Learning to play notes, scales and chords are certainly fundamentals of your musical education. But the best way to learn guitar is to put those techniques into practice while learning a new song. Strumming a chord progression or practicing a hammer-on pull-off can feel much more real when you’re playing it in one of your favorite songs. This makes the experience much more fun instead of practicing the same things over and over without context. The A minor chord has a rich, heavy sound. And, like most minor chords, its tone evokes a somber or sad emotional feel. To play the three-fingered version, you don't play the low E string and leave the A and high E strings open, while placing your index finger on the 1st fret of the B string and your middle and ring fingers on the 2nd fret of the D and G strings, respectively. One way to help narrow the field is to try out our Find Your Fender tool. Find Your Fender asks you a few simple questions about the type of tone you prefer, your budget, and even your physiology -- such as whether you have smaller hands or if you play guitar left-handed or right-handed. Based on that criteria, it gives you a short list of guitars to explore to see if they might be the right fit for you. 3. Create An Ideal Learning Environment The F chords in its full form is a barre chord, which can be challenging for new players. You can play it with your index finger on the high E and B strings, and once you are comfortable with that, try it with your index finger a ting as a capo for all six strings on the first fret.

While there are dozens of chords, some of the most memorable songs have been written using only a handful of easy-to-play open chords. At one time or another, almost everyone has found themselves caught in the moment of listening to a great song and overcome by the urge to rip into an air guitar solo. And while mostly everyone can play air guitar, learning to play a real acoustic or electric guitar is something that takes practice and dedication. Just as the strings on your guitar start with a low E and end with a high E, the notes in a scale begin with a low version of that first note. (In this case, it’s a low C.) And they end with the same note, played one octave higher. (In this instance, it’s a high C.) How to Play Notes On Your Guitar - One of the earliest things you’ll learn as a beginner guitarist is learning where to place your fingers on the fretboard to be sure that note clearly rings out. Hearing notes clearly is key to identifying notes and learning how to play guitar. If you’re learning to play guitar at home, you might not necessarily have other new players to chat with about what you’re learning, challenges you face, or breakthroughs in your practice sessions. Having a community of musicians and music lovers to connect with can help keep you more motivated to keep playing, practicing, and cheering one another on.Even professional musicians have performances where they didn’t feel they did their best. When you’re first learning to play guitar, don’t let your frustrations overshadow your progress. Take each mistake in stride. Learn from them and keep practicing. Above all, be patient with yourself. When you hear yourself getting better -- Fewer missed notes! Easier transitions between chords! Building up speed and accuracy with your fretting hand! -- you’ll be glad you were kind to yourself and kept going. 9. Use A Guitar Lesson App Like Fender Play Now that we’ve gone through a series of guitar basics, do you feel more confident in your ability to learn to play guitar? The principles covered here apply to both acoustic or electric guitar and can be built upon over time. Take it note by note, chord by chord and you’ll discover that learning to play guitar is a lot easier than you think.

Learning which notes -- sharps, flats, and root notes -- comprise a particular scale can help you identify the key of a song. In turn, that can help you narrow down what chords and notes are included in some of your favorite songs and how the artist decided to structure a riff or solo based on those scales. Keep your guitar prominently displayed. You know the saying: “out of sight, out of mind.” Keeping your guitar in plain sight is a visual cue to prompt you to play more often.For many new players, using an online guitar lesson app can help give you access to the tools you need to learn no matter where you’re at. Fender Play gives new guitarists access to top-notch instructors who have been there, done that, and created an easily-accessible curriculum broken into bite-sized video lessons. The portability of using an app like Fender Play allows you to practice anytime, anywhere -- as often or as you like. If there’s a particular concept of lesson you haven’t quite grasped, simply replay the lesson and practice it until you feel satisfied. Fender Play also gives you access to a library of hundreds of songs that you can learn to play. Learn chords, riffs, or even songs in their entirety to put the skills you learn to practical use. Looking for a beginner guitar? Our interactive gear guide, FindYour.Fender.com, matches you with the perfect model by learning about your sound & style. You’ll be well on your way to finding the right guitar for you. Learning to play guitar can be tough, and even downright frustrating at times. Discover the best ways to learn how to play guitar at home with Fender. How to Strum like a Pro - Little things like keeping your wrist loose while strumming can not only help you to achieve a more fluid style of playing, but it can also help to decrease pain or tightness after a practice session. Get more tips for strumming like a pro!

Many of your favorite songs contain just three or four simple chords. Better yet, you can learn to play a song in just minutes. In addition, an electric guitar also has individual bridge saddles where the strings attach at the bridge, as well as a knob that controls volume and another knob that controls tone. These knobs are located on the lower left side on the front of your guitar. Whether you want to learn your favorite songs or compose your own original tunes, you’ll find what you need among Fender Play’s catalogue of chords, scales, songs and skill-based lessons. Keep your wrist loose: When you’re strumming a chord, you want your motions to feel fluid. Not hard and choppy. Keeping a loose wrist will not only help your chord progressions sound smoother, but also minimize any potential for wrist pain after a particularly vigorous session. A strumming pattern is a specific way of playing up and down strokes on your guitar. While a number of songs call for you to strum chords in an alternating pattern—switching between upward and downward strokes, other songs call for an irregular strumming pattern. For instance, an irregular strumming pattern may have you play a chord in an “up-up-down-up” pattern repeatedly.

MORE CHAPTERS IN THIS GUIDE

It may not be as exciting as playing your first solo or strumming the chords to your favorite song, but little things like learning the names of your strings and the different parts of your guitar can help you build greater familiarity with your instrument. Here are just a few guitar basics and why you should learn them:

Mike and Anders provide a lot of detailed instruction and have helped me to grow my guitar skills.” Looking for an easy way to learn guitar? Fender has all the resources you need to build a solid foundation and embark on your own musical journey.Our award-winning, step-by-step online guitar lessons will take anyone with the desire to learn guitar, and turn Like scales, exercises can help you learn more about music theory and improve your speed, strength, and dexterity along the fretboard. Here are some examples of finger exercises that you can practice to help you level up: The G major scale is a popular scale that is very similar to the E minor scale, as they both have the same notes, just with different starting points. For reference, the G major scale is comprised of the following notes: Min Read By Ben Nemeroff and Mike Duffy Share Learn 13 Free Guitar Lessons Including Chords, Scales and Songs Chords are a group of notes strummed together to produce a harmonious sound. Chord charts are one way for new guitarists to learn chords. These charts are a visual way to learn which strings and frets are used to form the notes to play a specific chord. They also show you where to place your fingers on the fretboard to strum a particular chord.