L E V E L I
Module I
In this module, you’ll get an introduction to the fretboard, learn how to hold the guitar and the pick, tune your guitar without a tuner, and play your first a song.
Learn how to hold your guitar properly here. There’s a lot more to learn in this article than just holding your guitar correctly and all of it is important, so refer back to it often as you progress. Use a mirror or take selfies to help you analyze and adjust your position and hold your guitar comfortably on your lap. You may need to refine the way you sit and hold your guitar in the next few weeks. As a guide, look at any of the videos in the Virtual Studio to see how I hold my guitar—and feel free to send me a picture or short video if you want advice.
Lesson
1
Learn 3 chords and practice playing a song with them. The song should be simple and use first position chords with one strum per beat. You can do this with the A, D, and E chords in the first song in Getting Started. If you don’t have Getting Started yet, download The World Still Needs These Songs for free and start with the songs that have the fewest chords. Strum one downstroke per beat for your first song or two. The you can expand to using different strumming and fingerpicking patterns from the studio.
The best approach is to learn the A chord and practice going to it without referring to the chord diagram. When you’re able to do that, follow the same procedure for the D and E chords, then put them together to make your first song!
Lesson
2
With so many TABs available, it’s easy to skip this foundational knowledge. Don’t let that happen! Lesson B5 How to Read a Chart will show you everything you need to know at this level and help you navigate more complex music, as well. This is another lesson to bookmark for future reference!
Lesson
3
Use lesson G3Fretboard Familiarity through 3:30 to learn how to find notes on the guitar. You don’t need to be able to find all of the notes quickly at this point, but you do need to practice the lesson enough to understand how. Once you have completed Module I, you’ll find the remainder of the instruction in the video useful. I’ll direct you to return to it and complete it at that point.
Lesson
4
Tuning without a tuner is a valuable skill. Read this article to understand why you need to practice it, and use B7The Relative Tuning Method to learn how to do it. Remember to make this a part of your daily routine! (Don’t worry—it won’t take long to get fast at it.)
Lesson
5
If you’re looking for clarity of sound and efficient movement (and who’s not?), hand position can make everything work! Study this video to understand how to consistently achieve the best position for playing both chords and single notes: B1Left Hand Finger Angle
Lesson
6
Learn to use a pick for more than just simple strumming with this lesson: T5Pick Technique – Single Notes
Lesson
7
Whether you plan to read music or not, it’s important to be familiar with the staff. Take a few minutes to memorize the lines and spaces and practice finding and writing notes on them with this lesson: ET10 The Staff
Lesson
8
Wow, you’ve come a long way and you’ve learned some important things that a lot of people never discover! Congratulations!
Ready to go on to Module II? Click here!
