Welcome
You have three songs and five chords. Two are strummed chord songs (Zombie and Knockin' on Heaven's Door) and one is a single-note melody (Last of the Mohicans). Everything in this sheet is built around getting you to play actual music as fast as possible — not exercises for the sake of exercises.
You have both an acoustic and an electric. Use the electric. Lighter strings, lower action, less finger pain early on. The acoustic will still be there when you want it.
The Golden Rules
- 15 minutes every day beats 2 hours on the weekend. Consistency is everything with guitar. Even 10 minutes counts.
- Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Play at a tempo where you make no mistakes. Speed up only when it's clean.
- Play through mistakes. Stopping and restarting at every error trains your brain to stop. Finish the bar, then go back.
- Your fingers will hurt for the first 2–3 weeks. That's normal. Calluses form and the pain stops. Don't quit during this window.
- Record yourself once a week — even just 30 seconds on your phone. You won't notice daily progress but you'll hear weekly progress clearly.
- Buzzing notes mean you're not pressing close enough to the fret, or a finger is accidentally touching a neighbouring string.
Tools You'll Need
Metronome Beats (Android/iOS) — free, reliable. You'll use this every session from week 2 onwards. BPM targets are given in each week tab.
justinguitar.com — the gold standard for free beginner guitar. Use it alongside this sheet. Justin's Grade 1 covers exactly what's here, with video.
On YouTube, click the gear icon → Playback Speed → 0.75 or 0.5. Use this when playing along in weeks 5–6. It shifts pitch slightly but it's fine for practice.
Your 6-Week Roadmap
Click any Week tab above to see the full daily practice plan for that week.
Your Five Chords
These five chords cover both songs completely. Learn them once, play two songs. The chord diagrams below show the neck as if you're looking at it face-on — low E string on the left.
Chord Notes
Easiest chord on this list. Only two fingers, all other strings ring open. Start every session with Em — instant reward.
Press fingers 2 and 3 on the 2nd fret of the A and D strings. Arch your fingers so they don't touch the strings above or below.
Three fingers spread across the fretboard. The stretch feels awkward at first — give it a week. Low E fret 3, A fret 2, high e fret 3.
Common mistake: muting the middle strings. Make sure fingers 2 and 3 are arched high enough not to touch the D, G, B strings.
Don't strum the low E string (marked ×). Rest your thumb or just don't hit it. The open A string is your bass note here.
The C→G change is one of the most common in music. Practice it as a pair until it's automatic.
Only strum strings 4–1 (D, G, B, e). The two lowest strings are muted. D has a bright, ringing sound when all four notes are clean.
Fingers cluster tightly in frets 2–3. Your ring finger on the B string is often the tricky one — make sure it doesn't touch the high e.
Similar shape to C but one string over. Once you have C, Am comes quickly. The low E is muted, the open A is the bass note.
Am has a naturally melancholy sound — perfect for Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Notice how different it feels to C despite the similar fingering.
Key Transitions to Practise
Em → C · C → G · G → D · D → Am
These four transitions cover 90% of what you'll play in both songs. Four strums on each chord, slow metronome, repeat.
Zombie — The Cranberries
Original key: E minor with Capo 5 · You can also play it open (no capo) — sounds slightly different but perfectly fine for practice.
Chords Used
Chord Progression
The exact same four chords repeat through the entire song — intro, verse, chorus, outro. No variation. This makes it one of the most beginner-friendly songs that sounds genuinely great.
Each chord gets 4 beats (one bar). The whole song is just this loop.
Strumming Pattern
Count: 1 2 3 4-and 1-and
Start with just down strums (D D D D) until chord changes are smooth, then add the up strums. The driving, slightly aggressive feel is what makes the song recognisable.
The iconic intro uses a slightly different picking pattern — skip that for now. Strum the whole song first.
Song Structure
Intro (8 bars) → Verse → Chorus → Verse → Chorus → Interlude → Outro. All use Em · C · G · D. The only thing that changes is Dolores O'Riordan's vocal and the band intensity.
Knockin' on Heaven's Door — Bob Dylan / GN'R
Original key: G major · No capo needed · Bob Dylan original (1973), covered by GN'R (1990) — both use the same chords.
Chords Used
Chord Progression
Two different two-bar patterns alternate throughout the song. The first bar is always the same; the second bar alternates between Am and C depending on the verse.
G gets 2 beats, D gets 2 beats, then Am or C gets 4 beats — giving each chord its own weight.
Strumming Pattern
Count: 1 2-and and-3-and · Very different feel to Zombie — let it breathe.
