Instrument

Guitar

Six strings at the centre of the campfire.

More songs have been written on the guitar than on any other instrument. It sits at the centre of the campfire, the living room, the worship band, and the open mic. It's also the instrument that rewards patience the most: the first few weeks are physically demanding, your fingertips will hurt, your hand will cramp. Everyone goes through that. The vocabulary of chords you build on the other side of those weeks will serve you for the rest of your life.

What's special about the guitar

  • Six strings tuned E A D G B E gives you a huge melodic range — bass notes and melody both fit under one hand.
  • You can carry it anywhere. Acoustic, unplugged, on your lap, around the fire.
  • The capo is a friend you'll meet in Phase 5 — it lets you change the key without learning new chord shapes.
The Path

Your starter path, phase by phase.

1. Orientation

  1. Meet Your Guitar 7 min
  2. Holding the Guitar 8 min
  3. Tuning Your Guitar 10 min
  4. The Practice Mindset 6 min

2. First Sounds

  1. Strings by Name 5 min
  2. Making a Clean Note 8 min
  3. Pressure, Release, Breath 7 min
  4. Reading a Chord Diagram 8 min
  5. Your First Chord: E Minor 10 min

3. Rhythm

  1. The Pulse 6 min
  2. Quarter Notes, Eighths, and the "&" 8 min
  3. Your First Strum 8 min
  4. Down-Up: The Strumming Pattern 9 min
  5. Playing In Time 10 min

4. Chord Vocabulary

  1. Am — Your Second Chord 8 min
  2. Em to Am — Your First Transition 9 min
  3. D — The Triangle Shape 8 min
  4. Em-Am-D — Your First Progression 10 min
  5. G — The Full Six-String Chord 9 min
  6. Em to G — Closing the Gap 9 min
  7. C and Dm — Two More Shapes 10 min
  8. Em-C-G-D — Your First Four-Chord Song 12 min

5. Repertoire

  1. Amazing Grace 12 min
  2. Horse With No Name 10 min
  3. Knockin' on Heaven's Door 12 min
  4. 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord) 12 min
  5. Your First Song 15 min
Free The Music · Mentorship

Walk your music path with a mentor beside you

These lessons are free because they're a doorway, not a destination. When you're ready for a real human in your corner — someone watching what you're working on and offering the next honest step — that's FTM mentorship. One membership, the whole village.

  • 1:1 mentorship — with Matteo or Katrina — voice, songwriting, and instrument craft
  • Free The Music Ministry community — weekly themed calls (Voice · Technical · Songwriting · Abundant Artistry) + Open Mic Lounge nights
  • Full course library — every replay, every assignment, every framework
  • FTM instrument lessons — the path you're on right now, with progress tracking and feedback
  • 20% off all FTM festivals — we honor our ministry members at every gathering we host
  • Production sessions with Matteo — for when you're ready to record something real
Apply for mentorship → $150 / month · donation-based

Start with a 30-min intro conversation — no pressure, no sales, just a real chat about your music. Already know FTM is for you? Join the community directly →

Chord Reference

Every chord you’ll ever need.

Two ways to use the Guitar chord library. By Key shows the seven diatonic chords that belong together — what you actually need when you’re writing or playing a song in a key. Full Range is the complete twelve roots × every quality grid for reference. Either tab can be downloaded as its own PDF.

Free The Music

Guitar Chord Chart

Diatonic chords for every key · I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°

I
ii
iii
IV
V
vi
vii°
C
Db
D
Eb
E
F
Gb
G
Ab
A
Bb
B

Want to take your guitar playing further?

Learn the guitar methodically with Free The Music — a five-phase starter path, interactive lessons, and mentorship from a working musician.

freethemusic.life/learn/instruments/guitar

© Free The Music  ·  freethemusic.life  ·  Print and share freely.

← All instruments