TIPS FOR TODAY
Progress comes from momentum, not mastery.
If today’s challenge feels awkward or slow, that’s exactly how it’s supposed to feel. This isn’t a “nail it in one day” test — it’s your first pass at a new motion. Your hands will keep improving every time you come across a similar skill.
Even 10 focused minutes is enough to count today as a win. Our goal is NOT to perfect it. It’s to get exposure to a new skill.
Just get the motion under your fingers a few times at your own pace, and trust that next time you try a skill like this, it will feel a little smoother.
YOUR SAMPLE WEEK OF TONY'S ACOUSTIC CHALLENGE
5-Day "Stop Dabbling, Start Playing Guitar" Challenge
- MON: Technique
- TUE: Lick
- WED: Improv
- THU: Rhythm
- FRI: Transitions
FREE WHEN YOU JOIN TODAY
30 DAY JUMPSTART
All new members start with our 30-day jumpstart to learn the basics. It comes free with your membership when you join today.
3-Steps to Stop Dabbling and Start Playing
Try the Free 5-Day Challenge
Get a feel for the TAC method and see what 10 minutes a day can do.
Join TAC and Build Your Foundation
Start the 30-Day Jumpstart Challenge (included when you join) to lock in the basics and build a daily habit.
Keep Going with Daily Challenges
After the 30-Day Jumpstart, keep improving—one fun, daily guitar session at a time.
I am familiar with tableture but struggle with chord progression. In today’s video you said Hammer in 5th fret are you also playing that note?
I just became a TAC member on July 9th. I have been working on the 30 days to play since then. IO have made several attempts to play guitar in the past but was not able to follow thru. Now I’m hoping to stay with this method and really get to where I want to be. I have been enjoying the lessons so far and actually look foreword to playing my guitar. Thanks Tony
My fingers are slow but I have confidence in the learning process. I totally appreciate the ability to slow down the play tutorial.
Beginner, after listening, playing and following tabs I started to get it. Fingers are tender and was a little hard get good sounds sometimes. Enjoyable
I have been trying to learn enough guitar to string a couple of songs together for years with little or no success. I think that having an abismal memory is holding me back, although today’s lesson is short enough to remember and practice. An interesting selection of challenges in keeping my middle finger out of the way when strumming the adjacent higher string. I have this problem sometimes with a G chord. Up stroke on beat 4 doesn’t feel natural, so I’m working hard on this. Time will tell and I eagerly await tomorrows lesson.
I am new to learning guitar – very green. I found today’s lesson, feeling like I had jumped out of the plane and was now getting instructions on how to pack my parachute. I don’t know the E from the B or XYZ. It made it hard to figure out finger placement. It’s true what they say, it’s not easy being green.
I’m back after years of being away, but even then I was by no means a proficient player…so I’m really starting from scratch.
Coming back after 40 years, didn’t have enough time then. College and full time job. I’ve been working with a teacher for the last few months but although I’ve gotten better at chords, I’m terrible at strumming. Reading a little music and some tabs. I like playing notes better than strumming chords. I quit my lessons because I don’t think he is teaching me the way I need to learn. I don’t want to give up.
I started trying to learn guitar several years ago and made some progress but got to a point where I didn’t see any improvement and I was never comfortable playing around or for others because I didn’t think my playing sounded good as no matter how much I practiced I would always hit sour notes or forget which chord I was supposed to go to however some friends and family would tell me I sounded good just being nice I supposed so I quit playing but have recently tried to pick it up again. As I try this first lesson I find it virtually impossible to play the 6th string and hammer on and still be able to pick the 5th string without buzzing or muting the string below as it always contacts the back side of my fingers even though I am using just the tips of my fingers the meaty fat portion of my fingers get in the way. Very frustrating
Brand New 54 year old guitar player. Got guitar on Monday. I understand tempo and can read music from the past as I was a Alto and Clarinet player. I think I was a bit early for this challenge, as I did not even know how to sit, pic or fret properly. A few pauses to leard the fundamentals and still working the fretting and not muting the string below. Tempo and pic I got. But fretting a clean note on the A string is my biggest challenge right now. Appreciate the all the support. I am still working on Day 1 but will get through it!
