What You Need to Start

  • A guitar: Acoustic is easiest to start with — no amplifier needed. A decent beginner acoustic costs $100–300. Classical (nylon string) is gentler on fingers but harder to play some styles. Electric requires an amp but the strings are easier to press.
  • A tuner: GuitarTuna app (free) is excellent. Always tune before practising — playing out of tune builds bad muscle memory and sounds discouraging.
  • A pick: Medium thickness picks work for most styles. A few dollars for a pack.

Best Free Learning Resources

  1. 1

    JustinGuitar.com (Best Overall Free Course)

    justinguitar.com is widely considered the best free guitar learning resource available — professional quality, structured progression from absolute beginner to advanced, and entirely free. Justin has taught millions of players. Start at Beginner Grade 1 and work through sequentially. Do not skip ahead — the structured progression builds skills in the right order.

  2. 2

    YouTube Channels

    Marty Music (martymusic): Extensive song tutorials for popular songs at all levels. Excellent for learning songs you actually want to play while building technique. Paul Davids: More intermediate to advanced, excellent music theory and technique. Fender Play YouTube: Good beginner tutorials. Adam Neely: Music theory for those interested in understanding what they play.

  3. 3

    Yousician (App — Free Tier)

    Yousician listens to your guitar through your phone’s microphone and gives real-time feedback on accuracy. Gamified learning keeps practice engaging. The free tier limits daily practice time but is sufficient for casual learners. Excellent for beginners who want instant feedback.

  4. 4

    Ultimate Guitar (App/Website — Free Tier)

    The largest database of guitar chords and tabs for songs. Essential for learning songs. The free tier provides basic chords and tabs. When you want to learn a specific song, search Ultimate Guitar for the chords.

How to Practise Effectively

  • 15–20 minutes daily beats 2 hours once a week for building finger strength and muscle memory
  • Always warm up with scales or simple chord transitions before playing songs
  • Practise the parts you find difficult, not just the parts you can already play
  • Use a metronome — GuitarTuna includes one. Playing in time is a fundamental skill
  • Learn songs you actually like — motivation matters more than curriculum
Fingertip pain is normalYour fingertips will hurt for the first 2–4 weeks until you develop calluses. This is completely normal and temporary. Play through it in short sessions and the calluses develop quickly. Nylon strings are slightly gentler during this period if pain is a concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

With 20 minutes of daily practice: basic open chords and simple songs in 1–3 months. Playing recognisable songs confidently for an audience in 6–12 months. Intermediate skill (barre chords, basic lead playing) in 1–2 years. Guitar is a lifelong learning instrument — even professional guitarists continue developing. The most important milestone is being able to play songs you enjoy, which most beginners reach within a few months.
Acoustic is more practical for most beginners: no need for an amp or cables, portable, and you can play anywhere. Electric guitars are actually slightly easier to play physically (lighter strings, lower action) but require additional equipment. The best choice is whichever type of music you want to play — if you want to play rock or metal, start on electric. If you want folk, country or singer-songwriter, start on acoustic.