The GN'R version has Slash playing a fuller, more distorted version with slight variations. The underlying chord pattern is identical to Dylan's original — that's what you're learning.
The Last of the Mohicans — Main Theme
Composed by Trevor Jones · Key: D minor · This is a single-note melody — no chords to strum, just one note at a time. Perfect for learning to pick cleanly.
Notes Used
This is a picked melody in D major — no chords, one note at a time on the high e and B strings. The key notes are D E F# G A B — the F# (fret 2) is what makes it sound right. F natural (fret 1) is a common mistake that kills the melody.
e string (1st): open=E, fret 2=F#, fret 3=G, fret 5=A, fret 7=B · B string (2nd): fret 3=D · That's it — two strings only
The Main Riff — Guitar Tab
Read left to right. Numbers = fret, 0 = open string. Pick each note individually. The melody is an arch — it rises from D up to A, then falls back down.
e |-----0--2--3--5--3--2--0---------| B |--3-----------------------3------| G |----------------------------------| D |----------------------------------| A |----------------------------------| E |----------------------------------| D E F# G A G F# E D
e |--5--7--5--3--2--0---------------| B |--------------------------3------| G |----------------------------------| D |----------------------------------| A |----------------------------------| E |----------------------------------| A B A G F# E D
e |-----0--2--3--5--3--2--0-----0--2--3--5--3--2--0--5--7--5--3--2--0---| B |--3-----------------------3-----------------------3---------------3---| G |----------------------------------------------------------------------| D |----------------------------------------------------------------------| A |----------------------------------------------------------------------| E |----------------------------------------------------------------------|
How to Practise
The arch shape: start on D (B string fret 3), step up through E-F#-G-A on the e string, then step back down the same way. Every note is D major — if any note sounds wrong, check you're on fret 2 (F#) not fret 1.
- Index finger on fret 2 (F#), middle on fret 3 (G), pinky on fret 5 (A)
- Ring finger on B string fret 3 (D) at the start and end
- Pick downward on every note — keep the stroke light and even
- Count 9 even notes: D–E–F#–G–A–G–F#–E–D
Phrase 2 starts on A (e fret 5) and lifts to B (e fret 7) before falling back to D. The B note on fret 7 is a slight reach — use your pinky. That B is the emotional peak of the melody.
Once both phrases are clean individually, play them back to back: Phrase 1 → Phrase 2. That's the complete theme.
Play Phrase 1 → Phrase 2 → Phrase 1 in a loop. Start very slowly — 50 BPM with one note per click. Speed up only when the loop feels seamless.
Tips for Single-Note Playing
- Buzzing notes: press closer to the fret, not behind it
- Muted notes: arch your finger so it doesn't brush adjacent strings
- Uneven rhythm: count out loud — "1 and 2 and 3 and 4" — while you play
- Tense picking hand: keep your wrist loose, let the pick do the work
Clean single-note picking is the foundation of every guitar solo. The muscle memory you build here — precise fretting, controlled picking, smooth string changes — transfers directly to lead guitar work later on.
These two weeks are about muscle memory and pain tolerance. Your fingertips will hurt. That's the only thing standing between you and playing guitar — push through it. Calluses form at around day 10–14 and the pain stops.
Don't worry about strumming patterns yet. Don't worry about speed. Just press the chord, strum once slowly, and listen to whether every note rings cleanly.
Daily 15-Minute Session
Place one finger per fret on the low E string: index on fret 1, middle on fret 2, ring on fret 3, pinky on fret 4. Press and pick each note one at a time. Slide up one string and repeat. Work your way across all 6 strings and back.
This is not about sound — it's about warming up the tendons and getting your fingers used to independent movement. Go slowly. No metronome needed yet.
Work through each chord one at a time: Em → G → C → D → Am. For each:
- Place all fingers at once (not one by one)
- Strum slowly across all strings
- Pick each string individually — does every note ring cleanly?
- Identify which string is buzzing or muted and fix it
- Repeat 3 times before moving to the next chord
Start with Em — it's the easiest and gives you an immediate win. Save G for last as it has the biggest stretch.
Just two chords. Press Em, strum once. Lift your fingers, place C, strum once. Repeat. Take as long as you need between strums — speed is irrelevant right now.
The exercise is the lift and place. Your fingers need to learn to move as a group, not one at a time. Think of placing the whole shape, not individual fingers.
Same approach. G and D is a slightly harder change because of the finger repositioning. Notice which finger can stay close to the fretboard between changes — that "anchor finger" saves time.
Put on Zombie or Knockin' on Heaven's Door and just strum along loosely. Don't worry about keeping up. Just listen, strum any chord you know, and enjoy the fact that you're playing. This is the reward.
