Starting out playing the acoustic guitar can be tough. Even playing the most basic Bob Dylan track can seem like an impossible task if you haven’t had any formal lessons. This series of lessons aims to teach you all of the skills you need to become an accomplished acoustic guitarist. Not only will you learn the basic skills, you will also become familiar with most types of diagrams used on websites and in instructional books.

The first lesson revolves around chords. Chords are the backbone of acoustic guitar, and familiarizing yourself with them is vital if you are going to learn songs or write some of your own. The lesson introduces the basic open chords and introduces barre chords. It also includes chord diagrams, and explains how to read them.

Click here for Lesson 1: Acoustic Guitar Chords

The second lesson focuses on the strumming patterns used to bring the chords to life. This is often overlooked by beginners, who generally strum the chords in a flat, uninteresting fashion. Learning how different chord progressions can be used in music helps you play more interesting covers and create your own songs.

Click here for Lesson 2: Strumming Patterns

The third lesson moves on to fingerpicking. This is a style of play where your fingers are used to pluck the strings instead of a plectrum. Doing this opens up a variety of options, from creating separate bass and treble parts to spicing up a simple chord progression.

Click here for Lesson 3:  Fingerpicking

Legato techniques are the subject of the fourth lesson. Although these are traditionally the realm of lead electric guitarists, some well-placed legato techniques can add another dimension to your acoustic playing. The lesson explains hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides and gives examples of how they can be used.

Click here for Lesson 4: Legato

Percussive techniques discussed in the fifth lesson can help you create more of a full-band sound with just your acoustic guitar. The lesson shows you how you can drum on the body of your guitar and use percussive strums. These techniques help you create a rudimentary drum beat for your covers and original compositions.

Click here for Lesson 5: Acoustic Percussive Technique

The final lesson focuses on basic songwriting. The prevalence of acoustic guitars in the world of singer-songwriters means that many of you will be interested in creating your own music. This lessons introduces the basic music theory behind composition and shows you how it can be applied.

Click here for Lesson 6: Songwriting