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Lost and feeling overwhelmed
I have done the 30- & 5-day course but I find myself lost and overwhelmed with the weekly guitar challenges. Challenges with Palm Muting, Slides, Bends, and other techniques just make me feel like I am not learning properly or that I missed a step somewhere.
Maybe it is just my perception, but going from the 30- & 5-day course to the weekly challenges seems like a big step. Like there should be a step or two somewhere in the process. I mean, you start a lesson and BAMMM! you are learning palm muting, bending, the rhythm part, the lick or riff, strumming a specific way. Even when these things are broken up into individual parts, when they come together I am just overwhelmed and I am suppose to be able to learn guitar at 10 minutes a day.
I guess guitar might just be a little bit above me. 🙁
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29 Replies
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I understand how this can feel overwhelming when starting out. Please understand you are not expected to “learn” the day’s challenge. Tony is exposing you to different skill sets each day. You are not mastering these skill sets. It takes time to develop these skills over months and years. You work on the challenge at your level for 10 minutes and then leave it. The challenge will come around again. Tony is teaching to a variety of guitar players at different skill levels. He does not expect someone that just picked up the guitar to play through the challenge. He has members that started TAC having experience playing guitar before joining and also people that never played the guitar before joining TAC but are are now on their 2nd or 3rd year etc…
So what do you do? Pick one small section of the daily challenge to work on for 10 minutes. For example, take this past Monday’s challenge “Cash It In”. If you can barely make an E chord or pick the correct strings, you are not going to worry about palm muting. Just practice picking the strings for 10 minutes. You can just do the E chord and not worry about the A and B7 chord. If you want to try palm muting, try without picking the single notes. If you feel comfortable do more. Just work at the level you are at. You are not trying to master any part of the challenge in one 10 minute sitting. If you are feeling overwhelmed then you are trying to do too much. It’s a process you are supposed to enjoy! Some days and challenges will be easier than others. As the weeks and months go by you will begin to notice that your skills are improving. The next time the challenge comes around you will be able to play more of the challenge and try some other aspect of the challenge like adding the A and or B7 chord. Maybe you will just work on the palm muting part with picking but only on the E string. Hope this helps.
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@Kim-Fitz has it right. You are perhaps feeling overwhelmed because you are expecting to play a significant portion of the lesson the first time you see it. It would be an unrealistic expectation to think you would be able to loop through the daily lesson even at half speed after 10 minutes. What is realistic is to hope you learn one little nugget and feel like you could do just a little something slightly better after 10 minutes than you could at the beginning of the lesson. How much you achieve and retain with each lesson will vary from lesson to lesson, but it’s important to realize that skills are built over time.
When I started TAC seven years ago, I already had a daily practice habit and had been playing for about 4-1/2 years. For roughly the first half of that time, I had taken private lessons. Another interesting aspect was that there was no 5-day program or 30 days to play program. The daily lessons (and the Song Vault, plus a few other lesson things no longer available) were it. At that time, beginners launched into the daily lessons from Day 1 after a few short tutorials explaining how the lessons were structured, etc. They also described the “small wins” concept and emphasized it was important to end each playing session with a positive note and a feeling of accomplishment.
Don’t expect to feel you have mastered the content of any given daily challenge even the third or fourth time through. Understand that you will get a little better at these each time you see them. Over time, you will be surprised by how much you achieve if you truly commit to completing 10 minutes minimum on each daily challenge.
I’d love to hear you weigh in after you have a couple months of daily challenges under your belt.
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I echo the great insight offered by @Kim-Fitz . Guitar is not an easy instrument, but it is attainable. Dont give up until you give it a good go. You purchased an annual subscription, so why not see where you are at the end of it?
Also, it sounds like you are stumbling through the skills courses and the dailies Review the getting started section. After the 30 days to play, most take the Next 6 chords, the Stretching skills course, and the 5 day Guitar Routine (Intro to the dailies) and if you continue with skills courses, the next is typically strumming, which is challenging.
Give the dailies your best go as outlined by,Kim. But circle back and make sure you check out the others in the same skillset as the. 30 days to play. Then you can look through the 5 day challenges and other technique courses as you desire. This is your journey. We’ve all been where you are, so you’re not alone.
I don’t give up before the miracle(s) happen, and there will be many.
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I want to thank everyone for your continued support and all the great knowledge that players here have to share. So, thank you all very, very much.
I guess I am use to other programs where they show you something and they expect you to work on it (on one’s own time) until you get it right. It is unusual to me that things aren’t kind separated more, i.e. guitar beginner, guitar beginner medium, guitar beginner advanced and so on. Other programs I have tried delineated levels of guitar ability differently.
I just have to adjust to the daily challenges are used by guitarist of different levels and that I can’t expect myself to learn everything the first time around.
