Finally Learn Complete Songs on Guitar Step By Step
by Simon Candy
You can find a tutorial for just about any song on guitar — tabs, chord charts, strumming patterns, and play-along videos.
The problem is that very few of them actually show you how to learn any song on guitar in a way that sticks.
As a result, many guitar players get stuck.
They can play parts of songs, maybe a verse or a chorus, but they struggle to finish songs from start to finish.
If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
In this video, you’ll learn a proven guitar song learning method, broken down step by step, that shows you exactly how to get a song into your fingers and keep it there. This is the same approach I’ve used with my own students for decades to help them finish songs on guitar, not just start them.
We’re going to break down a well-known tune and apply each of these strategies so you can see how they work in real time.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll have a clear, repeatable system you can use to learn any song on guitar without getting stuck.
Watch the video below to learn more:
Step 1: Isolate the Parts of the Song
The first step in this step-by-step process for learning songs is isolation — both isolating musical parts and isolating the techniques needed to play them.
For this example, we’ll use the song Danny Boy.
The specific song doesn’t matter; these concepts apply to any style of music, any genre, and any song you want to learn on guitar.
If we look at a simple arrangement of Danny Boy, we can clearly see two main elements:
• The melody
• The accompaniment (chords or bass)
It’s essential to identify which notes belong to the melody and which notes serve as accompaniment.
Once a song is under your fingers, this distinction allows you to add dynamics and expression. The melody should stand out, while the accompaniment supports it in the background.
Even if this feels obvious, taking the time to isolate these elements makes a huge difference when learning songs efficiently.
If we take a Travis-picking style arrangement, this becomes even more important.
With alternating bass patterns, you must separate:
• The bass line
• The melody line
By isolating the bass notes and understanding their function, then isolating the melody on the higher strings, you gain clarity. This makes the song easier to remember, easier to control dynamically, and much easier to apply to other songs later.
Isolation isn’t just about playing fewer notes — it’s about understanding what each note is doing and why.
Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of isolating the parts of a song.
Step 2: Separate Your Hands When Learning Songs
One of the biggest breakthroughs for guitar players is learning to train the hands separately.
At any given moment, you have two hands doing two different jobs:
• The fretting hand
• The picking hand
Trying to learn both at the same time is one of the fastest ways to get stuck.
Isolating the Fretting Hand
Start by removing the picking pattern entirely and focus only on what the fretting hand is doing.
In Danny Boy, this means identifying the core chord shapes that support the melody.
Instead of worrying about individual melody notes, play only the chord shapes. Notice how the hand moves from chord to chord and how little movement is actually required when efficient fingerings are used.
This allows you to understand the underlying structure of the song — the framework that everything else hangs on.
Isolating the Picking Hand
Next, do the opposite. Take the fretting hand out of the equation completely by lightly muting the strings.
Now you can focus 100% of your attention on the picking hand:
• Which strings are being played
• Which fingers are used
• Hand position and efficiency
This approach is incredibly effective. By separating the hands, you eliminate mental overload and make much faster progress when learning songs on guitar.
Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of how to isolate your hands when learning songs.
Step 3: Use Efficient Fingerings
Efficient fingering is one of the most overlooked aspects of learning songs on guitar.
Many players go with whatever feels comfortable at first, not realising that inefficient fingerings will eventually limit their progress. There are often multiple ways to finger a passage, but there are also many ways that work against you.
When learning a song, take the time to examine:
• Which fretting hand fingers you are using
• Whether those fingers allow notes to sustain
• Whether unnecessary movement is being introduced
Small fingering decisions can make a massive difference to the final sound and your long-term ability to play the song smoothly.
The same applies to fingerpicking.
While general rules exist, such as the thumb playing bass strings and fingers playing treble strings, context matters. Always look for the most efficient solution, not just the most obvious one.
Don’t assume that what another player does is automatically the best option. Put fingerings under the microscope and choose what truly works best for the song.
Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of how to use efficient fingerings.
Step 4: Break the Song Into Small Sections
If you only implement one idea from this lesson, make it this one.
To learn any song on guitar, you must break up the song into small sections and practice them slowly.
Most players try to learn too much at once and play too fast. Tempo and rhythm are irrelevant at this stage.
Your only focus should be:
• Clean notes
• Correct fingerings
• Consistency
Start with just a few notes, even two or three if necessary.
Once those are clean and reliable, add the next note. If mistakes happen repeatedly, you’re either playing too much or playing too fast.
Slow practice isn’t about sounding good, it’s about building correct mechanics.
Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of how to break a song into small parts.
Step 5: Practice the Joins Between Sections
When you break a song into sections, you naturally create gaps between them. These gaps must be practised deliberately.
This process, often called slicing and dicing, involves overlapping sections so you can smoothly transition from one part of the song to the next.
For example:
• Practice the end of one bar
• Then add the beginning of the next bar
These transition points are where most players hesitate.
By isolating and practising them, you eliminate those "speed bumps" and create a fluent performance.
An added benefit of this approach is that you develop multiple entry points into the song. If you lose your place while playing, you can jump back in seamlessly without restarting.
Watch the video above for a detailed breakdown of how to practice the joins between the sections of a song.
A Proven Method For Learning Songs On Guitar
By following this step-by-step method, you:
• Understand the structure of the song
• Train your hands separately
• Use efficient fingerings
• Break songs into manageable sections
• Learn how to reconnect those sections smoothly
This is how you stop getting stuck and start finishing songs on guitar.
It may take time depending on the difficulty of the piece, but if you apply these strategies consistently, you will get results.
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