Beginner Guitar Lessons

Welcome to Center Stage Guitar Academy! In this short introduction the instructor will discuss expectations and some tips for using the site.

This lesson covers the parts of the acoustic and electric guitar, tuning, proper right and left hand technique, and a simple exercise to get your fingers moving and practice proper technique.  It is normal to find this exercise difficult at first.  It is OK to move forward with the lessons after practicing this exercise for a few days even if you do not have it mastered.  It is a work in progress.

This lesson covers Left hand positions, reading simple tabliture, and learning some familiar song melodies, applying single note playing.

This lesson covers the Major scale and some basic musical terms

This lesson covers a few familiar tunes that use the major scale. Happy Birthday and When The Saints Go Marching In are used as examples.

In this lesson you will learn two more simple song riffs that use the Major scale. One is in the style of Greenday and the other is a common New Orleans blues riff.

This lesson covers the meaning of Intervals and the second octave of a major scale.

This lesson applies the two octave major scale to The Star Spangled Banner.

This lesson covers power chords in the open position and 12 bar blues chord pattern. Power chords are easy two finger chords prominent in rock and pop music.

This lesson covers movable power chords outside of the open position.

This lesson covers some basic music theory and how to find the notes on the guitar.

This is a song study of Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple

In this lesson we will learn Rolling in the Deep by Adele. This is a great tune for beginners as it uses only power chords.

This lesson introduces the Minor scale and how it relates to the Major Scale.

This lesson will cover the 12 bar blues in further detail with an added finger technique and simple turnaround. A turnaround is a passage at the end of a section which leads to the next section.

This lesson shows you ways to combine power chords and single note riffs similar to ACDC, and ZZ Top. You will also learn a few chord exercises.

This lesson is a song study of Iron Man by Black Sabbath.

This lesson will show you a free online metronome and how to use it in your practice routine.

This lesson will teach you how to apply riffs to the 12 Bar Blues pattern. You will also be working on right hand picking technique.

In this lesson we will do a song study of the classic Cream song Sunshine of Your Love.

In this lesson you will learn the 2nd octave of the minor scale.

This lesson talks about ear training and how to identify the intervals of the Major Scale.

This lesson explores how to play power chords differently using a 4th interval sound.

In this lesson you will learn the proper way to change your guitar strings.

In this lesson you will be introduced to your first open chords. The chords covered in this lesson are G Major and E minor.

This lesson covers the C Major and A minor open chords and the idea of shared fingers among chords.

This lesson will give you a couple exercises that will help you with chord fingerings.

This lesson covers chord charts, chords written in tabliture, and the roman numeral system for chords and how it relates to the Major scale.

In this lesson you will learn a chord progression with the four chords you know thus far and how they relate to the key of G and the G Major scale.

This lesson shows you how to play the open chords A, D, and E major.

This lesson covers the left hand and strumming techniques.

This lesson covers common chord progressions including I, IV, V and I, ii, V progressions.

This lesson will introduce you to a Dominant 7 chord and the B7 chord specifically. It will also take you through a Johnny Cash style chord progression.

This is a super easy 3 chord pop tune using Am, C, and G. Great tune for beginners. There is no real guitar part in the original recording so you are free to be creative.

In this lesson we will be learning the song Knockin On Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan. Very easy tune with a 4 chord progression that repeats for the entire song. None the less a great song!

In this lesson we will study the song "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker and Old Crow Medicine Show

This lesson is a song study of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here

This lesson will cover the D minor open chord and how it can be applied to chord progressions in the key of C.

This lesson will cover the chords of F and B Major and how they relate to different keys.

This lesson is a song study of John Denver's Country Road country classic.

In this lesson we will learn Hey Ho by the Lumineers. Good song for beginners that know open chords.

This lesson covers Major and Relative minor scales and how to connect them. The theory behind it and application are also discussed.

In this lesson we will extend on the 12 bar blues riff we already know and work on a different picking technique with our right hand.

This lesson will discuss the three major chord families and introduce some new dominant 7 open chords. E7, A7, and D7 chords are covered

In this lesson you will learn how to apply dominant 7 chords to the 12 bar blues pattern. We will also cover a way to end the 12 bar blues with a single note riff.

In this lesson we will cover ways to incorporate arpeggios and broken chords into your strumming pattern.

In this lesson we will learn the classic song House of The Rising Sun. This song incorporates arpeggio picking patterns throughout.

In this lesson we will cover more strumming patterns using chords in the key of C. We will also learn a little trick to help you transition from chord to chord more seamlessly.

In this lesson you will learn how to play the major scale in 3rds. This is a great exercise to help with fingering and right hand picking.

In this lesson we will cover the G7 open chord and how V chords function in the harmonic structure of a musical piece.

In this lesson we cover the Bm barre chord and show how you can move the chord up the neck creating many minor chords.

This lesson covers three types of barre chords. Movable major and minor chords are introduced.

This classic tune by The Troggs uses a simple 3 chord progression for the majority of the tune. You will need to know Major Barre chord forms. Great to practice if you are just learning barre chords.

In this lesson we will be learning the classic 3 chord rock n roll tune Louie Louie. This is a great tune to practice your barre chords.

Strumming and rhythm are some of the more difficult concepts to teach and learn. In this lesson we will discuss some tips for improving your rhythm and strumming technique.

In this lesson we will be learning the classic Brown Eyed Girl. This tune is a good song for beginners requiring only a few simple open chords

In this lesson we will be taking a look at how to read a lead sheet. We will use the song Desperado by the Eagles as an example.

In this lesson we will learn how to read a different kind of lead sheet. We will use the song Take it Easy as an example