ChangeYourStrings

Guitar lessons

A free, connected curriculum, one concept per lesson, in order, from the absolute basics up. Taught by Fret. Start at Lesson 01 and work down.

Foundations

  1. 01your guitar, tuning, and your first four chordsLesson 1 is the whole foundation. Michael Angelo Batio names every part of the electric guitar, tunes it to standard pitch (always tuning up, never down), then teaches four chords using only the top four strings: G, G7, C, and D7. Learn the parts, tune up, then play the G, G7, C, D7, G progression slowly until every string rings.
  2. 02how to hold the guitarSit up straight with the guitar's waist on your strong-side thigh, its body against your chest, and the neck angled slightly up. Keep your fretting-hand thumb behind the neck, not gripping over the top. Relax your shoulders. Good posture is what lets both hands move freely and stay pain free.
  3. 03reading a chord diagramA chord diagram is a picture of the fretboard stood upright. The six vertical lines are strings, low E on the left to high e on the right. Horizontal lines are frets. A dot shows where to press, the number says which finger, O means play open, and X means do not play that string.
  4. 04your first chord (Em)E minor is the friendliest first chord. Put your middle finger on the A string at the 2nd fret and your ring finger on the D string at the 2nd fret. Leave the other four strings open. Strum all six. Two fingers, one fret, a full and slightly moody chord.
  5. 05your second chord (A) and switchingA major uses three fingers, all at the 2nd fret, on the D, G, and B strings. Strum from the open A string down, and skip the low E. Then practice switching between Em and A. Both live at the 2nd fret, so your hand barely moves. Switching is the real skill.
  6. 06downstrokes and upstrokes, with Michael Angelo BatioA downstroke drags the pick toward the floor. An upstroke lifts it back toward the ceiling. Michael Angelo Batio drills each stroke on its own so they sound equally strong and even. Downstrokes give power, upstrokes add speed. Keep the motion small, stay relaxed, and let a metronome hold the pace.
  7. 07alternate picking, with Michael Angelo BatioAlternate picking means strict down, up, down, up, never two strokes the same way in a row. After a downstroke the pick is already below the string, so the upstroke costs nothing extra. Michael Angelo Batio builds all of his speed on this. Start slow with a metronome and keep every stroke even.
  8. 08the circle of fifths, with Michael Angelo BatioThe circle of fifths arranges all twelve keys in a wheel. Move clockwise and each step jumps up a perfect fifth: C, G, D, A, E, B, and on around. Neighbors share almost every note, so chords that sit side by side sound good together. It is the map behind most chord progressions.
  9. 10the notes in standard tuning, with Michael Angelo BatioIn standard tuning the six open strings, from the thickest to the thinnest, are E, A, D, G, B, and E. The lowest and highest strings are both E, two octaves apart. Michael Angelo Batio drills these names so you always know which string is which, which is the first step to finding any note on the neck.

Developing

  1. 09the blues scale, with Michael Angelo BatioThe blues scale is the minor pentatonic with one extra note added: the flat five, called the blue note. In A that gives you A, C, D, Eb, E, G. Michael Angelo Batio teaches it as a single box shape at the fifth fret. Play it slowly, lean on the blue note, and you have the core sound of rock and blues lead guitar.
  2. 11the finger position exercise, with Michael Angelo BatioA finger position exercise trains one finger per fret: index on the first fret, middle on the second, ring on the third, pinky on the fourth. Keep your hand planted and walk 1, 2, 3, 4 across every string. Michael Angelo Batio uses it to build fretboard confidence and clean speed.