Beginner Guitar for Adults: 30-Day Starter
Welcome! I'm glad you're here.
Every exercise in the book has its own page below, with a slow track and a full-speed track. Pick your day, press play, and strum along. Go at your own pace. There's no rush.
Enjoy the music.
— Andrew
Day 1: Your First Sounds
- Warm-up: Open-string strum page 6
- Chord drill: On and off page 7
- Strum: Four steady downs page 7
Day 2: Easy C and a Groove
- Warm-up: Em review page 8
- Chord drill: Em to C page 8
- Strum: Add one up-strum page 9
- Music: Your first groove page 9
Day 3: G, D and Your First Song
- Warm-up: Em and C page 10
- One-minute change drill page 11
- Song: Amazing Grace (first verse) page 11
- Extra practice: G to D (optional) page 10
Day 4: The Campfire Strum
- Warm-up: Finger stretch page 14
- Chord drill: G, C, D page 14
- Strum: Build the campfire strum page 15
- Song: Yankee Doodle page 15
Day 5: Full D
- Warm-up: Campfire strum on G page 16
- Chord drill: Easy D to full D page 16
- Strum: Waltz strum on D page 17
- Song: Down in the Valley page 17
Day 6: Am
- Warm-up: The spider walk page 18
- Chord drill: Am to Em page 18
- Strum: Campfire strum on Am page 19
- Music: Moody groove page 19
Day 7: Full C and a Song
- Warm-up: Am, C, G page 20
- Chord drill: Easy C to full C page 20
- Strum: G to C with the campfire strum page 21
- Song: Michael, Row the Boat Ashore page 21
Day 8: A and E
- Warm-up: The spider walk page 22
- Chord drill: A to E page 22
- Strum: Four downs, then campfire page 23
- Song: He's Got the Whole World in His Hands page 23
Day 9: The Key of D
- Warm-up: A and E page 24
- Chord drill: D, G, A page 24
- Chord drill: One-minute change drill page 25
- Song: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot page 25
Day 10: Week 1 Song Day
- Warm-up: G, C, D page 26
- Chord drill: G to D page 26
- Strum: Campfire strum, G to D page 27
- Song: Oh! Susanna page 27
Day 11: D7
- Warm-up: Finger stretch page 32
- Chord drill: D to D7 page 32
- Strum: Waltz strum, G to D7 page 33
- Song: Clementine page 33
Day 12: G7 and the Pull to C
- Warm-up: D to D7 page 34
- Chord drill: G7 to C page 34
- Strum: Campfire strum, C to G7 page 35
- Song: Skip to My Lou page 35
Day 13: A7
- Warm-up: G7 to C page 36
- Chord drill: D to A7 page 36
- Strum: Four downs, D to A7 page 37
- Song: Red River Valley page 37
Day 14: E7 and the Bass-Strum
- Warm-up: D to A7 page 38
- Chord drill: A to E7 page 38
- Strum: Bass-strum page 39
- Music: Bass-strum groove page 39
Day 15: Waltz Time
- Warm-up: Bass-strum on G page 40
- Chord drill: G, C, D7 page 40
- Strum: Waltz bass-strum page 41
- Song: Home on the Range page 41
Day 16: A Minor-Key Song
- Warm-up: Em to G page 42
- Chord drill: Em, G, D, Em page 42
- Strum: Campfire strum on Em page 42
- Song: When Johnny Comes Marching Home page 43
Day 17: Week 2 Song Day
- Warm-up: Your one-minute changes page 44
- Chord drill: G to G7 to C page 44
- Strum: Campfire strum, G to D7 page 45
- Song: When the Saints Go Marching In page 45
Day 18: Steady Up and Down
- Warm-up: Finger stretch page 50
- Chord drill: G, A7, D7 page 50
- Strum: Steady eighths page 51
- Song: Aura Lee page 51
Day 19: The Backbeat
- Warm-up: Steady eighths on C page 52
- Chord drill: G, C, D7 page 52
- Strum: The backbeat page 53
- Song: Camptown Races (chorus) page 53
Day 20: Dm
- Warm-up: The spider walk page 54
- Chord drill: Dm to A7 page 54
- Strum: Steady eighths on Dm page 55
- Song: Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho page 55
Day 21: Using a Capo
- Warm-up: Dm to Am page 56
- Chord drill: G, C, D with a capo page 56
- Strum: Waltz strum with a capo page 57
- Song: Amazing Grace, verse 2 (capo 2) page 57
Day 22: Pick and Strum
- Warm-up: Bass-strum on D page 58
- Chord drill: D, G, A7 page 58
- Strum: Pick and strum page 59
- Song: Simple Gifts page 59
Day 23: Your First Fingerpicking
- Warm-up: Find the bass notes page 60
- Chord drill: G, C, G, D7 page 60
- Fingerpicking: Thumb and fingers in 3 page 61
- Song: Silent Night page 61
Day 24: Week 3 Song Day
- Warm-up: Your one-minute changes page 62
- Chord drill: G to C to G to D page 62
- Strum: Waltz bass-strum on G page 63
- Song: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean page 63
Day 25: Clean Endings
- Warm-up: Finger stretch page 68
- Chord drill: Em, Am, D7, G page 68
- Strum: The ring-out ending page 69
- Song: Auld Lang Syne page 69
Day 26: Count-Ins and Intros
- Warm-up: Ring-out endings page 70
- Chord drill: G, D7, C page 70
- Strum: Count-in and intro page 71
- Song: Down by the Riverside page 71
Day 27: Fancier Fingerpicking
- Warm-up: T 1 2 on G page 72
- Chord drill: G, C, A7, D7 page 72
- Strum: Flowing waltz pattern page 73
- Song: Daisy Bell (chorus) page 73
Day 28: Soft Verse, Big Chorus
- Warm-up: Steady eighths on G page 74
- Chord drill: G, C, D7 page 74
- Strum: Soft, then big page 74
- Song: In the Sweet By and By page 75
Day 29: A Holiday Favorite
- Warm-up: A7 to D7 page 76
- Chord drill: G, C, A7, D7 page 76
- Strum: Campfire strum, G to C page 77
- Song: Jingle Bells (chorus) page 77
Day 30: Your Concert
- Warm-up: Your one-minute changes page 78
- Chord drill: Every chord, once page 78
- Strum: Count-in and ending page 79
- Music: Your concert page 79
The guitar is played from recordings of a real acoustic guitar, assembled by computer, not a live performance.