11 essential guides for new guitarists that will help you make the most of your shiny new six-string
Perhaps the generous gift-giver of your new guitar did a great job of hiding the size and shape of your present under the tree. You’ve opened it, and to your great surprise, there’s a shiny machine of glory waiting for you to tune up get started. Congratulations, you are now a guitar player. What comes next?
First things first: download the Gibson App. If you’re not a beginner, go straight for the intermediate and advanced lessons and take your playing to new heights. If you are a beginner looking to learn to play the guitar from scratch, you’ll also find plenty of content in the Gibson App focused on new starters, including a metronome to develop timing skills and a digital tuner for ear training and sweeter-sounding experiences while playing your new guitar.
Next, read on and click the links to check out our list of essential guides for new guitar players that will help your learning experience be a rewarding one, from basic stuff like how to hold the instrument correctly to easy song suggestions for beginners to learn, a guide to singing and playing the guitar at the same time, and more besides.
1: How to hold a guitar—what are the basics you shouldn’t skip?
Good habits in the early stages of learning will bless you later on. Up front, learn the best way to hold the guitar so that your technique and posture can aid rather than hinder your progress as a budding guitarist.
2: String theory: Understanding the order of guitar strings
If you’re new to the guitar world—maybe you’ve just strummed your first awkward chord, or you’re still figuring out how to hold the thing—chances are you haven’t quite nailed the string order yet. There’s no shame in that! With a few silly mnemonic tricks and some pro tips, you’ll have those six strings etched into your memory quicker than you can say, “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie.”
Get it? E-A-D-G-B-E. Those note names form what’s called “standard tuning,” and it’s the most common place to start on guitar. Again, the Gibson App has a tuner that will aid in getting each of those strings tuned up.
3: How to change electric guitar strings
You may want to investigate a good process for changing strings because learning to tune up a guitar can occasionally lead to string breakages. The last thing you want is discouragement right out of the gate. Check your stocking for extra strings; thoughtful gift-givers may already have you covered. If you find a lump of coal in there instead, use that disappointment to fuel your first angsty songwriting attempts.
4: A warm-up and practice routine for beginner guitarists
Warming up is always a good idea, as it trains your fingers and helps avoid injury. As a beginner, you may experience some pain as muscles and tendons get stretched in new ways, and it will take some time to develop the calluses that will make it less painful to push down strings on the fretboard.
Basic arm and hand posture is another important piece of the puzzle. Beginning any instrument has potential pitfalls, but being able to watch someone do things correctly goes a long way toward helping you avoid bad habits at first.
5: Guitar finger positions and muscle memory
Think of playing scales like navigating a tiny jungle gym for your fingers. Don’t worry—we’re here to give you a quick, high-level crash course in finger positions and how to wrangle strings so that they sound right. Along the way, we’ll tackle the mysterious world of tablature and the magic of muscle memory.
Why? Because learning to read and write down what you play helps cement those riffs into both your mind and your fingertips. The more senses you bring to the party—eyes on the tab, ears on the tone, fingers feeling the frets—the better your brain will lock in those tunes for good. Let’s do this!
6: Tube amp buying advice for beginners
If an electric guitar arrived into your life on Christmas Day, you’ll want to begin learning some commonly used terms like tone, gain structure, clean and dirty settings, and so forth. This video guides you toward making a good decision on your amp choice. The “buy nice or buy twice” mantra comes to mind here.
7: How to dial in your guitar amp for any style
Was there an amp under the Christmas tree to go with your new electric guitar? Lucky you. Some amps are simple, and some are incredibly complex, but this video will help you learn how to dial your amp in for your chosen style.
8: Celisse teaches you how to sing and play guitar at the same time
After some time and determined practice, you’ll start to experience progress, and one of the most rewarding experiences for fledgling guitarists is learning how to use your instrument as an accompaniment for your own voice. Master that, and concert stages await. Here, you’ll learn from one of the best as Celisse shares pro tips and shows you the way.
9: Master Joni Mitchell’s signature tuning and learn aspects of her style
As you get more experienced, you may get the itch to move beyond standard tuning and explore the alternatives. It certainly worked for Joni Mitchell, and countless other legendary musicians have used open tunings as a creative jumping off point. The Gibson App features a series on getting Joni’s favorite chord voicings under your belt using Open D tuning, and you can sample it for free here.
10: Quick and easy chord changes—master Am, Em, and G transitions with this Gibson App video
Here, guitar teacher Irene Ketikidi demonstrates a simple chord sequence—A minor, E minor, and G major—and reveals clever methods to make the changes feel effortless. She draws attention to how your middle and ring fingers maintain a kind of partnership as you move from Am to Em, a subtle but powerful insight that can stabilize your transitions.
As a beginner, pay attention to what changes and what stays the same as you play chord progressions. This will help you conserve movement and gain mastery of the guitar.
11: Easy acoustic guitar songs for beginners: Start strumming today
Setting realistic goals is like giving yourself a warm musical hug, helping you build confidence without feeling overwhelmed. Sure, those epic, show-stopping tunes are worth aiming for someday, but right now, it’s perfectly fine to strum your way through simpler songs that fit your current skill level. And honestly, most people go to shows for the songs, not the solos.
In this article, we’ve gathered a buffet of accessible guitar tunes spanning different decades and genres, all just waiting to jump off the screen and into your fingertips. Pick your favorites, start playing now, and remember: don’t quit and keep smiling!
Explore the world of the Gibson App today and start your free trial on iOS and Android devices.
