Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn the guitar
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A handful of chords and a strumming pattern are enough to play along to songs, and the same instrument leads to folk, blues, rock or classical music. Beginners' classes at colleges in the UK and US teach tuning, chords and tablature in a term.
ModerateUnder £100 / $130MonthsIndoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
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What it's really like
Beginners' classes start with tuning, hand position and a set of common chords, then add strumming patterns, tablature (TAB, a simple way of writing where to put your fingers) and songs. Abingdon & Witney's class also teaches reading music; Imperial's covers pop, rock, blues and folk and asks for short nails.
The hard part comes first: sore fingertips. Fender says the soreness can last a week or more and eases as calluses form. Its advice is to play a little every day, about 10 to 15 minutes, to press no harder than you need, and to have a shop check the action (the height of the strings above the neck) if fretting feels hard.
Nylon-string classical guitars are easier on the fingers than steel-string acoustics, Fender says, and electrics use lighter strings again. All three classes below ask you to bring your own guitar, and two specify an acoustic. If you want classical guitar, City Lit runs a separate course from 1A for complete beginners upwards.
Ways in compared
| Where | Course/format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Abingdon & Witney College, at Cheney School | Weekly 90-minute Monday evening class for absolute beginners, autumn 2025; bring your own guitar | £137.28, or £68.64 reduced fee |
| Imperial College London evening classes, South Kensington | 20 weeks of two-hour Monday classes across two terms, 2025-26; acoustic guitar needed | £560 standard (£504 early bird) |
| North Seattle College continuing education | Beginning Guitar, fall 2026; bring an acoustic guitar and the two required method books | $170 |
For one-to-one lessons in the US, MTNA's teacher finder lets you choose guitar as the teaching area and search by zip code or for online lessons.
How to start
- Choose a beginners' class at an adult education college or a community college, and check which kind of guitar it asks you to bring.
- Borrow or buy a guitar and a clip-on tuner, and ask a music shop to check that the strings are not set too high.
- Play for 10 to 15 minutes every day while your fingertips toughen up.
Where to go
- Abingdon & Witney College: Guitar - Beginners UK
- Imperial College London evening classes: introduction to guitar UK
- North Seattle College continuing education: Beginning Guitar US
- Music Teachers National Association: find a guitar teacher by zip code US
We opened these links on 7 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Which guitar is best for a beginner, acoustic, classical or electric?
It depends on the class and the music you want to play. Fender says nylon-string classical guitars are easier on the fingers than steel-string acoustics and electrics use lighter strings; many beginners' classes ask for an acoustic.
How long do your fingers hurt when learning guitar?
Fender says the soreness can last a week or more and eases as calluses form. It suggests 10 to 15 minutes of playing a day at first.
Do I need my own guitar for guitar lessons?
Usually. Abingdon & Witney, Imperial College and North Seattle College all ask beginners to bring their own guitar.
Do I need to read music to learn the guitar?
No. Beginners' classes teach chords and tablature, and Imperial's course says no previous experience of music is needed. Some classes, such as Abingdon & Witney's, also teach reading music.
Where this comes from: Abingdon & Witney College, Guitar - Beginners; Imperial College London evening classes, Introduction to guitar; North Seattle College continuing education, Beginning Guitar; Fender, How to minimize finger pain playing guitar; City Lit, Choosing a String class at City Lit (13 June 2022); Music Teachers National Association, Find a Teacher; Malay Mail (AFP), Guitar-slinging Singapore granny shreds stereotypes (8 August 2017). Opened 7 November 2026.
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