Acoustic Guitar
Play songs on acoustic with chords, strumming and picking
Acoustic Guitar is a complete online acoustic guitar course taught by Steve Stine. It starts with setup, tuning and your first open chords, then covers strumming, chord expansions, the capo, barre chords, flatpicking and fingerpicking. Lessons use songs such as "Horse With No Name", "Three Little Birds" and "House of the Rising Sun", plus fingerpicking patterns from songs like "Dust in the Wind". The course has 85 video lessons, about 7 hours in total, in eight modules plus a bonus songwriting lesson, with a 108-page PDF book.
What Acoustic Guitar is about
Steve breaks every skill into simple steps you can follow. In these videos, he introduces the course, covers strings and setup, and shows how to expand the D chord.
Course intro: Introduction · 0:36
Free preview lesson: Strings And Setup · 3:54
Free preview lesson: Expanding The D Chord · 3:02
Is Acoustic Guitar right for you?
- Beginners on acoustic guitar. Module 1 covers guitar types, strings and setup, holding the guitar and using a pick.
- Campfire strummers. Strumming lessons, chord expansions and moving bass notes add variety to your chords.
- Players ready to pick and fingerpick. Two full modules cover single-note flatpicking and fingerpicking patterns.
- Aspiring songwriters. A bonus lesson shares songwriting tips from Steve.
Skills you'll walk away with
- Play open chords including A, Am, C, D, Dm, E, Em, Bm, F and G
- Strum with rhythm, subdivisions, swing and straight grooves and the kick-and-snare strum
- Expand open chords and move the bass note
- Use a capo and move open chord shapes up the neck
- Play barre chords and power chords with roots on the 6th and 5th strings
- Flatpick single-note parts with alternate picking, slurs and string skipping
- Fingerpick patterns with walking bass lines and multiple notes
- Learn fundamental chord theory and quick soloing over major and minor chords
The course, module by module
Every module and every lesson, in the order you learn them.
The basics
Tuning, types of acoustic guitar, strings and setup, holding the guitar and using a pick.
See all 6 lessons
- Introduction 0:36
- Tune Up Your Guitar 1:14
- Types Of Acoustic Guitar 10:44
- Strings And Setup 3:54
- Holding The Guitar 7:19
- The Guitar Pick 3:20
Open chords: positions and techniques
Fretting-hand position, major and minor chords, the A, Am, C, D, Dm, E, Em, Bm, F and G chords, bouncing, and lift-and-shift practice. Songs include "Horse With No Name", "Can't You See" and three songs with D-C-G.
See all 18 lessons
- Positioning The Fretting Hand 2:24
- Open Chords 1:08
- Major And Minor Chords 2:27
- Learning Your First Chord: The A Chord 7:15
- Alternate Fingerings For The A Chord 4:38
- The A Minor Chord 2:37
- The C Chord 1:59
- The D Chord 1:47
- The D Minor Chord 0:47
- E Major And E Minor 1:19
- The B Minor Chord 2:31
- The F Chord 2:02
- Bouncing 7:05
- Practice Tips: Lift And Shift 2:55
- Learning A Song: "Horse With No Name" 6:33
- "Can't You See" By The Marshall Tucker Band 4:55
- Three Songs With D-C-G 1:52
- The G Chord And The G-C-D Trick 5:44
Strumming
Rhythm, beat and subdivisions, organic strumming, strumming patterns, the kick-and-snare strum, swing and straight grooves, the push and downstrumming.
See all 9 lessons
- Rhythm 0:48
- Beat And Subdivisions 19:37
- How To Strum Organically 4:19
- Strumming Pattern 1 6:11
- Other Strumming Patterns 5:59
- Kick-And-Snare Strum 2:54
- Swing And Straight Groove 5:30
- Push 1:17
- Downstrumming 1:30
Open chords: expansions and variations
Expanding the C, Am, F, D and Em chords, moving the bass note with C and D, using the capo and moving open chord shapes.
See all 12 lessons
- Expanding Open Chords 0:26
- Expanding The C Chord I 11:18
- Expanding The C Chord II 4:48
- Expanding The A Minor Chord 3:17
- Expanding The F Chord 5:23
- Expanding The D Chord 3:02
- Expanding The E Minor Chord 1:22
- Moving The Bass Note 2:11
- Moving Bass With The C Chord 1:20
- Moving Bass With The D Chord 5:45
- Using The Capo 12:40
- Moving Open Chord Shapes 12:48
Barre chords
Notes on the fretboard and barre chords with the root on the 6th and 5th strings.
See all 3 lessons
- Notes On The Fretboard 0:57
- Barre Chords - 6th String Root 22:32
- Barre Chords - 5th String Root 11:13
Playing with power and barre chords
Power chords on the 6th and 5th strings and strumming with barre chords, applied to "Three Little Birds", "Layla", "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay", "To Be With You", "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Rooster".
