Learning a musical instrument is one of those things that many people put on their to-do list, but never actually get around to, y’know, doing. However, if you've been forced to retreat inside and are looking for ways to fill your days., now is the time to put that right.
To help you on your way, we've gathered together some of our most useful lessons, so whether you want to learn guitar or keyboard, there’s something here to get you started.
So, turn off the TV, warm up your hands and get ready to start playing…
- Check out the best keyboards for beginners
Learn to play guitar
Your first acoustic guitar lesson
Get yourself acquainted with chords and strumming
Guitar basics: learn to play powerchords
Nail rock guitar's cornerstone chord with this tab and audio lesson
Guitar basics: learn thousands of songs with the three-chord trick
Master the most important chord progression in music
Nail better barre chords in 20 minutes with this easy guitar lesson
Pass the barre and improve your rhythm playing
Learn 60 guitar chords in 20 minutes with this easy lesson
Master barre chords and open up the fretboard
Learn to play keyboard
How to position your right hand when you're playing the keyboard
Wanna learn how to play the keyboard properly? Let's start at the very beginning…
How to recognise the notes on a keyboard
If you can handle the first few letters of the alphabet, you're equipped to get your head around the piano…
How to play a C major scale on a keyboard
For your first tentative steps into keyboard mastery, you'll want to stick to just the white notes…
How to play major and minor chords on a keyboard
Once you've got a grip on scales, it's time to start stacking notes on top of each other. Now we're really getting compositional!
How to develop finger independence on a keyboard
With two hands and ten fingers to consider, learning to play keyboards requires a great deal of dexterity. This exercise will help you develop yours.
![Epiphone goes high-end with its Inspired By Gibson Custom 2025 collection: [from left] the '63 Firebird in Polaris White is joined by a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a '64 SG Standard, a 1960 Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and a 1962 ES-335 reissue.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3N4uVp3ezzrrhjCbY8KNfn-840-80.jpg.webp)
![YouTuber Aaron Rash [left] wears grey and an Adidas beanie and checked trousers as he poses with his Veleno-clone aluminium guitar. On the right, Kurt Cobain performs in 1993 with Nirvana at their MTV Live and Loud show in Seattle.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aqcaqZZK7FsRFWvoMPzMF9-840-80.jpg.webp)