Once again, I thank the TAC family for their support and assistance. Very nice to have a community that is willing to help one another out. 😀
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Dude, don’t give up. Just work on the small pieces; that’s what I am doing. Some of the challenges come easier than others. For me, it’s the rhythm part and strumming as well as keeping time.
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@joseph-vitzen I’m new to TAC as well, but not new to learning an instrument in this format. In my case, I started on Bass back in 2019. I have some struggles too, but my experience with learning Bass has given me some insight into my journey in TAC.
1. It’s a journey. You can only learn so much at once. Your fingers, sense of rhythm, your mind, can only take on so much in one session. Everyone has their challenges, but as Tony points out, it’s *your* journey. In my case, I’m left handed playing right handed, and I’m 58…and very busy at work.
2. Keep at it. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ll improve over time. Tony says this too, just stick with it. It’ll come.
3. Listen to music, really listen, and think about what you hear. It helps!
One of the things that I really like about TAC is the play loops, when it will just keep on going forever. Just lay into it for 10 minutes, and then put it away. If it’s too difficult, just print out the TAB, and play out of time for a while, then try to hop on. I wouldn’t worry about complete mastery. You’ll learn *some* and there’s a cross training effect. It’ll come around again, and you’ll get it.
For me guitar is very new, since I got to deal with this….pick, and now two more strings. But it’s a challenge! 10 minutes or so at a time. I had fits with the 5 day challenge, but I know I’ll get this…eventually. 30 days to play took me 5 months…it’s just my busy life, but I know I’ll get there.
You can too.
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I concur with what everyone said before me. This is a journey and one step a day should be your motto going forward. When I first started, I was clueless on everything and now I can incorporate majority of the skills Tony brings in his lessons. This week’s lesson of Alternate D tuning is amazing, but I can see it being daunting to a beginner. (FYI: Use the Fender Tune app to help you to convert from Standard Turning to D Major tuning).
To aid you, there is a Skill section on the website so you can brush up on the skills if you’re unsure on how to do them correctly. Also, it will take time for your brain (and fingers) to develop the proper muscle memory. Just baby steps going forward. Even if this week you were able to convert your guitar to D Major tuning – give yourself a pat on the back. Major win!
Also, instead of feeling frustrated with the lessons, just listen to what Tony said and try it. But the secret to getting better is just play around with the guitar. Try different things, see what type of sounds you can make, what notes/frets go with each other, the direction of the sounds from high to low. Try the slides, try the bends (they are pretty cool), but mainly have a blast playing – creating your own music.
Bottom Line, it will come. I’m about 5-6 months into the program and I am amazed on the advancement so far. Don’t give up – you are on the path of the most amazing achievement once you past the first obstacle hurdles. Good luck!
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Joseph DITTO I found this page with the exact same issues as you.i am an extreme beginner zero experience at 70 years old. I now have 30 sessions in and hit the 5 day and daily challenges and thought holy moly I must have missed a couple of months of lessons. I was upset and worried that I’m not keeping up.
Then I read Kim Fitz response and now I’m saved. Literally I’m crying Kim thank you for explaining this I was gonna quit. But now onward I go trying every day for at least 10 min usually 30.
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Thanks to everyone who has shared their guitar journey and how they approach the lessons here. I am over my overwhelmed feeling and I think I hit close to a home run on Monday’s challenge. Behind a few days but will either try to catch up or just sit back and enjoy the ride and that is definitely what learning to play guitar is, a ride. Sometimes the road is smooth, not too many curves or ups and downs. Other times your driving at night with no headlights, the road is bumpy and there are a lot of ups and downs. You have to enjoy those smooth rides and you got to buckle up and hold on for the bumpy ones. Hopefully, when it is all said and done, you arrive at your destination and get to stand proud because you weathered it all.
Thanks everyone. I love you all for the support. 😀
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Hang in there.
If learning guitar was easy, everyone would be doing it, and it wouldn’t be special.
If learning guitar was easy, you would NOT get that fantastic feeling of accomplishment every time you (finally) get whatever you are struggling with….. done successfully!
If learning guitar was easy, you would NOT get to “see” all the places along the way in your journey. Focus on the TRIP, not the destination- (which, by the way, does not really exist—— there is no end to how much you can learn).
My two cents— EXPECT it to be difficult. WANT it to be difficult. Plan on it, and enjoy that.
Give yourself the credit you have earned with each and every “small win”. This is soooooo important!
DON’T compare yourself with anyone else.
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Perseverance, grit, determination and a desire to do what few others can do! Make Music! Just play for yourself. When I feel that I am not making the progress I like I simply strum my favorite chords and enjoy those incredible sounds and know you’ll get better! Hang in there! And embrace the suck! When you start you’re going to suck for a while just go with it and practice.
