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The guitar is the perfect tool for playing covers of your favourite songs. Learn the first 4 chords and you’ll be ready to play the first 100,000 songs – or write your own. It’s great fun to find new songs to dive into, and even more complicated songs can often be simplified so you can start out easy.
There is no right or wrong guitar to start with. An electric guitar lets you play around with effects like distortion and delay. A Spanish guitar has nylon strings that are not quite as tough on your fingers and a softer sound, while the classic western guitar has steel strings that are a bit harder to press down – but it also plays louder and has that ‘real’ western sound you know from the legends – whether that’s Ed Sheeran or Bob Dylan.
Luckily, the chords and techniques are the same no matter which guitar you start with. Basically, you can play chords, fingerpicking and riffs/melodies.
Chords – Your left hand forms the chord and your right strums the strings in a rhythm, called strumming (think Wonderwall by Oasis). Some songs can be easier to get into because the chords are simplified – a good example is Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, where you’re basically only playing 2 notes of each chord.
Fingerpicking – Your left hand forms the chord and the strings are plucked one at a time with your fingers (think the intro to Nothing Else Matters by Metallica or House of the Rising Sun)
Riff – A riff has a rhythm and notes and is essential in rock music – the world’s most famous riff is Smoke on the Water. A riff can sometimes be easier to get into than chords, as you often don’t have to press down as many strings.
Melody – theme, solo, etc. are different situations where the guitar primarily plays one note at a time. You can also play the vocal melody – there are lots of possibilities, and because you only have to focus on one note at a time, simple melodies can be easier to get into.
How do you figure out what to play?
When you’re learning to play your first song, there are a few routes you can take – the classic option is to find a guitar teacher who can help you get started. If you’d rather work on your own, there are also plenty of good options. There are loads of great YouTube videos that show chords in general or how to play a specific song.
Another great tool is tablature and chord charts. Tablature is mostly used for riffs and melodies and shows the order of the notes that need to be played. In the example below, a very simple version of Smoke on the Water is shown, which can be played with one finger. Each line represents a guitar string, where the lowest string (E) is at the bottom. The number on the string tells you which fret to press down, and the spaces between the numbers usually give you an idea of the rhythm, although you can’t always rely on the rhythm being accurate.
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Chord chart
A chord chart, like tablature, shows where you need to place your fingers, but it’s only for showing chords – there is no rhythm. In the chart below, the chord E (E major) is shown. The chart again shows the guitar strings, but here the numbers tell you which finger to use. In the large image, you can see what the chord chart looks like on a guitar, so it makes more sense. The open strings that you don’t press down should be played if there is an ‘O’ at the end of the string, but if there is an ‘X’ they should not be strummed.
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Four chords to rule the world
As I promised, you can play an incredible number of songs with only four chords. However, it does matter which ones! In theory, it’s steps 1, 4, 5 and 6 in the key – and on guitar it’s easiest to start in G major, because then you need the chords G, D, Em and C. Of the four, G is the hardest, but you can start with a so-called ‘cheat G’ if you want to get going quickly – when your fingers are more used to pressing the strings down, you can add the proper G. Get an overview of the chords below:
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At first, it can be tough on your fingers to press the strings all the way down, but it’s just a matter of practice. It also takes a little time for your fingers to learn where the chords are so you can switch quickly between them, but again it’s all about repetition, and if you practise several times a week, it won’t take long before the chords start to settle into your fingers.
Find songs online
The fastest way to learn a song is to search for the song name and ‘chords’ or ‘tabs’, depending on whether it’s chords or a riff you want to learn. There’s almost always someone who has written the song down somewhere. So once you have a few chords you can play, it’s really just about getting stuck in, finding songs and playing away. The only thing to watch out for is practising something incorrectly – that can lead to bad habits or, in the worst case, injuries. That’s where a guitar teacher can be most valuable, as they can see your fingering, technique, etc.
The most important thing when you start playing guitar is to practise a lot – and even just 10 minutes four times a week quickly gives results, because your fingers quickly learn where the chords are and gradually also gain more strength to press the strings down. SoundStoreXL wishes you lots of enjoyment with your guitar playing – below is a list of the five most important guitar accessories!
Accessories galore (top 5)
There’s an incredible amount of guitar accessories that can make playing easier and more fun. Here are the top 5:
Tuner – absolutely essential, especially at the beginning. It’s difficult to tune a guitar by ear, and with a tuner you can tune up in no time and focus on playing. View our selection of guitar tuners here.
Capo – not essential, but a really fun tool, especially if you sing while you play. The capo is placed across all the strings and makes the guitar ‘shorter’. That way you change the key, and it makes it easier to find a key that suits your voice – and the guitar also feels different to play, which is fun. If you have a capo on the 2nd fret and play the chord that is normally E minor, it will now be F# minor. Here it can be an advantage to have an overview of where all the notes are on the fretboard: View our selection of capos here.
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Overview of notes on the fretboard  |
Stand/holder – it’s a good idea to have a floor stand or a wall mount for your guitar, so it doesn’t fall over and get damaged. View our selection of guitar stands here.
Bag – if you want to take your guitar to the campfire, a bag is ideal so you don’t risk damaging the guitar. View our selection of guitar bags here.
Pick – you can absolutely play using only your fingers, but for chords and riffs a pick gives a more defined sound. For acoustic guitars, you usually use thinner picks. View our selection of picks here.
