Guitar

Start with chords if you want to play songs this month. Start with theory or the fretboard if you already play and have hit the ceiling that comes from not knowing what you are doing.

Getting started

• First guitar lessons — What to cover in your first month.
• Beginner guitar chords — Eight open chords, in the order that gets you playing.

Theory on the fretboard

• Music theory for guitar — Why the fretboard makes theory visual.
• Circle of fifths for guitar — The circle as an adjacent-string shape.
• Fretboard memorization — Every note on the neck, without rote drilling.

Reading

• Reading guitar notation — Standard notation, tab, and chord charts compared.