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.
Also, a perpetual beginner… took in person lessons for a few years with my daughter, that’s the best I ever got… we could play some basic songs D A G chords, learned finger picking too but now 10 + years later, it all feels Greek to me lol
Complete beginner, though have played a few blues notes, starts and endings.
This lesson just cant get my head around the picking, got the first part down, hammer up, but the rest just goes out the window trying to figure out the rest of the first 2 strings.
I am an intermediate player that plays mostly bluegrass.
68 and always wanted to play guitar.
Fingers have a hard time hitting just one string – gest worse as I move down to higher strings.
I’ll keep at it.
Any suggestions to get my fingers to not hit lower strings!!
Sort of a perpetual beginner. Played a little several decades ago, got interested again maybe 6 or 7 years ago after becoming friends with a blues guy who, at the time, was playing a lot of 3 string stuff. Then got distracted by assembling guitars, 1st the CBG stuff then some partscasters. I have a mechanical background which means I need to break that approach of applying mechanics to everything to be able to play smoothly.
I am a beginner. I had problems following as I am very visual and need to see everything especially finger placement.
I’m brand new and struggling with finger placement
Hi, I’m left hand and I learnt Guitar on right hand guitar ( that was some 20 years ago) so i’m playing upside down and that has been my challenge. I had to make extra effort to learn, everything is upside down. I’m from Seychelles and that so many years agothere was no acces to left hand guitar and it on borrowed guitar ( could not turn the strings around) My muscle memory is like that, so I had extreme dificult to solo, but become failr good on strumming. That is where I’m starting.
Day 1: So far so good! Lol. First time learning guitar…(or at least trying)….brand new beginner. 56yrs old, have been drumming for25+ years…now looking to try something new, learn the basics, have fun with it, and build on it as I go….no stress, no pressure. I have my faith in you and the process!….Let’s go!
Tony I am 62.
I took lessons for about 5-6 years straight, Stopped playing for about the last 7 yrs.
I could move around on the Penotonic scale no problem, and I could move the shapes around by ear. Might take me a little bit to figure out where the shapes went in that key but once I found it I could stay on it.
My issues have always been the same one.
Even here. My fingers hit other strings and mute or buzz them.
Example on this:
Moving between E and A strings. Finger on the fifth fret will mute or buzz the A string on the up. I moved my fingers around and got it to work, basically I looked at your fingers and noticed you were off the fretboard with the top of your fingers. That worked for this. I definitely fall into the perfectionist mentality. Really want to learn to play well and for fun.
I started very young and never progressed far. I’ve been dabbling ever since.
Tony played 55 years ago but decided to stat again…bought a guitar and have been gettting back familiar with the instrument…Not as easy as it was when I was younger but am anxious to progress into a guitar player again.
Hi Tony I am struggling on day one Iam 74 with athritis in both hands,can’t seem to get my fingers in the right place on the fret board and hitting the right string but I will persevere.
I have slowed the video down to help me.
What do you think,any tips.
Sorry but I m trying to open the tab. And nothing happened. Trying to slow the video down nothing happens. I m left handed so watching this video I need to zone in the tabs as it’s backwards to me. How do I get the tabs to open clicked on several times.
Thanks, I appreciate the pace. I have used one on one lessons and some online skill development. But it didn’t lead towards playing a song.
This seems different.
Thanks,
Peter
I’m in the stuck class, been trying to play since a teenager with big gap working and raising a family, now 70. Happy to see others like me!
Difficulties are multiple. Fifth fret has a tendency to mute the next string (Starting on e and going to A), managing to hit the next higher open, and with the proper upstroke. Are the upstrokes important? speed related? Seems like hitting down on A from E could work as well.
Hello Tony,
I turn 70 at the end of may. Back in 2008 I bought a Laguna accoustic electric beautiful sound. I try to learn but never really gave it the time I should have , excuses were much easier to come up with. Last November I retired and moved to the Philippines unfortuntely my guitar is months away from getting here. I find myself doing a lot of gardening and decided to finally put a real effort into learning. So I bought a Bromo 6 string from a local guitar store.not bad sounding and the action is low but has a good sound. Where I am at is trining to play chords cleanly having a tough time doing this. I know I can because I have in the past. I really like your approach, and will be signing up when I can get my grip back on the chords. I bought the guitar saturday and I am practicing at least a half hour a night well maybe an hour. My fingers are really fighting me.
Gary
In high school I had gotten pretty good at finger picking blues guitar. Lightnin’ Hopkins was my favorite. Over time I just stopped playing altogether. I never went beyond what I knew. It was boring.
Today, for the first time decades, I tried to learn something new on the guitar: flat picking. Totally awkward! In all my life I had never felt comfortable playing with a flat pick.
As I was doing day one of this 5 day challenge was happy to know that my left hand is still pretty good moving around the neck of my guitar. The flat picking was another story! I was always flubbing the ups and downs . So It was great to be able to slow the video down and stop it so I could see exactly how you were picking each string. I’m far far from perfect. But I made progress and that felt so good.
I was about to sell my Stratocaster but when I saw that almost 12,000 of ‘em were for sale on eBay I thought I should at least pick it up and try to play again. I’m so glad I came across this 5 day challenge.
Twenty-five years since I’ve played. At a point in my life where I have time to do this. Went to the local guitar store and replaced the (rusted out) strings/refurbished the guitar. Too embarrassed for in-person lessons, so this might fill the bill. Fingertips have no calluses, so there’s that….
