TAC Family Forums

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  • Sting/Fretboard Peeking

    Posted by hfmerrittgmail-com on February 2, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    I just completed my 3rd week as a newbie doing 30 days of guitar , seem 10 minutes is not nearly enough time to spend practicing, I am spending about 30-45 minutes per day. How long before you guys were able to quit looking at strings and fretboard, any tips?

    ChuckS replied 1 year, 1 month ago 5 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • Skyman911

    Member
    February 2, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    I don’t think you ever stop looking at the strings or fretboard. I play 1 – 2 hours a day, and have been playing for almost 4 years. I’m not always looking at my strings or fretboard, however I still do often when doing unfamiliar notes or changes. When I was first learning, I would close my eyes and make chord changes to see how accurate I could be without looking. It was a train wreck in the beginning. Not so bad now.

  • Moose408

    Member
    February 2, 2025 at 1:48 pm

    Yeah I still look at 371 hours of practice. It was around 120 hours that I was able play a song with simple chords without looking. It takes a while.

  • jumpinjeff

    Member
    February 2, 2025 at 7:23 pm

    I started the process of moving toward not looking about 5 years in. I started with familiar exercises found in the Daily Challenges. It was darn near organic. I found I could not make the sound I wanted while looking at the fretboard. Bout 5 years later I rarely look. Please do not use this as a comparison for when you will plan on being free of having to look. The variables such as: how often, how long, how directed, how focused, how young, how old, how much musical inclination (none for me, I was last when musical talent was getting passed out, but I was first in line for determination) how fast can ego be dropped, and no doubt many more make it impossible to gauge or plan. You may get there faster, you may never get there, let it float around in academic thoughts. It will come the greater you find need for it through direct experience. (not specifically worried you will be delayed by comparisons but it cost me time and increased frustration until I stopped, I write to remind myself and to introduce the idea to those who have found success in other areas with this practice not to apply it in learning guitar).

  • ChuckS

    Member
    February 3, 2025 at 8:19 am

    I don’t think you ever stop looking at the strings/frets at least at
    some level. A quick glance every now and then I find helpful to keep me
    on track. Watched an old video of Dylan the other day playing Blowing
    in the Wind, a relatively simple song and even he sneaks in a glance
    every now and then (:

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