Grasp the essentials needed to begin playing acoustic or electric guitar. You'll learn an easy approach to get you playing quickly, through a combination of exploring the instrument, performance technique, and basic music theory.
Guitar for Beginners
Give your career the gift of Coursera Plus with $160 off, billed annually. Save today.
Guitar for Beginners
This course is part of multiple programs.
Instructor: Thaddeus Hogarth
306,098 already enrolled
Included with 
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8
(2,246 reviews)
22 hours to complete
3 weeks at 7 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
97%
Most learners liked this course
What you'll learn
Identify string names and numbers and read music notation, tablature, chord block diagrams, and fretboard maps
Practice picking, finger picking, and strumming patterns
Play various chords including major and minor triads, open, barre, and pose chords
Read and play a lead sheet
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
Shareable certificate
Add to your LinkedIn profile
Assessments
26 assignments
Taught in English
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
Build your subject-matter expertise
This course is available as part of
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be asked to select a specific program.
- Learn new concepts from industry experts
- Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
- Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
- Earn a shareable career certificate
Earn a career certificate
Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV
Share it on social media and in your performance review
There are 7 modules in this course
Welcome to Guitar for Beginners! Before you begin the course, we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your Berklee massive online course.
What's included
3 readings1 assignment
In this first lesson, we will take things slow. We will focus on how to choose the right guitar for you and what accessories are essential for any guitar player. We'll also learn the parts of the guitar and get you comfortable with your instrument.
What's included
7 videos4 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
In this lesson, you will learn how to tune and you will start playing your instrument from the ground up! Be patient and remember: focus on being accurate and play in consistent time with your metronome. These things are far more important than playing with speed.
What's included
7 videos6 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
While you don’t need to be an expert on music theory to play guitar, it is important to know the basic building blocks of music. With this understanding, music will no longer be shrouded in mystery or complexity. This lesson presents fundamental musical ideas in a fun, non-intimidating way.
What's included
4 videos2 readings5 assignments1 discussion prompt
In this lesson, you will dig into scales. Don’t be intimidated. Some of you may have heard of, or practiced, scales. It might have been during piano lessons. Most likely it wasn’t very exciting for you. Hopefully you'll find the approach to scales in lesson 4 much easier and even fun.
What's included
6 videos3 readings4 assignments1 discussion prompt
In this lesson, you will use all of the skills you’ve gained from the previous lessons to build the foundation of harmony. You will play certain scale notes at the same time to create chords. Let's look at why chords sound like they do, how to build them, how to easily play chords in open position, and how to play chords that you can move all around the neck.
What's included
6 videos1 reading4 assignments1 discussion prompt
Now that you have the "science" of the guitar in your fingers, you will learn a couple of songs. You will do this by using melody (from the scales) and harmony (from the chords) we have learned. You will also learn an essential scale for playing melodies and soloing.
What's included
6 videos1 reading4 assignments1 peer review
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.8 (237 ratings)Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Music and Art
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KAIST)
Coursera Project Network
Why people choose Coursera for their career
Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."
Learner reviews
Showing 3 of 2246
4.8
2,246 reviews
- 5 stars
83.67%
- 4 stars
12.57%
- 3 stars
1.87%
- 2 stars
0.80%
- 1 star
1.07%
Open new doors with Coursera Plus
Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription
Advance your career with an online degree
Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online
Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business
Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy
Frequently asked questions
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.