Six Strings
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Course

Beginner course

Play a whole song with open and barre chords, back up a shuffle blues and improvise a short solo.

36 15-minute lessons in 8 steps. Each step ends with a practice lesson and a review.

Your course:

Which guitar do you play?

The course adapts: the shared lessons, plus the ones specific to your guitar. You can switch anytime; your progress is kept.

0 lesson done out of 36
Start the course

1Tune your guitar, hold it and play your first melodies from tabCompleted

Theme: The instrument and your first notes · Review: 0

  1. Getting started with the guitar10 minutes · Tune and hold your guitar
  2. Guitar care and changing strings15 minutes · Change your strings and look after your guitar · Acoustic guitar only
  3. The amp: dialing in your tone15 minutes · Dial in clean, crunch and high-gain tones · Electric guitar only
  4. Your first notes in tab15 minutes · Read tab on your own
  5. The 1-2-3-4 spider15 minutes · Play the spider with a metronome
  6. Ode to Joy on two stringsPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day, for a few days · Play a whole melody

2Play 8 open chords and switch between them without stoppingCompleted

Theme: The fretting hand and open chords · Review: 0

  1. Your first 4 chords15 minutes · Play 4 chords
  2. Changing chords without stopping15 minutes · Change chords in time
  3. Three new chords: A minor, E major, A major15 minutes · Play Am, E and A
  4. The eight-chord workoutPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day, for a few days · Switch between the 8 open chords

3Strum in time: hold the pulse and play 3 strumming patterns over your chordsCompleted

Theme: The strumming hand · Review: 0

  1. The pulse: counting and tapping your foot15 minutes · Play in time with a metronome
  2. Your first 3 strumming patterns15 minutes · Play 3 strumming patterns
  3. Accents15 minutes · Make a strumming pattern groove
  4. One progression, three patternsPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day, for a few days · Switch between three strumming patterns

4Play a whole song, start to finish, from its chord chartCompleted

Theme: Repertoire · Review: 0

  1. Playing your first full song15 minutes · Play a complete song
  2. The capo15 minutes · Use a capo
  3. Playing in 3/4 time15 minutes · Play in time in 3/4
  4. Learning a song on your own15 minutes · Learn a song on your own
  5. Amazing Grace in 3/4Putting it into practice · 15 minutes a day, for a few days · Play a whole song in 3/4

5Back up a 12-bar blues with a shuffleCompleted

Theme: The blues, rhythm side · Review: 0

  1. Seventh chords15 minutes · Play 6 seventh chords
  2. The shuffle rhythm15 minutes · Play a shuffle
  3. The 12-bar blues20 minutes · Play a full blues
  4. A blues in EPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day for a few days · Play a blues in E

6Improvise a short solo with the pentatonic scaleCompleted

Theme: Melody and improvisation · Review: 0

  1. The A minor pentatonic, position 115 minutes · Play position 1 from memory
  2. Your first solo: hammer-on, pull-off, slide15 minutes · Connect the notes of a solo
  3. Answering a phrase15 minutes · Play a phrase back by ear
  4. Your first blues soloPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day for a few days · Improvise over a blues

7Play F and B minor barre chords, and move a barre chord along the neckCompleted

Theme: Barre chords, the bridge to intermediate · Review: 0

  1. Barre chords15 minutes a day for a week · Play F and B minor
  2. Moving barre chords15 minutes · Move a barre chord along the neck
  3. The pop progression with a real FPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day for a week · Play barre chords in rhythm

8Play to suit your guitar: rock riffs or fingerpicked arpeggiosPlay with your fingers: arpeggios over your chordsPlay your first rock riffs: power chords and palm mutingCompleted

Theme: Your guitar’s own style · Review: 0

  1. Fingerpicking arpeggios15 minutes · Play a p-i-m-a-m-i arpeggio · Acoustic guitar only
  2. Power chords15 minutes · Play power chord riffs · Electric guitar only
  3. Arpeggios in 3/4 and 6/815 minutes · Play arpeggios in 3/4 and 6/8 · Acoustic guitar only
  4. Palm muting15 minutes · Play a palm-muted riff · Electric guitar only
  5. The Six Strings Ballad, fingerpickedPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day for a week · Play a full song fingerpicked · Acoustic guitar only
  6. Your first rock riffPutting it into practice · 15 minutes a day for a few days · Play a complete rock song · Electric guitar only

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