Learn to play guitar and keyboards at home: easy free lessons for beginners

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…

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.

MusicRadar

MusicRadar is the number one website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers...

  • GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.
  • TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.
  • STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the craft of music-making that no other music website can.