60 year old, beginner.
I’m 65 and I would consider myself completely new at playing guitar. I did do some dabbling in my teens but didn’t stick with it after I moved out of my parents house. The real problem with me with this exercise is that my middle finger and ring finger won’t separate enough for me to fret the fifth fret cleanly as well as muting the A string beneath the E string with my ring finger. I’ll keep at it for the rest of today though and hope I improve.
Beginner and I can’t find the tab notation..doesnt seem to be in lower right corner
thanks for the free 5 day challenge, I’m from Florida and from a family with a musical background. We used to play as a family on weekends at my dads farm in Kentucky and at the time I played Base, but through the years I drifted away from the music. This past year my Younger brother passed away and left me 5 guitars which inspired me to get back into it. I had a teacher for several months but he gave it up to go after a job that he was going to school for. I still have all of the music that we studied, but seem a little lost in trying to stay focused. I’m hoping that this week will convince me to join the TAC and continue to improve.
Thanks,
Excellent start into the 5 day challenge. Greetings from Germany. I am stuck in some songs, hope you way of playing will help to make my guitar talk. Being a long time Springsteen Fan, I like the play – don’t practice mode.
Awesome first video! I previously bought a nice acoustic guitar and started taking lessons, but it never stuck. Looking forward to trying again using your technique.
Been playing for 55 years and feel like i “peaked” 53 years ago! I’m retired now so it’s time to fix that!
I’m just stuck with learning the technique stuff I can play chords bu t couldn’t put a song together if my life depended on it. Really slow on the uptake. I’m 73 and want to play for keeping sharp but feel frustrated.
Just been stuck for a long time
69yrs young, got me cheap acoustic to learn with about 2 months ago and this is my 1st lesson ever, little slow but I get there lol ,trying this out and I am thankful for you giving back to people to allow us to see a great 5 day lesson for free and your lesson or great experience, and the monthly lesson prices are outstanding, hopefully at the end I will have the courage to enroll, and you are a encouraging teacher, Thank you again
Hey Tony, my fingers and hands are still sweaty 🙂 The pressure! I bought my first guitar about a year ago at the age of 70 (but I know how to spell music as I played in my junior and senior high school band on trumpet). Messed around with it for about 6 months and quickly learned how to play 6 chords and watched tons of YouTube guitar videos. Then hit my first plateau and basically have stayed there for about the last 6 months. Hoping this will get me moving forward again.
Couldn’t even quite follow the pattern at first. Lots of what string am I trying to hit with my pick….had to slow it down to .5x. But, after about another 10 minutes in the “Play loop”, I actually got to (mostly) follow along at 1x speed. I’ll count that as a win for me! Thanks much.
I am just starting to learn. I am renting an electric guitar and taking a weekly lesson but supplementing with this challenge. I am older, and worry that my hands may not be strong enough to play the way I want to, but I am also not trying to become a professional musician, so will play for my own pleasure as well as I can. Progress comes quickly, because I practice every day and have lots of fun doing it. My goal is to play blues licks intuitively, but I know that’s a long way down the road. ‘Friend of the Devil’ is a great song, and I am excited to learn part of it!
Hey all – I am a 53-year-old drummer and have been an on-again, off-again beginner guitarist for a couple of years now. I like this approach and would really love to go pick up an acoustic to play this on. Right now, I am playing an unamplified electric guitar. I cannot justify purchasing another guitar until I am sure I am taking guitar playing seriously.
Great exercise very clear instruction and the pdf helps. I just can’t seem to get the open notes clear without my thick fingers touching the string, any helpful hints?
Over a 10 year period I have had on line lessons and lessons with 4 different instructors but didn’t stick at it so yesterday I picked up my guitar for the first serious attempt at playing music since I put my guiitar down about 6 years ago. I really did enjoy playing the day one piece and at 74 years of age I am determined to give your lessons a good go.
Super fun! Got a long way to go, but i’m glad the guitar is being used other than as a clothes hangar!
