So you want to learn guitar. Maybe you picked one up at a friend's house and felt something spark. Maybe you've always loved music but never had the time. Maybe your kid is asking for lessons and you want to know what you're signing them up for. Whatever brought you here — welcome. You're in the right place.
I've been teaching guitar, piano, and ukulele to beginners of all ages for over a decade, in both Spanish and English. I've seen the same questions come up again and again from students across the globe. This post is the honest, no-fluff answer to all of them.
Let's get into it.
First: Do you need to learn to read music?
Short answer: no. Not at the beginning.
Most beginner guitar students learn through chord charts and tabs (tablature), which are visual maps showing you exactly where to place your fingers on the strings. You don't need to decode written notation to play your first song — and in many cases, you'll be playing something recognisable within your very first lesson.
That said, learning some basic music theory — what a chord is, what a key means, how rhythms work — will make you a much better musician faster. I teach both the practical (play this song now) and the conceptual (understand why it sounds good) from day one, in a way that's actually enjoyable and never overwhelming.
What guitar should a beginner buy?
This is the question I get most often. Here's my honest take:
• For children (ages 6–10): a half or three-quarter size classical guitar is ideal. The nylon strings are gentler on small fingers and the narrower body is easier to hold.
• For teens and adults: a full-size acoustic guitar in the $100–$250 range is a great starting point. You don't need to spend more at this stage. Brands like Yamaha and Fender make solid beginner instruments.
• Electric guitar: perfectly fine for beginners, especially if rock, blues or pop is your goal. You'll just need a small amp too. Don't let anyone tell you electric is "harder" — it's not.
The most important thing? Make sure it's properly set up (tuned, with the right string height). A poorly set-up guitar will make everything harder than it needs to be, especially for small hands.
How long until you can play a real song?
Most students play their first recognisable song within 1–3 lessons. I'm serious. Whether it's a melody line, a chord progression to a song you love, or a simple riff — we get there fast.
What takes longer is comfort and confidence. Your fingertips will be sore for the first two to three weeks (this is normal — the skin toughens up). Chord changes will feel slow at first. You'll forget the shape of a G chord the moment you look away from your hand.
But here's the thing nobody tells you: everyone goes through this exact phase. Every guitarist you admire had sore fingers and slow chord changes once. It passes faster than you think, especially with consistent practice.
How much should you practice?
Quality beats quantity, always. Here's what I recommend to my beginner students:
• Children: 10–15 minutes per day, 4–5 days a week. Short, focused sessions work better than long, distracted ones.
• Teens and adults: 20–30 minutes per day. Even on busy days, 10 focused minutes beats nothing.
The secret is consistency. Playing for 15 minutes every day will get you further than playing for 2 hours once a week. Your fingers and your brain both need regular repetition to build the muscle memory that makes guitar feel natural.
What about online lessons — do they really work?
Yes. Genuinely, yes — and I say this as someone who has taught hundreds of students online over the past several years.
The key is having a teacher who is engaged, adaptive, and can actually see and hear you clearly. Online lessons let you learn from home on your schedule, often at a lower cost than in-person lessons, without sacrificing the personalised guidance that YouTube tutorials simply cannot give you.
I offer lessons in both English and Spanish, for students from children to adults, and I tailor every lesson to your pace, your goals, and the music you actually love. If you've ever sat through a lesson playing scales you didn't care about — that's not how I teach.
The three mistakes most beginners make
• Skipping the basics to get to "cool" stuff early. A few weeks of strong fundamentals saves you months of bad habits later. Posture, right hand technique, tuning — these matter more than they seem.
• Practicing only what they already know. Practice is supposed to feel slightly uncomfortable. If you can play something perfectly already, you don't need to practice it — you need to move to the next challenge.
• Giving up during the plateau. Progress in guitar isn't linear. There will be weeks where nothing seems to click. Then, suddenly, it does. Every experienced musician has been through it. The ones who kept going are the ones playing guitar today.
Ready to start?
The best time to start learning guitar was ten years ago. The second-best time is right now.
I offer personalized guitar, piano, and ukulele lessons for beginners of all ages — in English and Spanish, fully online, at a time that works for your schedule. My first lesson is a trial session where we figure out your goals, your pace, and what songs you actually want to play.
Book your free trial lesson at lauradcuba.com/contact and let's get started.
— Laura
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About Laura D'Cuba
Laura is a Cuban-born musician, singer-guitarist, and music educator with over 10 years of performance and teaching experience. She teaches guitar, piano, and ukulele to students of all ages worldwide, in both English and Spanish. Visit lauradcuba.com to explore lessons, sheet music, and her entertainment services.