeggios and the Finishing Touch
An arpeggio is just a fancy word for picking the notes in a chord one at a time instead of strumming them all at once. It’s the technique behind a lot of famous song intros.
For the first song’s intro, you need the full B minor bar chord because we need that 5th string bass note. The picking sequence is all downstrokes: 5th string, 4th, 3rd, 2nd. Then an upstroke back to the 3rd string, followed by a downstroke on the 4th. On the last note, lift your hand off just enough to let the open string ring while you move to the G chord.
The G arpeggio uses just the top four strings: 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd. Then the A sus 9: 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd. String them together and you’ve got the intro.
The third song uses a simplified B minor with a clever fingering trick. Put down your D chord, then add your pinky on the 3rd string, 4th fret. That gives you a B minor shape with your D chord fingers already in position — so the transition back is just lifting one finger. The picking pattern is 3rd string, 2nd string, 1st string, then back up to the 2nd string.
There’s also a bridge section that introduces one new chord: E minor. Second finger on the 5th string, 2nd fret; 3rd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret. All six strings. Simple shape, great sound.
Where to Go From Here
If you’ve worked through all four lessons, you’ve already accomplished more than a lot of people ever do on guitar. You know four chords (plus a bonus E minor), you can change between them in time, you’ve got a real strum pattern, and you can pick arpeggios. That’s a solid foundation.
Here’s what I’d work on next:
Get your practice routine sorted so you keep building on this momentum. Learn how notes work on your fretboard — it’ll make everything click faster. And if you’re not sure what to tackle after this, I wrote a guide on what to learn first on guitar that maps out the road ahead.
I really do believe everybody can learn to play. You don’t have to be a pro to make the guitar sound good. It’s as much for your mind and your relaxation as anything else.
If you’re ready for more, come check out the Riff Ninja Academy — you can try it free and see if it’s the right fit.
To explore more beginner content and continue your guitar journey, visit the Beginner Guitar Lessons page for a complete learning path.
