TIPS FOR TODAY
If the word “solo” makes you want to hide behind the couch, you’re in the right place.
Improvisation isn’t some advanced skill reserved for guitar wizards — it’s just playing a few good-sounding notes in your own order. Today’s scale is designed so that every note works. There are no “wrong” ones to find.
Your first solos are supposed to feel simple. Simple is how your ear learns what it likes. Simple is how confidence is built. Simple is what unlocks real creativity later.
If your brain taps out on the second pattern, that’s okay — camp out on the first, easy version and just make little phrases you enjoy. That still counts as soloing.
By the end of this session, you didn’t just “try” a solo — you played one.
And that feeling? That’s the spark that keeps people going.
YOUR SAMPLE WEEK OF TONY'S ACOUSTIC CHALLENGE
5-Day "Stop Dabbling, Start Playing Guitar" Challenge
- WED: Improv
- THU: Rhythm
- FRI: Transitions
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3-Steps to Stop Dabbling and Start Playing
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So far these have been very easy for me so I guess I’m not really the right audience. But I do see how this would be very helpful for beginners.
Today win was the fun!!! It is fun changing notes to find something different. I found it easier that the previous days, especially the horizontal scale, since it is just one string. I had watched one of your vids on the A minor scale previously, which I am sure helped. My brain understands all of the challenges, but my fingers don’t want to listen.
My win is, I started looking at the emails that I’ve got from you and they are actually from a little over a year ago. I think I had started the first challenge and never finished it because of life. But here I am on day three. Being completely new to playing guitar, it’s been a challenge. The harmony guitar I’m playing on is cracked in the front and on the neck, but I’m doing the best I can. Having a really hard time with my fat fingers on the strings. I always feel like I’m hitting too many strings at one time or messing up the second note. But I want to keep trying and get through these five days and see how I feel after that. Playing guitar is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’m just not sure if I can do it. But for the first time, I think I might be able to. I’m also having a problem because my iPhone does not like the videos. But I’ll work through that the best I can. I’ve been through the three days, but don’t feel like I have grasp a lot of it. I actually think day three was the easiest of the three. But I will keep trying and see how day four goes.
This was a better day
I feel a little better today after da 1 and 2
Great day today. I was jamming with the backing track, 5-7-5-9-5-12-0-2-5
That was a lot of fun.
This was very much FUN. I fell a bit behid and am catching up. That means I revisit earlier days and it is nice to see eve the small day-to-day changes. It seems that the revisit is important to me.
ok I fell behind on the days. I never play with a pick but this felt good. I recognized the first position pentatonic scale which I’ve practiced before. I loved playing up the string along with the g string. I never did this before. Loved the sound. My win Is finally feeling good with a pick.
My win for today challenge is that I showed up. A little late but I made it. As a complete new by to this guitar playing this is very confusing. 10 min a day is nit enough. I go themriugh each days videos 4 or 4 times and still have trouble following.
I am going to keep trying and practicing everyday these lessons until I get it though.
Thanks Tony for the challenge.
That was awesome. Not only playing as taught, but improvising with an anchor. Thanks
Flat picking is new to me, enjoying it. This is the first time in a long time I picked up and played my guitar for 3 days in a row and accomplished something.
I am not getting it perfect and my timing is a bit off but I am starting to get it and it’s really fun!!!
When you first started instruct the beginning of this I felt somelost, to I realized it was a Pentatonic Scale,which I had learned to play years ago. The rest of the lesson was a lot easier than yesterday. I can not complete these lessons in 10 minutes and feel like I completely understand them. Being a player who have always followed written tabatures to play, I making my own.
This was for easiest lesson so far for me. My pentatonic scale practice from the past 2 years helped and I nearly managed the pace of the video after an hour. I liked the improvisation to the background track. Thanks.
OMG that was fun. My wife asked if that was me playing. Haha. Thanks for starting the fire again. Now I just need one more guitar.
I had a small win today! Getting better, I can hear it now. Thx Tony
Still fumbling around a bit but getting better
Wow. After a quick breakfast with my wife, i went off to practice the scales. Theh took a breath and dived ibto the improv thinking i can’t really do this. Then i began to get into it. Holding notes i like, repeating little phrases. Mu wife calls out from the other room, “ what are you playing, i really like that.” Wow. Tony it was like you said and I told her that. Soooo coool. I am so digging this.
My small win is
I’m starting to get comfortable with the flat pick every one that I know who plays guitar comes over and starts shredding guitar licks but never really explain things your plan is fun and kinda easy I’m stressing kinda but it starts to make sense thanks
It’s definitely not taking me 10 minutes per day, rather 45 min, at least. But yeah, I’m understanding stuff that looked like Chinese for me before.
Small wins: I never play with a pick and have been fairly successful these last three days. Playing three days in a row is also huge for me and focusing on starting with just 10 min. has made that more accessible. Today was especially helpful to just slow down with a scale and play with notes, also allowing an opportunity to just let the pick playing happen. I tend to mostly strum chords, so also appreciated this opportunity to explore the fret board and feel more at ease while doing so. Pentatonic scales are so reassuring, so thanks for bringing that access to guitar playing.
I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed, but at the same time, the connection is coming together.
