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You can surely learn guitar without chords. Beginners use chords to learn to strum. However, if you are not planning to learn chords, you can simply learn individual riffs or notes.

If you are looking for ways to learn guitar without learning chords, Yousicians was quite good for me – it is a learning app that helps you learn songs without struggling with chords.

If you are a beginner and find it tough to learn chords, you can just skip them and learn songs using Yousicians.

 There’s no such rule that you need to learn chords to play guitar, you can go along without them too. You can just learn single-note songs and phrases to progress. Do whatever makes you happy while playing guitar

Surfing on the internet I found that there are a lot of people who play guitar without learning chords. Yet, there’s no denying the fact that learning chords are important if you want to progress in the journey to learning guitar. 

You can’t get the proper rhythm of a song without learning chords. You can never understand song structure and music theory if you have not learned chords properly. Learning chords allows you to become more versatile in playing guitar. Still, if you find trouble learning them, you can use Yousicians. 

How Can I Learn Guitar Without Chords?

If you really want to learn guitar without learning chords, then it’s better for you to play notes instead of chords

If you want to learn guitar without learning the chords, it is better to play notes instead of chords. The the best way to do it is by subscribing to apps like Yousicians which have a friendly interface for beginners.

You can play the songs that are tagged as “Riffs’’ or melodies. Like this, you can learn guitar without learning the chords. However, you need to subscribe to Yousicians and practice regularly with dedication. 

Also Read: Do You Need To Learn Barre Chords: Alternative For Beginners

Should I Start Learning Guitar With Chords? (Pros & Cons)

There is no such rule or requirement for beginners to learn guitar with chords

There’s no such rule for beginners to learn guitar with chords, you can surely learn it without them.

Everybody has the choice to learn the guitar the way they want, there’s no such obligation that you need to learn chords first.

Let’s suppose you don’t want to learn chords, but if you are forced to do so, you will be bored and will gradually lose interest in learning it anymore. 

If you learn chords somehow, there are chances that you might be stuck with strumming only. Here are a few pros and cons of learning guitar with chords; 

Pros

If you start learning guitar with chords, you will end up becoming versatile in the field. As you will grow, you will eventually need to learn chords to understand music theory in a much better way.

It’s surely popular to start learning guitar by learning chords first as you it’s much easier for some people. Moreover, if you learn chords first, you will be able to strum a few easy songs pretty quickly. When you acquire the knowledge of learning chords, you become more versatile at playing guitar. 

Cons

One of the major cons of learning guitar with chords is that you may become stuck with strumming only and may also find it boring.

Some people might find learning chords a bit of a hard task, and making it obligatory can snatch away the interest of a learner.

However, if you are aiming to learn riffs and melodies, you can just skip the chords and start learning to pluck individual notes. It’s surely fun to pluck individual notes, you can learn the guitar the easy way.

Yet, it depends on the preference of the learner, if they find it easy to learn it with or without the chords, but there’s no such obligation that you need to learn chords first. You are free to learn it the way you like the most. 

Also Read: Mastering Chord Changes: How Long & Tips To Get Better Fast

FAQs

Q: Is It Best to Learn Chords First on Guitar?

Learning chords first on a guitar is a good thing but it is not obligatory to do so. It is a popular thing to learn open chords first as you dive into the journey to learn guitar. It is one of the first skills that is taught to a beginner.

If you master chords, you can play a bunch of popular songs. To understand the basics, you can surely refer to a chord chart as it is pretty helpful for beginners. It helps you build finger dexterity, song structure, and rhythm.

It is considered one of the quickest ways to learn guitar too. If you learn chords first or not, you can surely progress, but learning them first can be much more beneficial. 

Q: Can Guitar Can Be Self Taught?

It’s totally fine to learn guitar by yourself. Guitar can surely be self-taught. However, you need to follow the right advice to learn it properly.

Everybody has their unique way to learn guitar, and that can surely be tough. Learning guitar can be tough, but if you are passionate and hardworking, you will be able to learn it by yourself.

There are thousands of people globally who learn guitar by practicing again and again as it makes you perfect. However, if you find it very tough to learn it yourself, there’s no issue in getting yourself a guitar teacher.  

Q: Can You Learn to Play Guitar Without Learning Songs?

It’s not a good idea to learn to play guitar without learning songs as you will be learning the theory. Only learning individual chords and notes isn’t the perfect way to learn it, as you won’t be able to mix them into a song.

Just learning the theory isn’t the best way to do it, you need to know how to mix chords and notes well enough. 

The more you practice playing songs, the better you become. Learning songs is one of the finest techniques to learn to play guitar. Many beginners prefer learning guitar this way. However, everybody has their own way to do it. 

Ifandi S.

About Ifandi S.

Ifandi started Strumming Bars to answer all the questions of a guitarist. As a self-learned guitarist, he remembered how frustrating it was to not find answers to his many questions in the journey. With Strumming Bars, that's no longer the case!

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