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If you want to learn to play the guitar quickly, you need to build a solid foundation. I’m serious, it may seem tedious, but this is truly the fastest way to learn to play the guitar. The first thing you must learn is guitar tuning. If you try to learn to play with your guitar not in tune, you will either never be able to get the right sound, or you will totally train your ear to not recognize the right sound.

While you are there, you may as well pick up a chart that shows all the notes on the guitar. Now with your guitar tuned, and your chart by your side, you’re ready to begin learning. Start by memorizing the notes, all the way up the neck. If you find this super boring, you can do this while you watch TV. The important part at this point is the fingering of the notes, not the actual playing of them. Memorize those notes.

Once you learn the notes all the way up the neck, you can start practicing your chord positions. I know you’ve already skipped ahead to this part, but now you can devote some more time to it. Four easy chords to play are G, D, A and A7. For all illustrations here, and most tablature you will find, your fingers are numbered thus, index finger is 1, middle finger is 2, ring finger is 3 and baby finger is 4. So now, to play the G chord, simply place finger 3 on the top string in the third fret, finger 2 on the next string down in the second fret, and finger 4 on the bottom string in the third fret. Now holding pressure on those strings, strum the guitar and you’re playing G.

The D chord is played using the bottom three strings. The high E string is played in the second fret with the middle finger, the B string, next one up, is played at the third fret with the ring finger, and the G string, next one up, is played also in the second fret with the index finger. This is the D chord.

The A chord is extremely simple, the bottom string is played open, this means no fingers on it, and the next three strings up are all played in the second fret. It is best to use this order for your fingers. Starting with the bottom, which in this case is the second string from the bottom, place your fingers in this order, 3, 1 and 2. That is the A chord. Now the reason I recommend that order, is that if you lift off finger number 1 you’re now playing A7.

Practice playing these chords and switching around between them. Learn as many chords as you can find the positioning for. The more chords you learn, the more your flexibility will increase.

Now time to add another element to your learning. Remember when you memorized all those notes on the guitar. Well now you get to use them for something. Pick a note, and then try and sing that note. Move around and use different notes, and don’t worry it will get easier with practice. Alternate between the notes/singing and the chords.

Once you can play a note, then sing it, you can try reversing the order. Sing it, then pick it. Then listen to some of your music and try playing along, and guess what. You have managed to learn to play the guitar quickly.

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