OK Tony, I think you broke my guitar, it has never sounded like this. You have given me the tools to get started in the correct way. This 5 day challenge has been better for me that the 30 days to [play so far. I became a member on 7/9/26 so I’m still in the first week of the 30 days to play. Love this 5 day challenge, it is very challenging for me. Keep up the good work.
things got a little tough today, being lefthanded and playing righthanded I have a hard time with coordination, so following the strumming my left hand is finding the notes but my right hand is using a pick keeps missing the right strings so I’m really having to slow the song down enough to keep up. My past lessons have mostly been about cords and transitions, but hay I managed to make it sound pretty good
Hey Tony! Fellow Chicago area guy here. Thanks for this 5 day challenge! I’m in way over my head as I’m just starting (again) to learn guitar at 60, but diving in. My question is this…as I am recovering from shoulder surgery (12 weeks out) and unable to comfortably play my acoustic (it pushes my arm too far away from my body for this stage) I am using my Strat for everything, including this 5 day acoustic challenge. Should I be doing something else and come back to this when I can play the acoustic or just continue with the Strat? Thanks! Go Blackhawks!
Really amazing. I have been trying to play for 10 yrs and now, I have the impression to have found what I was looking for.
Loved it, thank you, wow
You are one of the best teachers I’ve seen doing this, but unfortunately I have zero coordination and can’t seem to get my fingers and hand to sync up or get my fingers to not touch other strings and mess up the note I was trying to play, but its been fun and you have made it easy to understand and made it easy to try, but unfortunately I think my journey ends here, I just can’t get my fingers and hand to work properly to play.. thank you for making a course that makes it easy for people to understand
It was a real struggle to find the time today but I did it! And I was able to do it. It was fun being able to play up the neck. I can’t get the tab and the learning screen side by side tho
My win for today, was i just had fun. Mind you I am a total rookie so I didn’t do everything perfect but I still had fun! Didn’t feel stressful!
Today I did feel a win, I actually figured out the correct tuning on the tuner and listened to the different notes of the strings individually and strummed. Also practised day one again two one one two down on low e one up on a one down on low e progressing down through each string
I had the scales and chords pretty good but my strumming was abhorrent.
the 2nd day of the challenge i actually sounded musical and I felt like “I can do this”
Looking forward to the rest of the challenge!
Do you recommend a string gauge to start with?
On day two I was feeling a little down because I felt like I wasn’t getting it, then on Wednesday (day 3) I had too many things to do, so I slid day three’s lesson to Thursday and something surprising happened: My playing had noticeably improved even though I missed a day! I guess it’s because I kept thinking about what I’d already learned and going over it in my head on repeat. Anyway, day 3 soloing was fun, but a little frustrating trying to stay in sync with Tony on the scales.
I’ve been putting too much pressure on myself for decades and it’s defeated me. Ten-minutes per day to start has enabled me to come back energized each day. And the steps are FUN!
Today was a little harder for me moving up and down the frets. My simple win today was just showing up and hitting a few right notes!
I’m getting it. The play along is the hardest part for me. I’m not sure if I’m in step, or key. But I’m going to spend more time on it than 10 minutes. The thing that motivates me is learning something new and moving along. I’ve been bored with so many methods in the past. From Metal Method to GuitarZoom. Good programs, they just didn’t keep my interest.
I felt a breakthrough! It was so fun to solo with the backing track, it sounded so nice and I felt like I was speaking without using words. Magical.
Although need to practice plucking placement because I would intend to pluck the D and hit the G string.
I showed up again today so thats good. Still having problems with the lick from yesterday, but todays lesson was much better. Biggest problem is fat fingers and I don’t know what to do to adjust that. My fingers while pressing down on one string are hitting another string which kills that string. Still today was actually fun, a lot more than 10 minutes.
I wouldn’t say I had a break through yet, but I am glad I came. I am actually taking music theory courses right now, and just took my final, so things have been very hectic. Playing guitar and piano now.
A win for the day?!?! Let’s see. I showed up, practiced for 45 minutes and after three days having never tried a hammer on, I think I have it somewhat figured out. Work on other things tomorrow. Now, if you can help me unearth any natural born rhythm that I have, that would be really helpful.
So cool how any note in the scales sounds good with the backing track
OMG!! Who knew I could sound so good!. I was so excited today I couldn’t wait to share it with my fiance. I can’t wait to share this with my friend. I’ve been so self-conscience of making a mistake and yet, with these five notes, I feel like I’m actually playing my guitar. Holy cow! I can’t wait for the next lesson. Thanks TAC!
Flat picking has been struggle these lessons are helping tremendously. Fellow lefty here!
I’m a cellist and have NEVER felt comfortable improvising. This lesson completely changed that for me. So much fun working within the scale and hearing it sound amazingly good despite being so simple. 🙂
Day 2 was (is) tough for me. Making slow progress. Today was fun. Playing with the “track” is a new thing, but fun.
So, far I’m impressed. Material presentation is first class, tab print out is good practice reminder.
So in three days from a zero start, I have managed to follow the tab sheet, I just keep going whatever note comes out, wrong string, poor fretwork, but it is eventually the piece, albeit at a much reduced pace, I still cannot coordinate at the correct speed YET! But I do notice improvements, very small but improvements nevertheless. So now when I listen to my old favourites Tom Waits, Led Zeppelin and old flamenco, I can see a route to me playing these on the guitar. Being Left anded everything is back to front and not quite mirror image, you have to persevere. I will also do some face to face to help me with incorrect finger positioning, but I like the challenge of playing real music . Two more days left. Just my ‘Stairway to heaven” has more steps the the original track. Thanks Tony.
I feel your pain Mark, right there with you.
I’ve been playing (attempting to play) guitar for over 40 years and I feel like a complete idiot watching this.
Fingers haven’t done so much walking, feel a bit clumsy but I get it!