WELCOME TO THE 31 DAY BEGINNER GUITAR COURSE
Hi, my name is James, and welcome to the free first 31 days of playing guitar.
This course is designed to get you playing real music as quickly as possible, while also building solid foundations that will last you a lifetime. There’s a lot packed into these 31 days, so I’d strongly recommend committing a little time each day to work through the lessons.
If life is busy (and it usually is), don’t worry — you can absolutely spread the course out over a couple of months. But if you’re up for the challenge, make the most of your evenings, stay consistent, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you progress.
Whether you’ve never touched a guitar before, or you’ve dabbled a little and want to start properly, this course is for you.
What You’ll Need for This Course
Before we begin, make sure you have the following:
A guitar – electric or acoustic is absolutely fine.
A tuner – it’s essential that your guitar is in tune.
You can use tuning apps like GuitarTuna or Boss Tuner on your phone, or a clip-on tuner. I also have a video in the Essential Guitar Lessons Course.
A capo – available from your local music shop or online.
A pick (also called a plectrum) – we’ll be using this from day one.
Getting Comfortable with the Guitar
Before playing anything, we’ll look at the basics:
How to hold the guitar correctly (electric or acoustic)
How to hold the pick
Basic picking technique so each note sounds clean and controlled
These small details make a huge difference, so take your time and make sure everything feels comfortable.
Your First Riff: Seven Nation Army
You’ll start straight away by learning your first guitar riff — Seven Nation Army.
We’ll begin by learning the notes using fret numbers, focusing on accuracy and timing. Play the riff a few times until it starts to feel comfortable, then we’ll talk about how it fits with the original song and how to play along with it.
Reading Guitar Tab
Next, you’ll be introduced to guitar tab (tablature).
You’ll learn how to read tab and how it shows you:
Which string to play
Which fret to press
The order of the notes
Make sure you download the tabs as you go along and spend some time getting used to reading it alongside the video. You can also head to the downloads page to get each tab at any time.
How to Practice Effectively
Slow the song down on YouTube and practise at a comfortable speed
Start slowly, then gradually speed up
Play the riff repeatedly to build muscle memory
Try to memorise the part rather than relying on the tab forever
Consistency is more important than speed — slow, focused practice always wins.