Beginning guitar lessons is exciting! Your first lesson may involve trying out different models of guitar – acoustic nylon string (classical), acoustic steel string (folk or dreadnaught), and electric guitar.

Further, the guitar is a scalable instrument, meaning it comes in fractional sizes (half and three-quarter size for smaller bodies). We use “The Elbow Rule” for sizing guitars: if placed standing beside a player, the guitar head is not higher than the elbow, the guitar fits. Almost all guitars are right handed, i.e. the right hand does the strumming. For beginner guitar lessons, most students start from ground zero, so choosing to strum right handed has advantages down the road.

A good first lesson for a should look at the parts of the instrument and explain notation. Previous musical experience should be refreshed to help beginner guitar students. For many, using all four fingers on the fretting hand is a good place to finish the first lesson.

Practising the guitar can be uncomfortable on the fretting hand in the early stages. Stretches and regular practising make a difference. Trimming the nails on the fretting hand is essential.