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’m Ray been playing for about 6 weeks and getting slow progress, came across you on YouTube and cannot understand what your doing with your fingers no matter how slow I go.
I thought this was supposed to be for beginners. I can’t see what you are doing or how you’re doing it exactly so I haven’t been able to follow it. Could you please start with a brief explanation and demonstration?
Thanks for this Tony! I am a 67 year old who first learned guitar in college as a Music Therapy major. I was only required to take one semester but took all 3 semesters that were offered cuz I loved it so much. Life took a turn after graduation and I wasn’t playing guitar much anymore, some years not at at all. I dusted my guitar off now and then, checked out some online tutorials but never really learned beyond what I learned back in college. So I guess you could say I’m stuck. Looking for some structure to move forward.
Picking up my ovation after 30 years of on again off again.. every acoustic song book, learn 3/4 of a song …type beginner !
Help me change the way I think of myself as a “guitar player” … 30-year beginner. LOL
I can’t get to day 2. help
52 yr old “beginner” here. I played for about a year when I was 15, learning from a friend who was taking lessons at the time. Loved it until he moved out of state and eventually I stopped playing.
Have tried many times to start over, over the years whether it was one on one lessons or YouTube videos but I get bored quick after so many scales and not being able to play anything recognizable.
I’m already feeling the difference with your program in how you teach, builds to something that I’m looking forward to the next lesson.
Can’t wait to see the progress!! Thank you!
I have been playing guitar for 40 years but never felt like I got much better. Now that I have retired, thought it was time for a new challenge.
Picked up the guitar last year. Play on and off with friends. Learned some songs and chords. Enough to play and sing and have fun. Here to really devote time to learn more. Really love the idea and practice of just 10 minutes a day. Took me a bit to get a hang of the first lesson here, but your encouragement and positive attitude helped curb my (lack of) enthusiasm lol. Looking forward to seeing how these 10 minute practices stack up!
Thank you!
Great to be picking the guitar up again after 30+ years of “dabbling” as you say. First day and fingers are already feeling it. Let’s see how this week goes!!!
I tried once before to learn guitar, my husband bought me an acoustic, but I only lasted a few weeks. Years later, I’m 66 and want to do this. I don’t know if my fingers can adjust, but nothing ventured…
Just turned 65. Playing on and off since high school. Studied classical for a awhile but never enjoyed anything structured. Learned more and had more fun jamming with friends.
Thank you Tony! I appreciate your encouragement! I am coming back from a few years ago when I bought my guitar and began to learn, but life changes made it a bit complicated. Now I am excited to be back at learning and picking up my guitar daily!! Love your lessons! 🙂
Hi Tony, I have been trying (TRYING IS THE KEY WORD) for about 2 years now to learn the guitar. I have had two in person instructors that really didn’t know how to teach, every week I would meet with them they would go in a different direction, never building on the week prior. One instructor was trying to teach me Eagles one week, very unsuccessful, and then Pink Floyd the next and it left me very frustrated and discouraged, so I stayed with him for 2 months then quit. I have also bought 2 online courses that were so boring that I quit them. So, I’m at a point that I’m looking for someone that helps me get to a level, not even the next one just a level of some success would be helpful and enjoyable. I’m 65 so my fingers are a little slow, but I saw a bunch of your students my age or older so I feel somewhat confident that you can help me, or at least I hope so. To be honest I am skeptical about your program only because I have heard the story before but I’m willing to put the effort in and hopefully you will surprise me. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks P.S. I’m on day one of your 5 day challenge.
Love the way you break it
Down dude! I’m totally new. 15 year drummer trying to play guitar. Appreciate you.
Hey I am an old Dead Head. Nice choice of tunes.
I learned to play the guitar back in high school from Howie Banfield, a blue grass musician. I switched to mandolin because everyone was playing guitar in our music gatherings. Now in my retirement I want to get back to some of the sounds that just work so much better on the guitar.
Thank you, Tony. I’m 59 and a total beginner.
Coming back after years away.
Hard stretching fingers enough to avoid muting A string. Constantly coming back to guitar
and getting frustrated and walking away. Committed! 65 years old.
I am 67 brand new at guitar and very happy to be here. Thank you
Thanks for this challenge. I am 66 years old and basically starting from scratch and was at least able to try the challenge.
The upper strings are a bit hard for me to reach, but I was able to play the middle strings ok.
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Yeah…you lost me at ‘E’ string. I am not a rank beginner but I might as well be. I am a 51 year old dabbler who has tried to learn several times and given up due to lack of time or patience with people who weren’t teaching as much as they were just playing and telling me how easy it should be.
Hey Tony, thanks for today lesson. I’m 66 and trying this after purchasing a guitar last year and taking 5 introductory lessons from a local teacher. I really like the ability to change the speed of play so I could go back and watch your movements slowed down. It took me several minutes of watching/practicing but I think I got the technique down. Looking forward to tomorrow’s lesson. Thanks!
