1. Get the guitar settled
Sit where the instrument feels supported and you can reach the neck without gripping it tightly. Your fretting hand makes shapes on the neck; your other hand plucks or strums near the body.
Look along the neck. The metal strips are frets. When an instruction says “second fret”, it usually means placing your fingertip in the space between the first and second metal strips, just behind the second strip.
2. Meet the six strings
In standard tuning, the open-string names run from the thickest string to the thinnest: E, A, D, G, B, E. The thickest E is the low E; the thinnest is the high E. They share a letter name but sound in different octaves.
Pluck one string at a time. Watch which one you touch and listen to the result. This connects the string names to the instrument before you add a chord shape.
3. Check the tuning
Use a suitable tuner and check one string at a time. Make sure the tuner is identifying the string you intend to tune. Turn a tuning peg gently and listen as you go; large, quick movements can overshoot the note.
A chord cannot be judged fairly if the strings are out of tune. If you are unsure which peg belongs to a string, follow that string from the nut to its tuning post before adjusting it.
4. Pick one practical task
A useful first task is forming E minor, then playing its strings separately. Another is learning to read the diagram before trying the shape.
Choose just one. Put the fingers down, check the sound, lift them away and return to the same place. A handful of attentive repetitions is a clear task to finish.
5. Leave yourself a next step
At the end, write a short note such as “find E minor again” or “check the G string rings clearly”. The next practice then begins with an action instead of another decision.
When you want a slightly longer session, try our ten-minute practice routine. Keep the pace comfortable and take breaks when you need them.