I’m a left-handed person playing right. I’ve been picking up the guitar off and on for years trying to get something to click but I’m still having trouble seeing what’s actually going on in the video fingering and what you’re picking was practicing the wrong pattern so I’ll have to go back and figure out the right one. Not too good at reading music especially off the phone because my computer is down
I’m still very new to everything, but I have hope that this might help. And I would get the experience either way even if it sound at first really bad. It does seem abit hard but when i get it down it would feel amazing.
New
Brand new…and honestly, a little overwhelming on just day 1… gulp
Hi Tony, my name is Norm. I’m 56 years old, and I guess you would say I’m a returning guitar student, ready to become a player. I took guitar class when I was 15-16 years old in high school, and lost focus and drive when I couldn’t make sense of the guitar. I’ve sort of always had a desire to be a guitar player, and a piano player as well, and I’ve recently made the commitment to myself to get serious and put my fingers where my desire is, so to speak. I’m working on the 5-day challenge now, and am interested to see where things go!
I’ve been playing right handed guitar as a lefty for 50 years. The fight to control my right hand can get pretty ugly. Let’s see where your challenge leads. Day 1 has been productive.
Brand spanking new at 75 years old, trouble getting the fret fingers to understand in ynison with the picking but trying
I’m excited about the challenges and the concept of small wins. I played guitar 40 years ago and didn’t go far only playing chords but have lost all of it. Looking to get back to it and learn to play some of the songs I love from the sixties through the eighties.
Not a beginner, looking for ways to make my chords, solos and transitions cleaner. I have been playing consistently for over 4 decades.
I’ve been a rock/blues player since 1981 – some gaps, not 100% continuous – and I play in cover bands locally. But 90% of the time I play electric, not acoustic. I just got my first GOOD acoustic this year and I’m trying to elevate my acoustic chops, So far this is a bit elementary for me, but I know it will do me good to get through.
Mark here. 54 yrs young beginner currently living on Lake Norman NC. I purchased a Fender Telecaster and after this week I’ll be ordering my first acoustic.
Tony, Thank you in advance for putting this all together I’m sure it’s going to be a great learning experience!
I took lessons as a child just learning chords and trying to play songs. This was extremely frustrating and grew up dreading my lessons. I never had “technique lessons”, nor learned any of the scales. Thank you for this great practice.
Day 1 total beginner
I am starting guitar from scratch. No previous knowledge or hands on guitar at all. Always wanted to play. Age is 69 retired and staying busy. Strength and dexterity with my fretting hand is my current challenge.
Day 1 total beginner
I go by “Trish”. Its been years since I played and my guitar teacher only taught chords and songs we wanted to learn. I have never been taught basics and at 66 years old am wondering if I should get the $197 refund already? I only played HAPPY BIRTHDAY by strings. I was learning chords … he was a blues guitarist who i think felt we were too old to learn basics. What should I do? I am having skin grafts and not my best. A songwriter of 5 yrs who would love to be a better guitarist.
Help Tony!
Trying again. Never knew what to practice. Just did the same old thing all the time. Giving this a go. I feel useless at the moment but I’ll keep trying. All the way down here in NZ
I’ve never heard the song before. But I got this down after seeing the tab. I can’t tell from the video’s which finger is where, but the tab works for me. 63 A dabbler. I’ve been around guitars my whole life. I can build, upgrade, repair, and collect them. Have 14 right now. Never learned an entire song. Now that I’m retired it’s time to get serious so I can justify buying another Martin.
This is my first time ever, picking up a guitar, and I am 66 years old. In other words, I know nothing!
Brand new. 70 yo.
I have been playing off and on for about 3 years. Got the chords and can sing/play at home. Wanting to take it to the next level so I can play with others and not just sing at church, but play too . Today’s lesson was definitely a challenge but I know this will get easier with time.
Tony,
I play in my Church band(acoustic) and I want to get better at playing so maybe one day I can take a bigger role in the band. We play most of the modern day songs. With the chords printed before me I do OK. But I want to learn more.
Thanks for what you do.
Getting back in after too much timer away.
Enjoying day 1 of the challenge. Thanks for the tools: instruction section, play along section, tab sheet, and speed control.