Duration of the online course: 3 hours and 41 minutes
New
Play songs sooner with a free online guitar course: tune, read tabs, switch chords, and build blues riffs with clear play-alongs and optional certificate.
In this free course, learn about
How to tune an acoustic guitar (standard and Open D), and which tuning pegs raise/lower pitch
How to read guitar tablature: string lines, fret numbers, and what “0” means (open string)
How to read chord charts/diagrams and what the dots represent (finger placement on frets/strings)
Core fretting technique to avoid string buzz: fingertip placement, pressure, and clean notes
Blues shuffle technique and the feel needed to play it cleanly across strings
12-bar blues structure: progression, timing, and building blocks for playing in A/D/E
Essential beginner chords: E, A, D, plus C, F (mini F), and G; correct fingerings/positions
Chord-changing skills: countdown methods, anchor fingers, and transition tricks for smoother switches
Beginner rhythm/strumming fundamentals: steady time, downbeats, and emphasis on beats 1 and 3
Classic boom-chick and boom-chicka patterns for folk/country, and related picking patterns
What riffs are and how to play blues riffs over 12-bar forms, including play-along practice
Major vs minor chord sound/structure, plus must-know minor chords and a minor-chord rhythm pattern
How to imply fuller chords with riffs over major/minor shapes and key movements within the riffs
Intro blues scale use: why learn scales and how to apply them for beginner soloing
About the free online course
Learning acoustic guitar can feel overwhelming at first: strings won’t stay in tune, fingers buzz, rhythms drift, and chord shapes seem impossible to change fast enough. This beginner-friendly course is designed to turn that frustration into momentum, giving you practical skills you can use right away on a classical or acoustic guitar. With short lessons and guided exercises, you’ll build strong fundamentals that make playing feel smoother, more musical, and a lot more fun.
You’ll start by getting your instrument set up for success. Tuning becomes a confident routine instead of guesswork, and you’ll understand what to adjust and why. From there, you’ll learn to read guitar tablature and chord diagrams so you can follow songs and exercises without feeling lost. You’ll also tackle one of the most common early problems: string buzz. By improving fretting habits and hand position, your notes will ring cleaner and your practice will feel more rewarding.
Once your sound is reliable, the course focuses on rhythm and timing, helping you lock into a steady pulse with beginner strumming patterns used across folk, country, and pop. You’ll develop the coordination to emphasize the right beats, keep your hand moving consistently, and avoid stopping and restarting mid-song. Along the way, you’ll build a core set of open chords and learn simple methods that make chord changes faster and less stressful, even if you’re starting from zero.
To keep things musical, you’ll apply these basics to blues: the shuffle feel, 12-bar progressions, and beginner-friendly riffs that sound like real music from the start. You’ll practice play-alongs that help you stay on time, move between chord shapes with confidence, and hear how riffs fit over changes. Minor chords are introduced naturally so you can create a wider range of moods, and you’ll learn patterns like boom-chick and boom-chicka that instantly make accompaniment sound fuller.
As you progress, you’ll explore simple ways to add riffs over major chords and start understanding how scales can fuel improvisation, including an approachable blues scale and early soloing ideas. The result is a solid foundation: clear tone, reliable tuning, the ability to read common guitar notation, smoother chord transitions, and the rhythmic control to play with others. If you want a free online course that guides you from first steps to confident, song-ready playing, this program gives you the structure and encouragement to stick with it and improve week by week.
Course content
Video class: How to Tune Your Acoustic Guitar ? (1.1)05m
Exercise: When tuning your guitar, which part of the tuner do you adjust to raise or lower the pitch of a string?
Video class: How to Read Guitar Tabs ? (1.2)04m
Exercise: What does a '0' on a tablature line indicate in guitar notation?
Video class: Beginner Guitar Lesson ? Get Rid of String Buzz (1.3)04m
Exercise: Which of these is essential for proper fretting technique on the guitar?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? How to Play the Blues Shuffle (2.1)04m
Exercise: What technique is essential for playing the blues shuffle?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? 3 Building Blocks For 12 Bar Blues (2.2)04m
Exercise: In learning the basic blues shuffle pattern on guitar, what is crucial when moving to playing between the A and D strings?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? How to Play The 12 Bar Blues (2.3)05m
Exercise: Understanding 12 Bar Blues Progression
Video class: 3 Essential Beginner Guitar Chords ? E, A, and D (3.1)05m
Exercise: Which finger should you place on the first fret of the G string when making an E major chord?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? Chord Changing Tips05m
Exercise: What is the 'countdown method' used for in guitar practice?
