Should You Learn Chords or Scales First?

Should You Learn Chords or Scales First?

If you’re just starting guitar, you may have wondered: Should I learn chords or scales first?

My answer is: learn both—but don’t try to learn everything at once.

Chords are going to get you playing songs quickly. Scales are going to help you understand the fretboard, create melodies, and eventually play solos. The trick is learning them in a way that connects the two.

Start with a handful of essential open chords and practice changing between them smoothly. Use those chords to play real songs as soon as possible. At the same time, begin learning a simple scale, like the minor pentatonic.

The important part is understanding why you’re learning each thing.

A chord isn’t just a shape you memorize. A scale isn’t just a pattern you run up and down. They’re pieces of the same musical language.

As you progress, you’ll start seeing how chords, scales, rhythm, and melody work together. That’s when guitar starts becoming much more interesting.

So if you’re asking me which comes first, my answer is:

Don’t choose one. Start building the connection between them from the beginning.

That’s one of the ideas behind The Guitar Factory’s Pillar System. I wanted students to learn chords, rhythm, scales, technique, and theory without having huge gaps between them.

The goal isn’t just to know more guitar information.

The goal is to be able to use it.

Ready to understand more of the guitar?

Explore the Guitar Factory courses and start building your skills one step at a time.