The Six Strings method
Six Strings starts from a simple idea: you learn faster from a clear page than by hunting for information in the middle of a video. Everything is in one place, in order, and you move at your own pace.
Six Strings—the English edition of Six cordes, French for “six strings”—is a guitar course you read rather than watch.
Why not videos?
A video sets the pace for you. To find the 30 seconds of information you need, you often have to skim through 20 minutes, rewind, lose your place, then move on to the next video, which doesn’t explain things the same way.
A page can be scanned at a glance. You go straight to the part you need, reread the step you didn’t get, and keep the page open while you play. And you’re never learning blind: every diagram, every note on the fretboard, every exercise plays with a click. You always know what you’re supposed to hear.
Everything in one place
The site rests on two pillars, linked together:
- the course, a series of short lessons, in order;
- the reference: chords, scales, techniques and basics, each with its own overview page and detail pages.
When a lesson mentions a chord, a link takes you to its page. Every page follows the same format, so you always know where to find the diagram, the sound or the positions. And search (the magnifying glass at the top of every page, or the / key) finds any chord or scale in seconds.
A clear path
Each lesson tells you how long it takes, what you need to know beforehand and what you’ll be able to do afterward. It ends with a short “You’ve got it when…” list: concrete goals you check off as you go.
Your progress is saved in your browser, with no account to create. With an optional account, it follows you on all your devices. You’ll find it on the home page, in the menu and at the top of each lesson.
To start over from scratch:
This clears every checked box, in every lesson, along with your choice of guitar and course, and your warm-up tempos. Continue?
Your progress has been reset.
At your own pace
Fifteen minutes a day beats two hours on Sunday: your fingers learn through repetition. The guided exercises have an adjustable tempo: start slow, speed up once it’s clean. Nobody’s rushing you, and you can come back to a lesson as many times as you like.
How to use the site
- Start with Getting started with the guitar, then follow the lessons in order.
- Open the reference pages when a lesson mentions them: the diagrams, other positions and sound are all there.
- Use search (magnifying glass or the / key) to find any information in ten seconds, even in the middle of a song.
- Check off what you’ve got down, and come back to the exercises whenever you want to reinforce them.
What you’ll need
A guitar, a pick if you like, and fifteen minutes.