Your First Year on Guitar
A graded route through chords, rhythm, and theory, without the plateau.
Free to watch. Starting adds a personal copy to My Learning with progress tracking and a curated-path certificate on completion.
About this path
Most people quit guitar in month three, when the beginner videos run out and nothing connects. This path follows a graded syllabus through the first-year material, adds the theory module that explains why the shapes work, gives you a practice system rather than a playlist, and hands you the opening of grade two so there is somewhere to go next.
What you'll learn
- Play open and barre chords cleanly and change between them in time
- Keep steady rhythm with several strumming patterns
- Explain why a chord progression works, using keys and intervals
- Practise deliberately with a structured routine
- Move into grade two material without a plateau
The path, module by module
Each step is lifted from a full course in our catalog, and where a course repeats itself we keep only the lessons that earn their place.
Module 1 · from Beginner Guitar Course (Grade 1)
Tuning, Holding, and First Chords
Holding, tuning, and first chords, from a graded syllabus rather than a random tutorial.
8 lessons · 44m
Welcome! JustinGuitar Beginner Course · JustinGuitar Beginner Course Grade 1 Introduction · How to Tune Your Guitar For Beginners
Module 2 · from Beginner Guitar Course (Grade 1)
Rhythm and Chord Changes
Chord changes and rhythm. The month-three wall, addressed directly.
8 lessons · 44m
JustinGuitar Lesson 1 Practice Routine | Guitar for Beginners · My Practice Assistant: Track Your Progress for FREE | Guitar for Beginners · Ready to Move On From Lesson 1 Practice Routine? Guitar for Beginners
Module 3 · from Beginner Guitar Course (Grade 1)
Up Strums, Am, and Your First Songs
Barre chords and the movable shapes that unlock the rest of the neck.
8 lessons · 43m
How to Play the Am Chord | Guitar for Beginners · Holding the Guitar with Your Fretting Hand? | Guitar for Beginners · Strumming: How to Practice Counting the Beats | Guitar for Beginners
Module 4 · from Learn Music Theory from Scratch
Chords and the Circle of Fifths
Keys, intervals, and progressions. Why the shapes you just learned sound right together.
8 lessons · 2h 10m
#9 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY · #10 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY · #11 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY
Module 5 · from Beginner Guitar Course (Grade 1)
Practice System & Songbook
A practice system and songbook. Structure is what separates a year of playing from a year of noodling.
2 lessons · 4m
How to Practice (So You Improve) · First Chords & Songs
Module 6 · from Intermediate Guitar Course (Grade 2)
Grade 2: Your First Scale
The start of grade two, so the path ends pointing somewhere rather than stopping.
8 lessons · 1h 2m
JustinGuitar Beginner Course Grade 2 Introduction · Welcome to Module 8: Your First Scale, Pick Tricks & 8th Note Strumming · 9 Fancy Guitar Chords All Beginner Should Know