The 30-Day Guitar Plan: Learn Guitar in a Month
Fifteen to twenty minutes a day. Thirty days. By the end you will play complete songs with eight chords and two strumming patterns. Tick off each day — your progress is saved in this browser.
How the plan works
- Time: 15–20 minutes a day. Short daily sessions work better than long weekend sessions.
- Warm-up (3 min): tune up and play each open string, then stretch your fingers gently.
- Lesson (10 min): the new material for the day.
- Review (5 min): yesterday's material and a one-minute chord change test.
- Missed a day? No problem — pick up where you left off. The plan is a sequence, not a calendar.
- A guitar in tune (online tuner)
- A medium pick
- A metronome (ours is free)
- A notebook for your chord-change scores
The chords you will learn
Your progress
0 / 30 done
Week 1: Foundations
Posture, tuning and your first three chords.
Day 1: Meet your guitar
Learn the parts of the guitar and string names (E A D G B E). Practise the sitting position for 5 minutes. Lesson
Day 2: Tune up and first sounds
Tune with our online tuner. Pick each open string with a pick, slowly, 4 times each. Then play all strings from 6 to 1 and back.
Day 3: Your first chord: Em
Learn Em. Check each string rings. Strum 4 slow down-strums, lift off, place again. Repeat for 10 minutes.
Day 4: Am
Learn Am. Practise Em ↔ Am, 4 strums each. Do a one-minute changes test and write down your score.
Day 5: E major
Learn E. Practise E ↔ Am (same shape!). Test Em ↔ Am again — did your score go up?
Day 6: Steady down-strums
Turn on the metronome at 60 BPM. Strum down on every click with Em, Am, E — 4 strums per chord.
Day 7: Review day
Play through all three chords at 60 BPM. One-minute changes for Em↔Am and E↔Am. Rest your fingers if they are sore.
Week 2: Rhythm and changes
Two more chords and the down-up strumming motion.
Day 8: D major
Learn D, strumming only the top four strings. Practise D with 4 down-strums per bar.
Day 9: A major
Learn A. Practise D ↔ A. One-minute changes test.
Day 10: Down-up strumming
Learn eighth-note strumming: D U D U D U D U, counting "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &". Metronome at 60 BPM. Lesson
Day 11: First progression
Play A – D – E – A, one bar each with down-up strums. This progression powers countless rock and pop songs.
Day 12: Missing strums
Learn the pattern D – D U – U D U. Keep your hand moving on the missed strokes.
Day 13: Speed check
All five chords. One-minute changes for D↔A, A↔E, Am↔E. Try the pattern at 70 BPM.
Day 14: Play a song
Pick a song from our 3-chord songs list that uses A, D and E. Play along slowly.
Week 3: New chords and fingerpicking
C and G unlock the most common progressions in popular music.
Day 15: C major
Learn C. Make sure the open G string rings. Practise Am ↔ C (only one finger moves).
Day 16: G major
Learn G (try the 4-finger version). Practise G ↔ C and G ↔ D.
Day 17: The four-chord progression
Play G – D – Em – C, one bar each, down-strums at 60 BPM. This is one of the most-used progressions in pop.
Day 18: Fingerpicking basics
Thumb plays strings 6–4, fingers i-m-a play strings 3-2-1. Play a simple pattern on Am: bass–3–2–1. Lesson
Day 19: Fingerpicking chords
Use the picking pattern on C, Am, G and Em. Slowly and evenly.
Day 20: Song day
Choose a song from easy songs for beginners using G, C, D and Em. Play it start to finish, even slowly.
Day 21: Review day
All seven chords. One-minute changes on your two weakest pairs. Record yourself and listen back.
Week 4: Putting it together
Power chords, a new chord and your first "performance".
Day 22: Dm and small F
Learn Dm and the four-string F. Try Am – F – C – G.
Day 23: Power chords
Learn the two-finger power chord shape on the 6th string. Slide it between frets 3, 5 and 7. Great fun on electric.
Day 24: Palm muting
Rest the edge of your picking hand on the strings near the bridge. Chug eighth notes on power chords.
Day 25: Strumming dynamics
Play the same progression quietly, then loudly. Practise accenting beats 2 and 4.
Day 26: Learn a full song
Choose a song you love that uses your chords. Learn the whole structure: intro, verse, chorus.
Day 27: Polish
Work on the hardest bar of your song slowly with the metronome. Speed up by 5 BPM at a time.
Day 28: Performance day
Play your song for a friend, family member or record a video. Then come back to the lessons page — you are no longer a complete beginner!
Day 29: Look back
Compare today's one-minute change scores with day 4. Choose your next goal: barre chords, a new song or the pentatonic scale.
Day 30: Celebrate
You made it through 30 days. Share your progress with us and pick your next challenge in challenges.
After day 30
Carry on with the beginner lessons, then move on to barre chords and the pentatonic scale. Keep a practice routine and track your minutes in our practice tracker.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really learn guitar in 30 days?
You can learn the fundamentals — open chords, basic strumming and your first songs — in 30 days of consistent practice. Mastery takes years, but 30 days is enough to play music you enjoy.
What if I fall behind?
Repeat a day as many times as you need. The plan is a sequence of skills, not a deadline.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, your ticks are stored in your browser on this device. Clearing your browser data will reset them.
