start here — no reading music required
Name the open strings, learn the four campfire chords behind countless songs, then pick out Ode to Joy one note at a time — all by ear, right in the page.
the six open strings — low to high
Played open — no fingers down — the six strings ring out E A D G B e, from the fat low string at the bottom to the thin high one on top. Pluck each one and say its letter.
A classic way to remember them, low to high: Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie. The two outer strings are both E — an octave apart.
easy chords — four that play a thousand songs
A chord is a few strings pressed and strummed together. Pick one to light up its finger positions and hear it ring. The glowing dots are where your fingers press.
a simple tune — Ode to Joy, written out and one note at a time
Single notes in a row make a melody. Here is the tune written out properly — four bars of 4/4. Press play and follow it two ways at once: the note turns brass on the stave, and the fret it lives on glows on the top two strings. Then try to pick it out yourself.
Ode to Joy · 4/4, in C — drawn at the pitch the strings actually sound. (Printed guitar parts usually sit an octave higher on the page, to keep them clear of ledger lines.)