Posted - 2011.07.28 17:48:00 - [3]

 

Tell her to learn all her cowboy chords, A through G, and then to practice different strumming patterns with simple 3-chord progressions. After she's comfortable with that, just go to Google and look for some tabs. 911tabs is a good site.

If she wants to take the classical route, start learning finger picking now...the proper way. She'll need it eventually in any case and finger picking sounds much better in arpeggios instead of a pick.

Don't worry about reading sheet music. Tons of musicians can't and theory is not a prerequisite, although it can't hurt. Get comfortable with the guitar and then when she's ready to move on, then go to theory and such. But right now, learn those chords, learn fingerpicking, and learn strumming patterns.

Oh, and tell her to play until her fingers bleed (literally) and then stop for about two weeks so they can callous over. After she gets those callouses, she'll be set.