Dig it! It's my "First Guitar Lesson"

[Mark Wein]

I'm sharing this here because I was hoping that you guys could share this with anyone that you know who might get a guitar for the holidays and wants to get started but can't afford private lessons or can't see an instructor in person due to the pandemic.

Know someone who wants to take a free "first" guitar lesson? This is designed for the absolute beginner! It is 17 minutes of all of the stuff that I teach students in their very first "in person" lesson and there is a free PDF included with pages from my book "Foundations for Guitar".


These might be good "Follow up" lessons:

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Very cool!

 

[Gary Blanchard]

These are excellent. I rarely used a flat pick in the past, I am going to have to try that way of holding the pick.

 

[Help!I'maRock!]

@Peen Simmons

 

[Gary Blanchard]

I just shared this on my personal and music Facebook pages. I wish I had something like this back in 1966 when I got my first guitar.

 

[Mark Wein]

These are excellent. I rarely used a flat pick in the past, I am going to have to try that way of holding the pick.

Thanks! The important thing to remember is to stay relaxed and banish the tension in your arm while keeping the pick under control with that placement under the thumb and in the crook of the finger.

 

[Gary Blanchard]

Thanks! The important thing to remember is to stay relaxed and banish the tension in your arm while keeping the pick under control with that placement under the thumb and in the crook of the finger.

I did lead guitar on a couple of songs lately and my fingers cramped trying to hold the pick. I'm hoping that hold will help.

 

[Mark Wein]

I think I'm going to try and fill this playlist with stuff like this:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUgRU1ZOJSOIwx0mqLKrl3WONbkyznMRA

 

[Highernoon]

4 : 09 - here you go again, mentioning the obvious things no-one ever bothers to mention.
That's the first time I heard anyone mentions the pick wedged/resting in the crack of the first joint of the index finger when show this way of holding the pick.

 

[rhino]

I don’t think I could play an A like that.

 

[Highernoon]

I don’t think I could play an A like that.

Play an Amaj7 and nudge the index finger a little

 

[rhino]

Play an Amaj7 and nudge the index finger a little

I don’t know. Sounds hard. This guitar thing might not be for me.

 

[Mark Wein]

I don’t know. Sounds hard. This guitar thing might not be for me.

 

[Highernoon]

I don’t know. Sounds hard. This guitar thing might not be for me.

I find it hard to squeeze the fingers in the "usual" way, I think most of the time I just bar strings 4-2 with my index fingers and mute the 1st string.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Play an Amaj7 and nudge the index finger a little

I kinda do that too, and just use the two fingers to cover three strings. Was thinking about trying the triangle shape again, just to see, after watching this.

 

[DinoMikeSr]

I sent a link of your beginner's video to my daughter-in-law. My grandson is doing on line school and she was considering learning some beginning guitar to try and help him learn as one of their activities. You got the grandpa seal of approval. He's a 6 year old ball of fire. So she may learn guitar, but......

 

[rhino]

Play an Amaj7 and nudge the index finger a little

true story

I grabbed a guitar and tried to play an A that way and my brain broke. Thought of it as the way you described and my brain unbroke!

 

[rhino]

I find it hard to squeeze the fingers in the "usual" way, I think most of the time I just bar strings 4-2 with my index fingers and mute the 1st string.

same. I can usually get the 1st string to ring out if I need it too

 

[Chad]

I just tried to hold my pick like that, no way could I play like that. I just tried to play an A chord like that, and that is awesome. Sounded so much cleaner.

 

[Gary Blanchard]

I have been doing the A chord with one finger for 50 years now including having the first string clear. I just can't think of doing the three finger method at all.