18 years since leaving entry level guitar, mostly focussed on chords, never thought i could do finger picking -can see how useful in licks for some songs. Chord memory pretty good but big fingers causing some strings to buzz. Looking forward to the challenge -tricky to see where your fingers are pressing the strings without the notes there have to get better set up on ipad or computer rather than phone -i guess looking at the tab sheet before starting would help eh
Ugh! I do not even know the strings so this just went over my head. I’ve had a guitar for about 2 years and started with a popular app, I did about 10 lessons and gave up. I still pay for that app! So at least I know my guitar is tuned! I will have to go back to the first lesson to know what the heck high E and low E means. But I am here!
I’m just getting back into guitar. Never had formal lessons and self taught. I felt totally overwhelmed with the lesson today but… with baby steps… I think I got it!
Hi, im trying the 5 day challenge. I’m bases in West Wales in the UK and 54 years young. I’ve always been a learner with the guitar….over decades….I doubt I even hold the pick correctly or the neck of the guitar…but I’m giving it one last go. I find it very difficult to coordinate both hands, although right handed, weirdly have played clarinet and most woodwind left-handed??it’s a strange one, or rather, I am.¿?
So far, so good! 68 years old living in Germany and still working full time. Used to play 50 years ago – melody line only on a few songs with a used electric guitar. Always wanted to learn how to make the acoustic guitar play the song: baseline, melody, chords. Your program makes it easy to do short practice sessions during the week without feeling guilty. Suggestion: It would helped this beginner a lot if you would have shown how to use a pick!!
Intermediate player who is STUCK
74 years old and picking it back up.
Im 73 years old and have always admired people who could play guitar. My Son in law and two of my grandchildren play. Finally I decided at my age I’m going to try. I’ve been checking your site and tried your free lesson at this point I’m not giving up but it seems after trying the free lesson I don’t see myself advancing past it to soon, it just seems like so much.
I’m left handed newbie on an electric guitar. TRYING my best to figure it out.
trying to improve my “stick to it tiveness”
coming back understand challenge and playing ok
Hammer on? Thats a lesson in itself.
You lost me at ” come back down on the E. Where? Fourth fret? Fifth? Open? i am 72. I started playing during COVID. I joined a seniors group not long ago that has a guitar drop in. I got rhythm. I got a voice.
I am starting over 40 years after college. All I learned then was chords which was incredibly boring. I’d rather play classical style
I am 75 and new to guitar! Wanted to play since I was 16 but never really tried, just thought I couldn’t do it !
I’m almost 60 and new to learning the guitar and have round neck slide resonator guitar I purchased used.
Hi. Any reason why I didn’t receive today’s (Day 2) video? It’s not in my junk file so not sure what happened.
Hi Tony,
I am now 75 and have been dabbling all my life with trying to play guitar. I would play for a while then put the guitar away for months at a time. Your program sounds interesting, so I am trying the 5-day challenge. I live in Australia, and I am trying to find out if there are any of your students who live in Australia so I could prectice together with them. I live in Melbourne to be specific. Thank you in advance.
Hi Tony, I’ve been a working percussionist for close to 40 years, I picked up guitar about 15 years ago, playing in church worship bands and with my kids, around 12 years ago I started doing music with preschoolers which is mostly guitar and singing and I’ve progressed quite a bit but I really just learn what’s necessary to play the songs I’d like and I lack the foundation that I have on percussion, I like your approach with small bites that accumulate and I’m looking forward to the next lesson
Thanks
Well…. I am 75 & brand spanking new to guitars. I don’t know the chords, fingers are ….umm…weak maybe & pretty sure my guitar is out of tune. Anyways I will stick with it as frustrating as it is right now. Any comments or suggestions are welcome .
Cheers,
Have been noodling for years, trying different online courses but still stuck. Play keyboards and mandolin and do a few things on guitar but nothing earth shattering. At 81, and being in the short rows, figured I need to get on the stick. My drawbacks are arthritis and somewhat short fingers and have to improvise, adapt and overcome at times. Hopefully, your program will be it.
After dabbling for years, trying to get some focus and un learn bad habits.
justpicked up guitar last week 62 y old
I lost most of my vision in brain surgery a year ago. I grew up in music as a horn player and Latin percussionist. My dad was the strings guy so I just left that to him. Now that I am in my late 40s and can’t see o figure guitar is a good way to work my hands and keep my brain active when I’m not hiking. So far so good. Doing most of this by ear. Your description are great to help me get where I need to be on the strings. I look forward to moving on.
good
I originally took drum lessons and played for years, but with guitar I just kept messing with it over the years playing whatever i felt like… with no real purpose but to see what I could make up. Over the last few years I’ve been working off/on on trying to understand the keys, fret notes, scales and all that, but always seemed like i was missing some magic secret to put it all together in my head. So that is where I’m at.
I’ve been doing lessons for about a year, learning parts of songs and doing ok but I can’t yet play a whole song and don’t really understand where I’m going. Or how I’m going to get there.
Have been quasi dabbling for too many years. Played in a cover band many years ago. Need a refresh and skills upgrade. You have good technique on guitar and communication and held my attention so far so looking forward to seeing how this week progresses. Thanks!
Been noodling for about 2years and don’t seem to be advancing.
Bit tricky to start with but I’m getting there.
I love the blues.
Hey! I’m a dabbler looking to further my skills. I started playing the guitar in 11th grade and mostly learned songs by ear, dissecting their parts. Got into a few tab books, I was in two bands within the first five years, used to make my own songs, then kinda stopped. I’ve been in a rut for well over a decade now. I think of a few licks or lyrics, but haven’t put them to paper in a while. I’d love to work on jamming, finding the right key, soloing, getting more comfortable with the fretboard, and generally understanding what is possible with the guitar.
I saw your video and got hooked. Eager to learn in bite-sized pieces and relearn how to play more than my usual. I’m glad I’m in good company!
First time picking up a guitar since 2nd grade, eager to see if I can get the hang of it this time around!