- All 5 chords ring cleanly with no buzzing notes
- You can change Em↔C without stopping to think about finger placement
- Your fingertips have stopped being painful (calluses forming)
This week you introduce the metronome. Start at 50 BPM — it feels painfully slow, that's correct. Each click = one beat. You get 4 beats per chord. Change on beat 1.
If you can't make the change cleanly at 50 BPM, slow down further. There is no prize for playing fast sloppily.
Daily 15-Minute Session
Spider exercise (1 min), then quickly press each chord once and check it rings cleanly. Fix any that don't before continuing.
Set metronome to 50 BPM 50 BPM. Strum down once per beat (4 beats per chord). Change chord on beat 1 without pausing.
Work through these pairs, 1 minute each:
- Em → C → Em → C (repeat)
- G → D → G → D (repeat)
- C → G → C → G (repeat)
- G → D → Am → Am (Knockin' bar 1 shape)
Tip: Look at the next chord shape before you need it. Your eyes can guide your fingers if they're looking ahead.
Em → C → G → D at 50–60 BPM 50–60 BPM. Four down strums per chord. The goal is that the progression loops without any gaps or pauses between chords.
The G→D change is usually the hardest here. If it's causing a gap, spend extra time on just that pair.
G → D → Am, then G → D → C. G gets 2 beats, D gets 2 beats, Am/C gets 4 beats.
Play along loosely to one of the songs. Any strumming, any pace. Enjoy it.
- Em↔C, G↔D, C↔G all change cleanly at 60 BPM without pausing
- You can play the full Zombie loop (Em C G D) without stopping
- You're not looking at your fretting hand between most changes
This week is about your right (strumming) hand. Up to now you've been strumming down on every beat. Now you'll add up strums to create the rhythmic feel that makes each song recognisable.
Important: If adding the strum pattern causes your chord changes to fall apart, slow down. The pattern is secondary to the changes. Get the changes clean first, then layer the rhythm on top.
Understanding the Patterns
Count: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4-and · 1-and. The accent is on beat 1. Keep it aggressive — this song has a pulse.
Count: 1 · 2-and · and-3-and. Relaxed, let the pick float. Very different feel to Zombie.
Daily 15-Minute Session
Spider (1 min). Then the full Zombie progression at 60 BPM with plain down strums, just to confirm your changes are still solid before adding complexity.
Stay on Em. Just Em, no chord changes. Practise the strum pattern until it feels automatic. Start at 50 BPM 50 BPM and work up to 70 BPM.
Your pick should keep moving down-up-down-up like a pendulum, even when you're not hitting the strings on the upstroke. The rhythm lives in the arm movement.
Now combine: Em → C → G → D with the strum pattern at 60 BPM 60 BPM. If a chord change causes the rhythm to stumble, that's normal. Keep the arm moving, even if you miss the chord. The rhythm is the priority, changes will catch up.
Same approach. Stay on G first, get the pattern smooth, then add the chord progression. The feel is completely different to Zombie — relaxed, a slight lilt.
Play along to one of the songs at whatever pace feels natural. You're getting close to the real thing now.
- You can play the Zombie strum pattern without thinking about it on a single chord
- Zombie progression with strum pattern stays roughly in rhythm at 60–70 BPM
- The two patterns feel distinct — Zombie aggressive, Knockin' relaxed
This week you play along to the actual recordings for the first time. Use YouTube's speed control (gear icon → Playback Speed → 0.75) to slow the songs down. This shifts pitch slightly but is fine for practice.
The key rule this week: Do not stop when you miss a chord. Keep the strumming arm moving. A missed chord that you keep moving through sounds better than a gap in the rhythm. The songs will carry you.
Daily 15-Minute Session
Spider (1 min). Then both song progressions with strum patterns at 70 BPM 70 BPM on the metronome. Clean run — confirm everything is working before moving to the recording.
YouTube: search "Zombie Cranberries" → set speed to 0.75. Play along for the full song. Don't stop. When you miss a chord, strum the air and land on the next one.
- Start playing from the intro — same Em C G D from bar 1
- Feel the song's pulse in your arm, not just your head
- Notice where the chord changes land relative to the vocals
- If 75% is too fast, try 0.5 speed first
YouTube: search "Knockin on Heaven's Door Bob Dylan" (start with the original — it's slower and cleaner than GN'R). Set to 0.75 speed. Same rules — keep moving, don't stop.
- The tempo is more relaxed than Zombie — easier to stay with
- The Am/C alternation — listen carefully to hear which one the song is on
- Try the GN'R version afterwards — same chords, more energy
Play either song for 30–60 seconds and record it on your phone. Don't listen immediately — save it. You'll compare it to next week's recording and you'll be surprised at the difference.
