Arts >> Music >> Music Basics

Free Do it Yourself Guitar Lessons for Kids

The best sources of free guitar lessons for kids are online teaching websites that offer free videos. Vital information such as how to hold the guitar and tune it correctly can be watched repeatedly. Basic chords and song forms are explained thoroughly. By memorizing these away from the computer and later re-watching the lessons, a young student will have learned all she needs to begin playing the guitar--for free.
  1. Learn About the Guitar

    • Visit the Jam Play website and click on the link entitled "Kids Acoustic Lesson." Ensure that the volume control on your computer is turned up. Watch the video to learn the best method to hold the guitar, the type of guitar you should use depending on your age and size, and whether you should begin with an electric or acoustic guitar.

    Tune Your Guitar

    • Visit the Little Kids Rock website. Begin by clicking on the link entitled "Guitar Lessons." Click on the link "Tuning The Guitar." Watch the video and tune each of the guitar strings to the video. Tune the guitar using the traditional "fifth fret" method or use an electronic tuner; both methods are explained in the video.

    Learn a D Chord

    • Still on the Little Kids Rock website, click on the link "D chord." Watch the video and follow the onscreen instructions to play a D chord. Ensure that you use the correct fingers of the right hand on each string and refer to the smaller window for the correct technique with which to strum the chord with the left hand. Replay the video until your chord sounds clean and rings out as it does in the video. Count along with the instructor.

    Learn More Chords and Play Songs

    • Continuing on the Little Kids Rock website, click on the links "A chord" and "E chord." Watch the videos to learn the chords. Click on the link "D/A jam" and learn how to switch between two chords, which is the basis for playing songs. Scroll down from the menu on the left for more links to videos that will teach you more chords and how to play different styles of songs, such as blues or reggae.

    Memorize Chords and Songs

    • Memorize the chords and songs you learn from the videos. Play through the chords one at a time saying the name of each chord out loud. Away from the computer, play through the different songs such as "D/A jam," "A/D/E Reggae," and "Blues Shuffle" from memory. Revisit the lessons and ensure that you are playing everything correctly. Experiment with playing the chords you have learned in a different order.

Music Basics

Related Categories