See all 9 lessons
- Power Chords - 6th String Root 6:30
- Power Chords - 5th String Root 2:54
- Strumming With Barre Chords 6:13
- Swing Rhythm: "Three Little Birds" By Bob Marley 3:54
- "Layla" By Eric Clapton 5:13
- "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay" By Otis Redding 10:07
- "To Be With You" By Mr. Big 2:52
- "Like A Rolling Stone" By Bob Dylan 1:57
- "Rooster" By Alice In Chains 1:30
Flatpicking
Single-note picking, picking exercises, alternate picking, the major scale, slurs and string skipping, with parts from "Hurt", "Pretty Woman" and "House of the Rising Sun". Also covers chord theory and quick soloing over major and minor chords.
See all 16 lessons
- Single Note Picking 6:53
- Picking Exercises 10:12
- Descending Picking Exercise 4:26
- Alternate Picking 3:37
- The Diatonic Major Scale 6:17
- "Hurt" By Johnny Cash 2:40
- "Who Will Save Your Soul" By Jewel 4:25
- Upscoop: "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" By Blue Oyster Cult 5:27
- "Pretty Woman" By Roy Orbison 7:21
- "House Of The Rising Sun" By The Animals 2:16
- Slurring Techniques 2:26
- Slurring Example: "Over The Hills And Far Away" 3:57
- String Skipping: "Wanted Dead Or Alive" 3:19
- Fundamental Chord Theory 15:18
- Quick Chord Soloing 3:40
- Quick Chord Soloing - Minor Chords 2:38
Fingerpicking
Fingerpicking basics and exercises, adding chord expansions, playing multiple notes, walking bass, slapping, and patterns from "Nothing Else Matters", "Blackbird", "Stairway to Heaven" and "Dust in the Wind".
See all 11 lessons
- Fingerpicking Basics And Exercises 12:39
- Adding Chord Expansions 3:46
- Playing Multiple Notes 4:14
- Fingerpicking Example: "Nothing Else Matters" 2:11
- Walking Bass 3:39
- "Silent Lucidity" Pattern 0:19
- "Blackbird" Pattern 0:13
- "Stairway To Heaven" Pattern 0:18
- "Dust In The Wind" Pattern 0:34
- Slapping 2:25
- Final Thoughts 2:06
Bonus: songwriting tips
Songwriting tips with Steve.
See all 1 lesson
- Songwriting Tips with Steve 18:11
Learn at your own pace
Clear video lessons
Every move is shown up close. Pause, rewind and repeat each lesson as often as you need.
Practice materials
Includes 108-page PDF book. Use them to practice what you learn in each lesson.
Yours for life
Pay once and come back any time, on your computer, tablet or phone. No subscription.
Steve Stine
Steve has taught guitar for more than 30 years and has helped millions of players in over 100 countries. He has a Music Education degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and taught guitar at North Dakota State University. He's known for breaking hard things into simple steps you can follow. Read Steve's full story
What students say about Steve's teaching
Excellent · 4.8 out of 5 on TrustpilotRead our reviews"I'm just overjoyed to come across learning material that I've yearned for."
Andy M.Australia
"Thank you for breaking down music theory and making it so easy to learn."
Travis B.United States
"I have definitely improved and I enjoy it immensely."
Melina K.United States
"Steve Stine is the teacher that I have been looking for a long time."
Jimmy H.United States
"I discovered your courses. I find them great. It's a complete guitar journey and I learned something every week."
Philip M.United States
"It made the fretboard much, much simpler and easier to understand than I have imagined it to be."
Geoffrey E.United Kingdom
Acoustic Guitar questions
Is this course good for beginners?
Which songs will I learn?
Does it teach fingerpicking?
Do I need a capo?
Do I need to read music?
How long is the course?
How much does Acoustic Guitar cost?
Can I watch on my phone or tablet?
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Where to go after Acoustic Guitar
Acoustic Picking Styles
Learn flatpicking and fingerpicking on acoustic: picking technique, slurs, alternating bass, double notes and body tapping.
36 Acoustic Licks
Country, bluegrass, blues and fingerpicking licks for acoustic guitar, plus chord embellishments and song-style ideas.
Strumming Made Easy
Build your strumming hand from scratching and up strums to strumming patterns with chords and muted strings.
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Acoustic Guitar
…So You Can Play Your Favorite Songs, Progress 20X Faster And Skyrocket Your Songwriting…
Dear Acoustic Guitar Lover,
How much fun would you have playing at home?
Or getting together with some buddies for a jam session?
Someone calls out a tune, or you hear a chord progression, and you instantly know what to play.
Not only that, you know what you’re playing and why.
Which means, you have the freedom to play anything on your acoustic.
On demand. Anytime you want. With any group of musicians.
Wouldn’t that be awesome?
And…
Preview Videos:
Simple Chord Extensions
3 Secrets to Better Barre Chords
Easy Fingerpicking Patterns
"Who Will Save Your Soul" By Jewel
Do not miss out!
Get Acoustic Guitar today!
I can finally play songs the way I’ve always wanted!" – Sarah L.
