Beginning players often start out in the hardest area of the guitar- open position, where the frets feel miles apart. It’s tough to get clear sound and picture yourself ever making music.

There’s also an early emphasis on chords that require big stretches. Beginners often spend their early days frustrated and struggling with left hand problems.

It’s an unfriendly introduction to a friendly instrument. And it sets up a lot of beginners to fail and quit.

Don’t do the hard things first. I’ll help you get through the early challenges by sneaking up on the instrument- learning easy things that sound good so you don’t quit.

We start higher up the guitar neck, where the frets are closer together and it’s easier to get clear sound.

We focus on the strumming/picking hand instead of the fretting hand while your fingertips toughen up. We develop your picking/strumming skills first to give you easy wins that motivate you to keep going.

We build left-hand skills gradually, starting with smaller chord shapes that are easier to play. We sneak up on full chords by starting smaller, giving you the encouragement that comes from early success.

I’m not suggesting that you skip tough chords, only that you postpone them for a bit and prioritize other skills that give you a faster payoff- like strumming and even simpler fingerstyle patterns.

Think of it like this. The left hand is basically holding stuff down. It’s the right hand that brings the vibe, the groove, and turns that “stuff” to music.

Because you deserve to hear yourself making music sooner, not later! Early wins will inspire you to keep going.