Getting Started On Guitar

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 20:49:25 GMT

I want to learn guitar. where do i start?

There's a gazillion resources online these days; a tip for everything. It begs the question – where do I start? It can be overwhelming. It's fantastic if you just need to know one specific thing, like an endless encyclopedia you can dip in and out of. Thing is, learning guitar doesn't work like that. It's about good habits, nuances, stepping stones.

If you just jump in at a totally random point, you're going to leave gaps in your knowledge. You could end up with bad habits that may restrict you and cause you to hit walls further down the line. You might know how to play "Voodoo Child" with your teeth, but then you turn up to a jam night and feel like an amateur because you don't know how to play a 12 barre blues in A. Worse yet you probably don't even know how to play an A chord or what and where an A even is. There's a difference between learning a song and learning the guitar. It's like the difference between learning how to ask for the tip on holiday (not knowing what the words actually mean) and actually learning the language.

"There's a difference between learning a song and learning the guitar"

Operating this way also makes you more likely to create shortcuts, as the many hurdles on guitar can be frustrating. The thing is, those challenges are what makes life easier in the long run. You need to have the foresight to make your life harder to begin with, to make it easier in the end. I've seen it a million times, you'll choose the easy option and then kick yourself later when you realise why everyone says you should do it like this.

I may be biased, but clearly this is all good reason to get a teacher.

So yeah, no 1 thing to do to get started is get a teacher �� https://www.huwedwards.co.uk/ ��

However, that's not the purpose of this blog post. Here I want to offer a few pointers on what to do once you've got your guitar locked and loaded.

What are the basics of learning guitar?

Strings, frets, fingers...

Strings ��

Learn the notes the strings are tuned to in standard tuning (I'll discuss actual tuning in a separate post).

Top E
B

Bottom E

Bottom E is the one closest to your head when holding the guitar. Top E is the one closest to the floor when holding the guitar. Yes it doesn't make sense in terms of "location" but it's to do with pitch. Top E is higher in pitch. Bottom E is lower in pitch. That can a source of confusion so get it nailed early.

There's a rhyme: E ddie A te D ynamite G ood B ye E ddie

Use the rhyme to get started but use it to lose it i.e. get to the point where you simply recognise the D string as the D string. It looks like a D string like a dog looks like a dog.

Frets ��

Learn what the frets are i.e. the metal bars on the neck of the guitar. For instance, fret number 2 is the space between the first and second metal bar on the neck from the direction of the headstock (where the tuning pegs are). Fret number 3 is the space between the second and third metal bar and so on.

E|---|---|---|---|---|

B|---|---|---|---|---|

G|---|---|---|---|---|

D|---|---|---|---|---|

A|---|---|---|---|---|

E|---|---|---|---|---|

1 2 3 4 5

Fingers ��️

Finally, it may seem obvious but confirm which finger is which. You've got index (1); middle (2); ring (3) and pinky (4) ��

Trust me, all this will save you a lot of time and confusion when it comes to learning your first chords. Speaking of chords, this brings me to our next step...

What are the first chords guitarists learn?

The answer is open chords (foundational chords with open strings in them). Start with your primary majors (E, A, D, G & C) and minors (Em, Am, Dm) and go from there. This is every guitarist's foundation, whatever genre you may end up specialising in. Get yourself a chord book. I would recommend JustinGuitar Beginner's Songbook:

https://www.justinguitar.com/store/beginner-songbook-1

This book works great because each new stage gives you a set of new chords with ten or so popular songs to learn that use only those chords or chords from previous stages. For example, stage 1 has E, A & D and with that you can already learn "Hound Dog", "Three Little Birds", "I Walk The Line" and more.

At this point it's really about quantity over quality. You just want to hammer through as many songs as you can. There's no point learning one song for months until it's perfect. You won't make it that far because you'll be fed up. Use each new song as an opportunity to exercise strumming patterns and chord changes, cutting down the hesitation as much you think you can at that moment in time before moving onto the next song. It's the process of picking up new chord progressions and strumming patterns that you want to get good at, not the first song in the book. Think of each song as a practice for the next one. Maybe after the entire book, you might finally be landing those chords bang on time, with perfect precision. But you need the book to get there, so don't get too frustrated if it's not perfect.

And there you have it. Learn the ultimate basics (strings, frets and fingers), get a chord book and get playing. I'll be back soon with specifics on the nuances of strumming patterns and open chords.

Until then, many thanks!

Huw ��

Guitar teacher's advice for buying a guitar in Leeds

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 19:19:30 GMT

Leeds guitar teacher shares the essential tips you need before buying a guitar ��

Hey guys!

I get a lot of new students asking me for advice on buying guitars in Leeds. My advice has always been to go to a shop . Don't buy online. Going to a guitar shop is one of the most exciting things you can do as a guitarist. The whole day out (when you know you've got money to burn) is something you want to experience. This is not something you do in one click on Amazon. You need to pick guitars up, try them out, see them in the flesh. You might see one online and think "that's the one!" but then when you get the shop you realise the one you didn't think you wanted pops the most in real life. It's also about the feel, the sound, the smell. Everything. They'll be a guitar that'll gravitate to you when you pick it up. You'll just get a feeling. The wand chooses the wizard. It'll just fit you, your style, your hands. Harry Potter wouldn't just order his wand online without trying it out first. Nor should you buy a guitar online. Whether it's your first or your hundredth.

Plus the shopkeeper will be able to help guide you through everything i.e. show you the different starter packs where you can double up with an amp plus all the extra bits i.e. cables, plectrums etc. All of your questions will be answered in the shop!

The problem in Leeds now is the big guitar shop I used to send everyone to for new electric guitars, PMT, is now closed. You still have Hobgoblin Music on the Headrow in Leeds City Centre. They specialise in acoustics and classicals so if that's what you're going for then I highly recommend you pay them a visit. You also have Northern Guitars on Call Lane which is awesome for second hand stuff if you're interested in that. Sadly now the nearest and best place to shop for a hefty new electric guitar range near Leeds is Gear For Music in York. It may be a forty five minute drive (not that much tbh) but the trip is worth it. They have an insane amount of guitars. The image at the top of this blog post is their showroom. The trip is worth it, trust me.

If you're serious about wanting to learn, then I can't stress enough you should be happy to make the journey to any of the above shops I've mentioned. If you're not and just want the first one you see in the click of a button, then maybe you're not really serious about learning the guitar?

Finally, if you really are right at the beginning, you may be thinking – "do I go electric or acoustic"? The basic foundations are the same for both and many guitarists I know (at least in this country) started out on a cheap nylon string classical style guitar (probably one that their school got for free and had tucked away in the back of the music storeroom). So if you're unsure, getting one of those is a safe bet and then you have some more time to figure out which way you want to go after that. If you know deep within your heart you just want to rock out, by all means get the electric guitar starter kit. If you want to go fingerstyle like Bob Dylan, try out the acoustics! But the nylon stringers are super fun to play and it doesn't make sense spending a load on an instrument before you've really had time to sit down with one to see how you go. If after six months to a year you're still absolutely loving it and have a hunger for more, maybe then you go and get yourself your first electric or acoustic. Or both! Or you stay classical.

Hope that helps. Drop me a line if you want any more tips.

Huw ��

Leeds Guitar Teacher Blog