As you begin to teach yourself more, pay attention to the different ways a chord can be played. For example, there are several different ways to play the C and G chords. Being versatile in your playing will allow you to change chords more smoothly later on, without having to worry about difficult finger placements. Also, when learning chords on your acoustic guitar, it is imperative that you build up your hands' muscle memory. This means that once you have gotten a chord down, practice it without looking down at the frets or strings. Feel for the strings and teach yourself in this manner with each and every chord. Similar to teaching yourself how to type properly, this is one major key to success.

The first step in learning how to play an instrument is to learn how the instrument works. If you want to learn how to play the guitar, you must first decide which kind of guitar you want to play and then learn how it works.