Learning a new instrument can be an incredibly rewarding experience. That’s of course once you’ve gotten past the early frustration of realising that your fingers just don’t bend in the required directions, and that music is a form of ancient witchcraft devised to torture beginners. Thankfully things have come a long way since Bert Weedon’s Play in a Day (ask your grandpa) and budding musicians can reap the benefits of modern technology in their pursuit of mastering the melodic.

Nowadays an iPad and a few apps are all you need to get yourself playing in no time at all. Well, that and some dedication, thus it ever was. So if you’ve recently bought a guitar, or have a dusty one under the bed that you purchased long ago, try out some of the tips below and you could be tearing it up at an open mic night before you know it.