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ENVH–
This is such a COOL response and post you have made here! Perfectly right on the money!
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by the-old-coach.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
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Hello, I too was feeling as you have explained, I went from 30 day to the 5 day course and both took me considerably longer.
However instead of diving into the 5 day song challenges I started to go through some of the skill courses, currently i’m doing 12 Bar Blues whilst dipping into Fretboard Wizard..
Keep going, its hard when you get a bit disheartened..
All the best
bruverjive..
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J-V—–
It’s hardest and most confusing at the very start, because everyone “starts” at a different level- (in TAC).
That said, there is no “one size fits all”. Realize this……. picture that there are 2 new members to TAC– one is just absolutely starting out from ground zero, and another with years and years of playing experience……… yet they “start” with the same “30 Days to Play”, Daily Challenges, etc.
There isn’t a “newbie” course and a “experienced-starting-player” course…… At the start– we all “play by the same rules”— with the same curriculum.
Don’t be discouraged! Expect it to be tough…… want it to be tough…… Without those two things– what’s the point. That “quiet pride” that you know how to play guitar is worth it.
Enough said. Isn’t that why we’re all here?
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by the-old-coach.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by the-old-coach.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by the-old-coach.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
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Thanks Joseph for sharing how you are feeling. I am 97 sessions in and I am feeling the same.
The 10 minute daily challenges for me are now at least 1 hour session each time. I have to start and stop the video constantly because Tony is going way to fast for me to even keep up. I have even gone to the point where I am now taking 1:1 private lessons with a guitar instructor because I was not able to keep up or even show any progress with the 10 minute lessons.
The Lesson are interesting just to advance for me at this time. Maybe in another 6 months to a year I will be able to keep up with how fast Tony is teaching and be able to follow along.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by BrandonK.
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Honestly, I think TAC should be split up a bit more, so that people can start at their level without having to mash up with less skilled players. Lessons, in my opinion and I am not Tony, but I think it should go somewhat like this.
Beginner: Beginner; Beginner Intermediate, Beginner Advanced
Intermediate: Intermediate Beginner, Intermediate, Intermediate Advanced
etc…
We are not suppose to worry that we can’t play certain things and that as we progress for a year, 2 years, 3 years we will get it. However, it is so frustrating when you can’t even keep up with Tony. Some lessons I have had to watch at .5 speed just to get what he is saying and being able to find the strings or particular chord he wants us to play. Plus, on some tabs, I don’t even know how to recognize the down and up strokes.
I don’t know. I paid for a year and I will try and tough it out. I am seen some improvement, but I wish I could get things a little quicker.
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I agree, I found more growth from my 1:1 lessons and Youtube videos I found versus my TAC Daily challenge. The first 30 days and 5 day routine were good. I learned a lot. I just find it went from beginner training and jumped to advance training.
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I am just over a year in and I too sometimes find it hard to keep up with Tony. My technique that I currently use is to look at the tab while Tony is talking. Often I can play the tab without Tony and just listen to him to get the nuisance or some specific technique. Once I started watching this way it got so much easier to follow along.
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Thanks Moose, I might try that. I was doing most of my lessons off my iPad, I will switch over to a computer with multiple screens.
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I use my iPad. Once the video starts there is button that makes the video small, so I put it in th3 corner of the iPad screen with the tab behind it.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by
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Be consistent and don’t give up, look at it as a journey and not a destination. You will look back a year from now and see improvement, and every year thereafter. You are building a very good guitar skills foundation with Tony and this community, in time you will begin to realize and appreciate that.
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@joseph-vitzen I can certainly relate to your feeling lost and overwhelmed. I originally joined TAC about three years ago. I had only been playing a year, and mainly trying to learn off Youtube videos. After a few months I quit TAC because of your very dilemma. I then took private lessons for a year and a half. During the private lessons, I kept seeing similarities on what TAC was also trying to teach. I rejoined TAC less than a year ago, and wish I had never quit. There is so much here for the value. I just couldn’t see it beyond my frustration.
So, here’s my take. I use TAC as a supplement, and not my main learning tool. I do the challenges, but don’t spend too much time on them unless I’m really into the lesson. I still do at least 20 to 30 minutes on each challenge. You still want to learn to play songs that are within your ability. And there are tons of songs out there for any level of player. TAC teaches elements of songs, not the songs themselves. I think that is the magic of TAC, and what sets TAC apart from other online learning platforms. There are also tons of great lessons from Marty Music, Justin Guitar, Guitar Hero2zero, David Potts, etc..
The best piece of advice I have ever gotten was to have fun no matter how bad you may think you sound. This is why we wanted to learn play in the first place right? Play songs and have fun!
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