Exercise: In a basic strumming pattern for a beginner guitar player, what is emphasized on the 'one' and 'three' beats?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? Play Your First Blues Guitar Riff (4.1)03m
Exercise: What is a riff in guitar terminology?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? How to Play 12 Bar Blues Riffs (4.2)04m
Exercise: In the context of a 12 bar blues sequence on the guitar, if each part of the riff is named after chords A, D, and E respectively, which fret does the E part riff start on the A string?
Video class: Play Your First Blues Riff ? Play Along! (4.3)02m
Exercise: What does the acoustic guitar course offer to beginners?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? 3 Must Know Minor Chords (5.1)04m
Exercise: What is the primary difference between a major and a minor chord according to the lesson?
Video class: Beginner Chord Changing Lesson ? Minor Chords A, D, and E (5.2)04m
Exercise: What is the focus of the "half note countdown method" in guitar practice?
Video class: Beginner Guitar Lesson ? How to Play the boom chick-a Rhythm (5.3)04m
Exercise: What is the name of the rhythm pattern introduced for the minor chords in the guitar lesson?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? How to Play a Guitar Riff to Insinuate a Full Chord (5.4)05m
Exercise: What is a key concept for creating effective guitar riffs in this lesson?
Video class: Beginner Guitar Play Along ? Minor Chord Riff (5.5)01m
Exercise: What is the primary goal of the acoustic guitar 101 course?
Video class: ? Three Must Know Beginner Guitar Chords (6.1)05m
Exercise: Which chord is associated with the 'mini F' technique?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? How to Change Chords ? C, F, and G (6.2)04m
Exercise: What is the name of the method that involves strumming a guitar chord on every downbeat with counts of one, two, three, four?
Video class: The Essential Beginners Acoustic Guitar Rhythm (6.3)04m
Exercise: What is the first note played on the C chord in the rhythm pattern described?
Video class: Beginner Guitar ? Play a Riff Over a Major Guitar Chord (6.4)04m
Exercise: Which of the following movements is NOT part of the riff for the C major chord as described in the guitar lesson?
Video class: Beginner Guitar Play Along ? Essential Major Chords (6.5)01m
Video class: Tony's Top 5 Beginner Acoustic Guitars Under $50006m
Exercise: Which of the following beginner guitars typically comes with a special aesthetic feature of an abalone rosette?
Video class: Play Open D Tuning (3 Easy Steps)09m
Video class: 2 EASY Chord Transition Tricks [FUN exercises to practice]07m
Exercise: Which finger is used as an anchor when transitioning from a G chord to a C chord?
Video class: Blues Guitar For Beginners [THIS is fun!]10m
Video class: EASY Blues Guitar Riff [FUN Beginner Guitar Lesson]09m
Exercise: In an acoustic guitar lesson focusing on the blues bass line, what is the common pattern for picking the strings taught?
Video class: How to Tune a Guitar [For Beginners]06m
Video class: Guitar Technique for Beginners [4 CRUCIAL Skills]07m
Video class: How to Read Guitar Tab [Guitar Tablature for Beginners]04m
Video class: How to Read Chord Charts03m
Exercise: What do the dots on a chord diagram represent?
Video class: G Chord [play it THIS way on guitar for best results]03m
Video class: C Chord [play it THIS way on guitar for best results]03m
Exercise: Which of the following strings is not directly involved when forming the C major chord on the guitar?
Video class: D Chord [play it THIS way on guitar for best results]04m
Video class: Power Chords [A FUN way to get GOOD at them]05m
Exercise: What is the primary goal when you first start learning to play the guitar according to the philosophy mentioned in the text?
Video class: G Chord Practice [5 minute looped play-along]03m
Video class: C Chord Practice [5 minute looped play-along]02m
Exercise: In the 'Beginner Acoustic Guitar Lessons', what is the duration of the structured program designed to take you from zero to guitar player?
Video class: D Chord Practice [5 minute looped play-along]02m
Video class: FUN G Chord Strength Exercise [beginner guitar lesson]03m
Exercise: Why is the exercise described beneficial for learning the G chord on the guitar?
Video class: FUN C Chord Strength Exercise [beginner guitar lesson]02m
Video class: FUN D Chord Strength Exercise [beginner guitar lesson]02m
Exercise: What finger positioning creates the standard D chord as described in the lesson?
Video class: Classic Strumming Pattern #1 The Boom Chick for Country and Folk Guitar02m
Video class: Strumming Patterns for Beginners [start with THIS Golden Rule]03m
Exercise: In acoustic guitar strumming, what is considered a 'downbeat'?
Video class: Classic Strumming Pattern #2 The Boom Chicka for Country and Folk Guitar04m
Video class: EASY Blues Scale for Guitar [SO MUCH FUN!!] 1 OF 204m
Exercise: What is the purpose of learning a scale on the guitar according to the lesson?
Video class: Blues Guitar Solo for Beginners [HOURS OF FUN!!] 2 OF 206m