Learning to play the guitar

10 Guitar Songs Every Beginner Should Learn

2026-10-04T09:42:51+01:00

Learning complete songs is one of the most rewarding parts of learning the guitar. Beginners often spend much of their early practice time working on chords, scales and technical exercises, but songs reveal how those skills actually come together in real music. The best beginner songs do not necessarily have to be the easiest songs imaginable. Ideally, they should introduce useful techniques without demanding too many new skills at once. A balanced selection might include open chords, simple riffs, steady strumming, chord changes and basic rhythmic patterns. Familiar songs are especially useful because you already have a sense of how the [...]

10 Guitar Songs Every Beginner Should Learn2026-10-04T09:42:51+01:00

The Role of Touch in Acoustic Guitar Tone

2026-09-25T14:43:34+01:00

Acoustic guitar tone is often discussed in terms of wood, strings, body shape and construction. All of these matter, but they are only part of the picture. The player’s touch has an equally important influence on sound. Two guitarists can play the same instrument, with the same strings, in the same room, and still produce noticeably different tones. One may sound warm and rounded, while the other sounds bright, direct or percussive. The difference often comes from how the strings are approached, struck and released. Understanding the role of touch in acoustic guitar tone can help players develop greater control, musical [...]

The Role of Touch in Acoustic Guitar Tone2026-09-25T14:43:34+01:00

Fretboard Mapping for Adult Guitar Learners

2026-08-25T12:43:16+01:00

Learning the guitar fretboard can feel overwhelming at first, with six strings, repeated notes and multiple playing positions to navigate. Many adult learners become comfortable with chord shapes and scales but still struggle to locate notes confidently across the neck. This article explores fretboard mapping for adult guitar learners as a structured way to understand how notes and patterns connect across the neck. Rather than memorising the entire fretboard at once, you gradually build a clearer mental picture of the instrument. With time, the neck begins to feel more logical, connected and easier to navigate. Understand What Fretboard Mapping Really Means [...]

Fretboard Mapping for Adult Guitar Learners2026-08-25T12:43:16+01:00

How to Use Simple Theory to Learn Songs More Efficiently on Guitar

2026-04-29T14:42:15+01:00

Many guitarists learn songs by repeating shapes and sections without always understanding how the music fits together. As a result, each new piece can feel like starting again from the beginning. Understanding how to use simple theory to learn songs more efficiently on guitar becomes far more effective once you begin to recognise patterns, chord movement, and simple musical relationships. Even a modest understanding of theory can make learning feel clearer, quicker, and more secure. At the London Guitar Institute, we often see how this kind of understanding helps adult learners absorb songs more easily and remember them with greater confidence. [...]

How to Use Simple Theory to Learn Songs More Efficiently on Guitar2026-04-29T14:42:15+01:00

What to Expect in Your First Three Months of Guitar Lessons

2026-04-16T16:18:49+01:00

Beginning guitar lessons is an exciting step. Whether you have been thinking about learning for years or have only recently decided to begin, read this article to know well what to expect in your first three months of guitar lessons. This early stage is not about becoming advanced overnight. It is about building the right foundations, developing confidence, and starting to enjoy the instrument in a meaningful and lasting way. At the London Guitar Institute, we often find that adult learners arrive with a mixture of enthusiasm and uncertainty. Many are eager to play, but are unsure what lessons will actually [...]

What to Expect in Your First Three Months of Guitar Lessons2026-04-16T16:18:49+01:00

Strumming Hand VS. Fretting Hand – Which is More Important?

2024-04-16T13:16:38+01:00

We need both hands to play the guitar, but which is more important? We need to make all of the chords with our fretting hand, but they won’t make much sound without the strumming hand! So which one is more important?Strumming hand vs. fretting hand - which is more important?Role of the fretting handWhen we first start learning the guitar, a lot of thought is given to the fretting hand.This will be important as we are constantly thinking about which strings and frets each finger needs to be on for both riffs and chords, as well as which fingers should be [...]

Strumming Hand VS. Fretting Hand – Which is More Important?2024-04-16T13:16:38+01:00

How Playing Along to Songs will Make You a Better Musician

2024-04-16T13:06:27+01:00

Not only is jamming along to your favourite songs at home a whole lot of fun, it is also a great pathway to becoming a better musician! This will improve your ability to stay in time, your dynamic sensibilities, awareness of the vocals, and your overall musicianship. How playing along to songs will make you a better musician Staying in time One of the major skills that you are going to develop from playing along to songs is the ability to stay in time, which is something you aren’t tested on as much when you are playing by yourself solo. You [...]

How Playing Along to Songs will Make You a Better Musician2024-04-16T13:06:27+01:00

How to Learn Songs by Ear on the Guitar

2024-03-06T08:43:43+00:00

Listen to the bass! Learning songs by ear is a lot of fun, and a skill that will come in extremely handy for you both at home for your own enjoyment and in jam sessions/rehearsals when you need to be able to pick things up quickly without TAB’s or sheet music. When starting off on your ear training journey, keep things simple and try to learn a simple four-chord-song that will have pretty straightforward information for you to transcribe. Let’s take “With Or Without You” by U2 as our first example. This will use the same four chords the entire way [...]

How to Learn Songs by Ear on the Guitar2024-03-06T08:43:43+00:00

Should I Complete Grades On Guitar?

2023-05-08T13:45:47+01:00

Preface A question that I often get asked by students and parents of school aged students is should I/my child complete grades on the guitar? It’s a great question with no clear answer; this will very much depend on the student and what their goals on the guitar will be. If you are not familiar, many different companies will have a series of books designed to teach students the fundamentals of playing an instrument, requiring them to play several pieces as well as also scales and technical exercises. These come in different grades, usually starting at a Debut or Initial grade [...]

Should I Complete Grades On Guitar?2023-05-08T13:45:47+01:00

The Role Of Funk Guitar

2023-04-05T12:21:30+01:00

Less Is More When we’re talking about funk guitar or just funk in general, less is more is the mindset that we need to approach it with. Funk is all about the space between the notes, rather than the notes themselves. In fact, what usually makes up a funk song is rather simple. Unlike other musical styles, funk is often centred around one or two chords, usually one chord per section of a song, meaning it is much more rhythmically driven rather than harmonically. When we think of funk we often think of one artist in particular, that artist of course [...]

The Role Of Funk Guitar2023-04-05T12:21:30+01:00
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