Learn to Play Guitar Using this Free Guitar Lesson

Are you learning to play guitar?

Looking for a free guitar lesson?

If you answered yes to either then you've come to the right place. I have created guitar lessons for every level of player from easy to more advanced. Each lesson will provide you with:

• An explanation of what is being played along with tips on the most effective way to practice.

• A downloadable pdf file with tabulator so you can easily find the fingerings to execute the lesson. (You will need adobe reader to view this file. If you do not have this you can download it for free.)



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I hope you will enjoy the free guitar lessons and find them useful in your everyday practice.

Feel free to bookmark this page as I will be adding new guitar lessons regularly.

You may begin with the first lesson on this page or scroll down to the bottom for a list of other available lessons.

Enough talk! Lets play guitar.

Free Guitar Lesson PDF file here...

Guitar Lesson #1 - Building Independent Finger Strength

Study Notes

Playing guitar can be like running a marathon. If your body is not conditioned for it you will probably collapse after a mile or two. Well, the same is true if you play guitar. If you do not take steps now to work on your speed and dexterity your fingers will literally collapse on the fret board.

Like the runner who collapsed in pain after running only a short while so will your listeners ears if you don't keep your digits in shape.

Exercise 1 shows you a simple chromatic pattern. I've tabbed out the first two finger positions for you. Continue up the neck in the same fashion and then back down.

Your pick hand should follow an alternate picking pattern, down up down up. If this is new to you start by just picking any open string using the alternate picking technique. When you feel comfortable add the freted notes into the mix.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Listen to Exercise 1

Exercise 2 is played in the same fashion as the first but this time the fingering in each four note group has changed to make it a little more challenging.

I remember when I first tried to play this. Sure it looks easy but fretting every other note might prove to be more daunting than you expect.

Once again use the alternate picking pattern and continue up and down the neck. You will notice how much easier it gets as you get higher on the neck and harder as you go back down. Do not try and play faster though. You want to keep an even tempo.

When playing guitar always remember to strive for a fluid and steady pace. Do not rush it.

Accuracy before speed!

Listen to Exercise 2

Mastered that one?

Awesome! You'll be ready to burn through some scales in no time, but will save those for another lesson.

Their is still two more exercises I would like to show you.

Exercise 3 is a little more practical in the sense that it is composed of three note per string groups. This is more true to the scale patterns you will learn in latter lessons.

Play it just as you have the previous two. Go up and down the neck at a steady tempo using alternate picking.

Use your 1st, 2nd, and 4th fingers on your fret hand to play the three note patterns. You can then try the 3rd instead of the 2nd finger. This will help stretch the muscles between the 3rd and 4th fingers.

Listen to Exercise 3

You might find that alternate picking becomes a little tricker with three note per string groups instead of four. That's because you have to start every other string group using an up stroke instead of a down stroke.

Their is a more advanced picking technique called economy picking that eliminates this obstacle and once mastered allows you to play even faster than alternate picking.

Feeling the burn yet?

Are your hand and fingers cramping up on you?

If not try the last exercise guaranteed to humble even the best of us.

Exercise 4 is my personal favorite. I learned it from a fellow student when I was attending college. He was a violin player with lightning fast chops.

Up till this point It had never occurred to me that I might learn a lot by listening to stringed instruments other than the guitar. One day I decided to ask him what kind of exercises he practiced to help build such speed and agility. He then showed me what I'm now sharing with you.

Unlike the other examples I've shown you up to this point this one requires you to stretch your fingers in a manner that will be awkward at first, but stick with it and you'll burn through it no time.

Play the exercise as written with an alternate picking pattern. Continue up and down the neck on each string. Go slow and don't feel bad even if you can't make it past the first two or three strings for awhile.

Listen to Exercise 4

It took me a month of playing this everyday before I could go up and down all six strings without stopping. And even longer to play it at a fast tempo.

Final Notes:

Use this free guitar lesson before you begin any practice session. If you start to become bored with it here are a few suggestions to spice things up.

• Instead of picking every note, play with a more legato feel using hammer ons and pull offs. Pick the first note on each new string and hammer or pull the rest.
• Skip strings instead of playing from one to the next.
• Make up your own awkward fingerings.