Everything you need to know about the instrument in front of you, in ten minutes: the parts, the strings, how to sit without aching, and how to tune it so that it stays in tune.
What you'll learn
Identify the three main parts of the guitar and know what each of them does to the sound.
Count strings without getting lost, and know the open note that belongs to each one.
Sit and hold the instrument with no tension in your shoulder or your wrist.
Tune all six strings yourself, and know why you always come up to the note instead of down to it.
Two chords, two fingers, and a small secret: the second one is the very same shape, moved over by a single string. By the end of the lesson you will be changing between them in time.
What you'll learn
Press a string with the tip of the pad and get a clean note, with no wasted force.
Play E minor, and check it string by string instead of guessing.
Play A suspended, and understand that it is the same shape moved over by one string.
Change between the two chords at a steady tempo without stopping.
The strumming hand is the one that decides whether this sounds like a song. The grip, the motion, four steady quarter notes, and how to change chords without stopping.
What you'll learn
Hold a pick in a way that lets you strum for a long stretch without pain.
Produce a strumming motion that comes from the wrist and not from the shoulder.
Play four steady quarter notes with a metronome, without speeding up.
Change chords without the strumming hand stopping to wait.