Your First Electric Guitar Lesson

If you’re brand new to electric guitar, welcome! I started my own guitar journey on electric, so I’m excited to share some of my favorite tips with you. This lesson is designed to help you hit the ground running with your very first riff, rhythm pattern, and melody – the three essential skills every electric guitarist uses whether you’re jamming, writing, or just playing for fun.

Step 1: Learn Your First Riff (Smoke on the Water)

Yes, it’s the classic beginner riff – Smoke on the Water. It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s popular for a reason: it teaches hand positioning, picking, and how to use frets effectively.

Here’s how to do it:

• Pick Grip: I hold my pick between the thumb and index finger, making a circle motion when I pluck the string.
• D String Focus: Start by plucking the open D string (third thickest).
• Fret Positions:
  • Open D string = 0
  • 3rd fret = index finger
  • 5th fret = ring finger

Your first riff is: 0 - 3 - 5

Then, in the video tutorial at the top of this page, I show you how to play it more smoothly by keeping your index finger down and adding your ring finger to the 5th fret. This teaches hand efficiency and prepares you for tons of other riffs.

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Step 2: Learn Rhythm with Power Chords

While solos are fun, most of the time you’ll be playing rhythm – and that’s where power chords come in. They’re the backbone of countless songs.

Power Chord Shape:

• Index on the 3rd fret of the low E
• Ring finger on the 5th fret of the A string
• Pinky on the 5th fret of the D string

Keep your thumb behind the neck for support and push your knuckles forward to give your fingers more reach.

Strumming:

• Focus on the two thickest strings
• Use downstrokes
• Count: One and two and three and four and…

Then we move the shape around the neck, like in Only In Dreams by Weezer, and I show you how to mute unwanted strings for cleaner sound.

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Step 3: Explore Melody Playing

If you’re like me, solos and melodies are what drew you to electric guitar in the first place. Let’s get you started!

Try This Simple Exercise:

• Index on 8th fret of the high E string
• Ring on 10th fret
• Alternate between them, keeping your index finger down
• Do the same thing on the B string

This helps you get used to higher frets and thinner strings. From there, you can try:

• Playing along to a backing track
• Figuring out a melody by ear (Come Together is a great place to start)

Don’t be afraid to hit wrong notes. Just like juggling, it takes trial and error before it clicks.

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Tabs & Technique Support

Throughout the lesson, I walk you through how to read guitar TAB so you can start learning your favorite riffs right away. There’s also a handy string name mnemonic:
Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie
(Thickest to thinnest: E A D G B E)

Plus, I show you how to wear a strap properly – even when sitting – to avoid wrist strain and help you play with ease.

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Want to Go Deeper?

If you’re ready to take the next step, I have a full course called The Complete Lead Guitarist. It’s a start-to-finish electric guitar journey packed with:

• Step-by-step video lessons
• A full workbook
• Backing tracks
• And more

👉 Click here to check it out and start building real electric guitar skills.

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Thanks for learning with me today. Subscribe on YouTube so you don’t miss more lessons, and keep at it – every riff, chord, and melody gets you closer to becoming the player you want to be.

Rock on,
James