Guides
Learn guitar one clear step at a time
Short, practical guides for guitarists at every level. Each one explains a single skill — tuning by ear or with a tuner, practising with a metronome, changing chords without the gap, finding notes on the fretboard, using a capo, choosing an alternate tuning, improvising with the pentatonic scale — and gives you exercises you can start today.
Every guide links to the free tool you need to follow along, and to the chord, scale and tuning charts in our library. No fluff: steps, tables and the mistakes to avoid.
Want the routine done for you? FRET’s guided sessions turn these guides into a daily plan that fits the time you have, with a timer, a metronome and a streak to keep you going.
01
All guides
Tuning, technique, theory and practice.
- How to tune a guitarTune your guitar to standard EADGBE with a tuner or by ear. Clear steps, string frequencies, common mistakes and a free online tuner.Open →
- How to tune a bassTune a 4 or 5-string bass to EADG or BEADG: string notes and frequencies, tuner tips, harmonics and drop D, plus a free online bass tuner.Open →
- How to tune a ukuleleTune your ukulele to standard GCEA (high or low G) or baritone DGBE. Notes, frequencies, tips for new strings and a free online ukulele tuner.Open →
- How to use a metronomeLearn to practise with a metronome: pick a starting BPM, use subdivisions, speed up in small steps and hear tempo ranges for every style.Open →
- Guitar practice routineA daily guitar practice routine that works: warm-up, chords, scales, technique and playing time, with 15, 30 and 60-minute plans to copy.Open →
- Change chords fasterSwitch guitar chords cleanly and in time: anchor fingers, one-minute changes, pivot shapes and slow-to-fast metronome drills that work.Open →
- Beginner guitar chordsThe first guitar chords to learn — E, A, D, G, C, Em, Am, Dm and more — with fingerings, tips for clean notes and easy songs to practise.Open →
- Guitar scales for beginnersLearn guitar scales the smart way: the pentatonic, major and minor scales, how positions work, and a simple practice plan with a metronome.Open →
- The pentatonic scaleMaster the minor and major pentatonic scale on guitar: the five box shapes, how they connect, the blues note and licks to start soloing.Open →
- How to use a capoHow a capo changes key, where to clamp it, and a capo chart that turns any song into easy open shapes. Plus a free capo calculator.Open →
- Alternate tuningsThe alternate guitar tunings worth knowing — drop D, half-step down, DADGAD, open G, D and E — with notes, songs, and how to tune safely.Open →
- Ear training for guitarTrain your ear as a guitarist: recognise intervals and chord qualities, play songs by ear and build a ten-minute daily ear-training habit.Open →
- Learn the fretboardMemorise every note on the guitar neck: natural notes, octave shapes, the 12th-fret trick and a four-week plan with short daily drills.Open →
- How to improviseStart improvising on guitar: pick the right scale for the key, target chord tones, use phrasing and space, and practise over jam tracks.Open →
- When to change stringsHow often to change guitar strings, the signs they are dead, how to make them last and how to stretch and tune new strings so they stay in tune.Open →