I’m a 70-year-old total beginner from Colorado. Newly retired and looking for something to do when I’m not fishing.
Today went well! Thanks!
Thanks Tony, I’m a 63 year old struggling beginner in Northern England. I find it very hard to read tab and also some of the language like ‘hammer on’ is foreign to me. I managed it though thanks to your slow mo video! I’m not getting any sound when I hammer on the 5th fret? Are you using semi-acoustic?
Keep up the great work and thanks again.
Hey Tony, I’m 78, (in years only, lol) first picked up the guitar in 1966. I was comfortable jamming with friends through the late 60s and early 70s until I got married. Swore I was getting back to it 1000s of times over the years, with very little success. I started your challenge today and feel like a total beginner. I think for me, along with meeting the goal of the 5 days, will be to get the old hands back into shape. Glad I found your challenge, I have high hopes.
Working through the first challenge. I am brand new at this.
Returning after months away taking cancer treatment.
You’re moving way too fast without explaining the finger and fret moves. Having watched other teachers this is very confusing on video. You need to slow down and assume people know nothing.
Hi Tony
I’ve been playing for 30 years but have felt stuck and limited for most of that time. I fumbled my way through the first exercise and in the past would have been really frustrated about not being able to finger the notes accurately. Looking forward to the rest of the week
Hey Tony, I’ve been taking lessons for 10 years, starting out late in life. although I have played in dozens of the adult rock shop groups that my school offers, I have felt stuck. With a lot of vacation time happening over the next couple of months, I paused my lessons but wanted something to help motivate me to play while I’m away, so I’m giving this a try.
Great first lesson! I’m a 64 yr old newbie from Toronto – have dabbled a bit, can play a handful of chords but still struggle changing chords in time. Really like the idea of stacking progress. Thank you!
Hey Tony, Really excited to be here. I’m playing in Surrey, England.
Beginner really but jumping in and out for years. I struggle with the pic, prefer to pic/play with my fingers. Is this okay?
Thanks
Love the 5day challenge . I’m going to sign up for the rest of the course ! Any advise or exercises to loosen up the wrist and or fingers ? I just don’t have the flexibility. Or will it come the more I play ? Thank you !!
I did it!! Slowly….but I did it!! At first, I was like “what?” I don’t even know what you’re talking about, but then I just did it! Thanks!!!!
Small win?…tried to do it! […for the 1st time-since i started ‘looking’ …early in December…]
Picking it back up after years away as a dabbler.
Started a couple of days late due to holidays and not checking emails
Fingers sore, but smiling
Thanks Tony
Played in a band in the 80’s. Then life happened and I put the guitar down except for rare occasions. As I pick up now, I have forgotten much.
I am good with the notes but I have only gotten the picking down correctly when playing slowly.
Former bass player in high school, 40+ years ago. Just picked up acoustic guitar – fired up to learn it into retirement
A hammer on is not an easy thing for a day one beginner
Got behind a day and trying to catch up. The clear instructions and encouragement are greatly appreciated! Having a challenging moving my fat fingers around the strings, but practice makes perfect!
I’m a 56 year old beginner. I have dabbled a little, but would definitely be classified as a beginner.
New beginner
I was sick yesterday so I’m a day behind. I have been practicing most of the major cords without playing any song. Not able to play bar cords.
stuck in a rut
I am an intermediate guitar player…. I read tab, finger pick…. love the course so far.
I’m a person whose life was geared around music for 20 years. Now I’m a dabbler. I’ve always wanted to play guitar, it’s more portable and independent than my other instruments and it just never felt clear to me. Following this video helped pieces fall into place and I’m excited to not only establish good habits while learning stuff that sounds good, but also to understand guitar more deeply than just learning a couple cords to do a mediocre job with a song. Yippee!
Have been a dabbler for 8 – 9 years, have not touched my guitar for a year due to moving and remodeling the new place. Your approach on the first day really pushed me. I am 76 so you’ve got a challenge ahead of you.
Brand new to guitar and to that pattern from Grateful Dead. It took a while for me to get the rhythm done with the pick hand but I got it. Had to watch the video several times- just watching pick at first and then just watching the fret hand. Slow speed was super helpful. I got it except maybe the hammer part. I was picking on that part when I think I should only be switching fret place. When I did that I did not get much sound though. Biggest challenge other than getting rhythm was my middle finger hitting two strings on the fret! Lots of mistakes!
I use to play in college, haven’t “played” in 40 years. I did not see tabs.
That was definitely different, bu I gained confidence as I practiced.
I’m new, to Guitar (less than a year)
Got started with G4V. Love learning, and it helps with my PTSD and depression. I’m 67 in February coming up, just playing for family and friends.