What was the VERY first thing you learned on guitar?

[ADK]

I was 16 when my brother showed me how to play open G and C chords. I played them over and over for weeks.

[MHC]

The first thing I learned was Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind".

G -- C -- D.

I sang that song over and over again with more heart and feeling than anyone ever!!!

Then my wife said, "wouldn't you like to learn another song?"

It's been an uphill battle ever since.

[Steve DeRosa]

The notes on the high-E string, and how to read them on the staff...

[wildbill1962]

Puff The Magic Dragon.

[CarlE]

My introduction to guitar was in a group guitar class in 8th grade back in the 70's. The first thing I remember was basic open major chords like C, G, and D. I remember F was hard. We learned some old-school folk tunes, but once in awhile the teacher would rock out and show us some John Denver songs!

The first song I remember figuring out on my own was the intro to More Than a Feeling when it first came out.

[Rosewood99]

Amazing Grace. Three chords.

[jp2558]

Sleep Song by Graham Nash. Easy descending riff. C, C/B, Am7, G.
Second was Heart of Gold.

[Chipotle]

My very first guitar lesson, circa 1974:



Actual tunes later in the book include some folk songs (Red River Valley) and a lot of Beatles.

[raysachs]

Mary Had A Little Lamb. NOT the Stevie Ray Vaughan version. I was 8 or 9. I wanted to be Jimi Hendrix. They tried to teach me the single note version of a song I had no interest in and and how to read music at the same time. Set me back 10 years. I quit the guitar after about 2-3 lessons and only returned to it on my own initiative when I was 18, roughly 10 years later. Then I just learned some basic chords, the minor pentatonic scale in the first position, and a few songs built from those basic chords. And I was off and running. But that Mary Had A Little Lamb experience nearly ruined it for me. It DID ruin it for me for a good long time.

-Ray

[gibpicker]

After learning a few chords on my own, the first song that I could actually play on a real POS guitar was "Comin Back To Me" by Jefferson Airplane. Thought I was hot poop on a stick. Ha!

[Picking Moose]

A minor and DMaj7. And I made a tune out of it.
Then came a song with A/E/D all Major and I played that one for a whole 2 months.
Didn't want to learn anything new unless I new how to play that 1 song first.

[stephenT]

Mule Skinner Blues by the Fendermen. Worked on that solo,..

"The duo called themselves "the Fendermen" because they played Fender guitars (a Telecaster and a Stratocaster), and they connected them both to the same amplifier. These guitars were the only instruments used in the recording of "Mule Skinner Blues"."

[steelvibe]

G power chord on a Gibson Flying V through a little Gorilla amp. That was 1988- I freaked and, as they say, the rest is history.

[Jeremy]

A friend showed me G, C, D on a whim. I took it from there.

[steelvibe]

Originally Posted by raysachs

Mary Had A Little Lamb. NOT the Stevie Ray Vaughan version. I was 8 or 9. I wanted to be Jimi Hendrix. They tried to teach me the single note version of a song I had no interest in and and how to read music at the same time. Set me back 10 years. I quit the guitar after about 2-3 lessons and only returned to it on my own initiative when I was 18, roughly 10 years later. Then I just learned some basic chords, the minor pentatonic scale in the first position, and a few songs built from those basic chords. And I was off and running. But that Mary Had A Little Lamb experience nearly ruined it for me. It DID ruin it for me for a good long time.

-Ray

That must be a common thread for beginners learning an instrument. My folks got me started on piano but I was learning single note melodies to things like "Scarborough Fair", not a cool arrangement like Simon & Garfunkel version, but a really sleepy/cheesy version. I love to listen to piano but I decided early on that I didn't want to learn it. Just as well, When I was 16 I picked up a guitar and the search for my instrument of choice was over.