Learn to Play Guitar in Six Steps: Some Advice (From Personal Experience) on How to Learn to Play the Guitar

Step 1: To learn to play guitar the obvious first step is to own a guitar. You can find a good deal on a guitar on EBay or other auction sites. You can also find a cheap guitar with decent sound quality at Costco. If you are already relatively serious about learning to play guitar however, it is probably a good idea to buy a well-made guitar. It is always nice to have a guitar around to pick up and play. And even if you play infrequently, guitars are good to have around for parties or just hanging out with friends. For the guys out there: girls love guitars. For the girls: guys love guitars. There is nothing better than being able to play a recognizable anthemic ballad (think Tom Petty's "Freefallin" or Journey's "Don't Stop Believing") for your friends after a drink or three.

*Tip: A decent guitar will cost you from $75 to $200. A very nice guitar will cost you upward or $300. Seagull is the company that made my guitar. They make excellent guitars for all levels of players.

Step 2: Learn basic "open chords." These are chords like open C, G, A, and D. There is a joke that rock and roll songs in general follow the G-C-D chord progression. So once you learn how to play a few basic chords you will be able to bang out a decent rendition of hundreds of songs. There are several ways to do this. You can buy a book that shows you where to place your fingers on the strings to play certain chords. Or, you can ask a friend to show you how to play the basic chords. Once you learn these chords you are well on your way in your quest to learn to play guitar. You will be playing basic songs on your first day.
*Tip: If you like to be taught, try to get a friend to show you the basics. Sometimes this is the easiest way to learn.