- You can stay with Zombie at 75% speed for most of the song without losing the beat
- You make it through Knockin' on Heaven's Door mostly in time
- You're not stopping when you miss a chord — arm keeps moving
This is the milestone week. Full speed, full song, both tracks. It won't be perfect — and that's completely fine. A few missed chords in an otherwise flowing performance is still a performance.
Compare your recording this week to last week's. The difference will be tangible and motivating.
Daily 15-Minute Session
Spider (1 min). Quick run through both progressions at 80 BPM 80 BPM with strum patterns. Just checking everything is still sharp.
YouTube at 100% speed. Play along to the full song. You may need to run it twice. Focus on staying in the groove even when chord changes are rough — the rhythm matters more than the perfect press.
If Zombie at 100% is still too fast after the first pass this week, try 0.85 speed — it's an intermediate step that preserves much more natural pitch than 0.75.
Bob Dylan's original first — it's a touch slower and very achievable at full speed by now. Then try the GN'R version if you want more energy. Same chords, different vibe.
Play one song solo — just you and the guitar, no backing track. Record it. This is your Week 6 document. You have learned two songs in six weeks starting from scratch. That's real.
Compare to week 5's recording. Share it if you feel like it. You've earned it.
Play whatever sounds good to you. No rules. You have five chords and two songs — that's a musical vocabulary. Use it.
- You can play Zombie start to finish mostly in time at full speed
- You can play Knockin' on Heaven's Door recognisably at full speed
- You've recorded yourself and can hear the progress from Week 5
- You're thinking about what song to learn next
You now have five open chords, two song progressions, and the muscle memory to change between them. That's not nothing — that's the foundation every guitarist has built on. Here's what opens up next.
Immediate Next Steps
Power chords use only 2–3 strings and the same shape moves all over the neck. They're how virtually all rock and metal rhythm guitar works — GN'R, Black Sabbath, Manowar, all of it.
The E5 power chord: finger 1 on low E fret 2, finger 3 on A fret 4. That shape, moved around the neck, gives you every power chord. Add palm muting for the classic metal chug.
Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple) · Iron Man (Black Sabbath) · You Really Got Me (Kinks) · most of GN'R's rhythm parts · early Manowar riffs
Five notes, one shape, endlessly useful. The Em pentatonic scale is the backbone of The Doors solos, Pink Floyd's blues-inflected lead work, and most rock improvisation. Once you can move around the first position box shape, you'll start being able to noodle things that sound like actual music.
Start in the E minor pentatonic box position at fret 12 — it sits beautifully on the guitar and every note sounds good over an Em or G backing track.
With your current five chords you can already play:
- House of the Rising Sun (The Animals / The Doors covered it) — introduces fingerpicking arpeggios, Am D F C E progression
- Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd) — iconic fingerpicking intro, then G Em A C D strumming
- Love of My Life (Queen) — slower, excellent for developing chord-change smoothness
- Back in Black rhythm (AC/DC) — once you have power chords, this is very achievable
Barre chords use your index finger to press all 6 strings at once. They're physically demanding and most beginners find them frustrating. But once they click, your chord vocabulary multiplies enormously — any major or minor chord anywhere on the neck.
Don't rush these. Power chords first, then barre chords. Your hand needs to build strength first. F major (the first barre chord most people attempt) has defeated many guitarists — give it the time it needs.
For Your Specific Taste
Doors: Ray Manzarek played organ, not guitar — but Robby Krieger's guitar parts are achievable. Pentatonic minor + blues bends. Light My Fire solo is a medium-term goal.
Pink Floyd: David Gilmour is one of the most musical lead guitarists ever. His work is all about feel, bends, and the pentatonic scale. Comfortably Numb solo is a long-term goal but deeply worth chasing.
GN'R: Slash's rhythm work uses power chords heavily. November Rain intro is barre chords. Paradise City rhythm is power chords + strumming pattern. Very achievable in months 3–6.
Metal: Black Sabbath as a bridge. Tony Iommi invented the genre and the riffs are surprisingly simple to learn. War Pigs, Iron Man, Paranoid — all excellent milestones.
Jazz: A separate journey. Different theory (7th chords, extensions), different technique. Something to explore after you're comfortable with barre chords — but the music theory you'll absorb along the way will give you a head start.
Justin Guitar (justinguitar.com) — Grade 2 picks up exactly where this sheet ends: more chords, fingerpicking, and the F chord. Free, structured, and the best thing on the internet for intermediate beginners.