GuitarManac

Beginner

Your first songs

Never played? Learn your first five chords and your first strum, and play three real songs.

13 lessons in 4 chapters

Start the courseFree course

What you'll learn

Three songs and your first strum.

  • Reading a chord chart
  • Your first changes
  • Playing in time
  • Changing early
  • Up-strums and the folk strum

What's inside

Chapter 2 · G, C and your first song

  1. 3GG stretches across all six strings and rings like a whole band.
  2. 4CC is the last chord you need before your first full song.
  3. 5Your first song: ZombieFour chords, round and round. Zombie by The Cranberries, start to finish.

Chapter 3 · Am and smooth changes

  1. 6Am, and your first anchorA minor, and the anchor finger that makes changes feel half as hard.
  2. 7Change earlyThe trick most players use to change chords without the gap.
  3. 8One-minute changesOne minute on the change that trips everyone up, and it starts to stick.
  4. 9Brown Eyed GirlOne of the happiest songs to strum, and your fastest one yet.

Chapter 4 · Your first strum

  1. 10Up-strumsThe strum on the way back up, and suddenly your strumming swings.
  2. 11The folk strumD DU UDU: the strum you've heard in thousands of songs.
  3. 12Changes in the strumKeep the folk strum going while the chords change under it.
  4. 13Knockin' on Heaven's DoorBob Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door, with five chords you know.

Songs you'll play

  • ZombieThe Cranberries · Lesson 5
  • Brown Eyed GirlVan Morrison · Lesson 9
  • Knockin' on Heaven's DoorBob Dylan · Lesson 13

And to try after: Stand by Me (Ben E. King)

Good next courses

Questions

How long is Your first songs?

13 lessons in 4 chapters, about 56 min in all. Each lesson takes 4 to 5 minutes, so one a day fits around anything.

What do I need before I start?

Nothing. A guitar and a few minutes a day. A guitar in standard tuning; the tuner in the app gets you there.

Is Your first songs free?

Yes, the whole course is free. Make a free account to save your progress.

Which songs will I play?

Zombie by The Cranberries, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan.

What should I learn after this?

Good next courses are Strumming and rhythm, Open chords and the easy F, Fingerpicking.