TIPS FOR TODAY
Don’t worry about perfecting each of these transitions. Just pick one you like and throw it in occasionally to add spice to some of your transitions.
Here’s what matters most: you showed up five times. Your hands know more now than they did a week ago. If this is what five days of showing up looks like, imagine five weeks. Five months.
Smoother changes. Quieter self-doubt. Songs that once felt impossible slowly falling under your fingers because the skills you’re getting consistent exposure to keep stacking in the background.
So if today’s pattern never feels “perfect” in one sitting, don’t use that as proof you’re not cut out for this. Use it as proof you’re working on the real stuff.
You’ve already done the hardest part — you kept coming back.
Keep trusting that process. It’s already working. And keep going!
YOUR SAMPLE WEEK OF TONY'S ACOUSTIC CHALLENGE
5-Day "Stop Dabbling, Start Playing Guitar" Challenge
- 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.
have really enjoyed these last 5 days, today has been very challenging with this step and is going to take a lot more focus than i have done so far. I believe i have gotten more out of this week than i have with my in person instructor. I was kind of skeptical about starting this, thinking perhaps its going to be to advanced for me , but all my preparations work i had spent the last couple years trying to learn to play proved to be very helpful, some of which is thanks to my in person instructor. Tony is right about the fact of taking it in small bites, it makes it easier to work with and understand. I will probably take the next step even and sign up for the Acoustic challenge program. thank you Tony for this program, whish i could thank you in person or even say it over the phone to you.
Definitely found I am not ready for this. You may want to let people know that they need to know what each string is and that they need some chord knowledge. I spent way more than ten minutes and still felt overwhelmed. I can see it can be valuable for more advanced beginners, but over my head.
Easy for me, but new. Can you tell me what is covered in the year long lessons? If I do this for a year what will I learn?
I can very slowly get the first line on the tab. The second line falls apart completely. Part of it is that I don’t know what finger to put on what string, and the other part is that my fingers simply don’t seem to move in those directions. None of the chord shapes on the second line correlate to anything I recognize so there’s no muscle memory that gets my fingers to where they should be. And they change with every measure so that’s really not happening. As a rank beginner, I think these lessons are still above my skill level, as simplified as they are, and I’ve been spending way more than 10 minutes a day trying to do this. There needs to be something way more basic to work on before I try to come back to this. Disappointed and frustrated.
I definitely practiced longer each day given a concrete target to shoot for. I’m always anxious wondering what my in-person teacher is thinking; I don’t have to worry about that here!
I deeply appreciate your lessons, yes I’m still struggling but not frustrated at 67. I will definitely sign up for your yearly course tomorrow. I believe your way is the motivation I’m needing.
Thank you
This helped me get over my fear of not being good enough to learn to actually play. Long way to go, but a great week! Hoping to join TAC and see where it goes.
I’m a 60 year old beginner, and I think I’m hooked. This has been a challenge but there were plenty of bright spots. On Day 4, I finally started feeling confident that I could eventually play a recognizable song with practice. Chords are a major challenge since I have small hands/fingers. I’m going to sign up for 3 months to see if I’m still improving and confident. My two concerns are whether there is any feedback for my specific questions or issues and the tabs don’t show the chord names. So, I can follow where to put my fingers but I’m not learning the chord names that way. I’ve got my cheat sheets for string names and basic chords but I don’t want to print out every exercise to write the chord names on them while I learn.
Finished the 5 day challenge. Some days tougher than others. Finally starting to get most of it. Brand new beginner, first guitar. Getting my fingers to curl and not mute some strings has been a challenge.
Will be also starting the program on Monday.
Well, looks like Danielle and I might be the sole survivors this week with just our comments so far! I really enjoyed the week and had many little accomplishments. My chord changes need the most work, but as I’ve seen watching many training videos the last couple months, even the best slip up once in a while! I probably will sign up for the yearly as I like how the challenge is setup and I believe it will keep my interest moving forward while still having fun playing (not mastering) the daily challenges. Thanks for the 5-day challenge and look forward to seeing more or your videos.
Well Tony, I finished my 5th day this morning and it was a very interesting and fun group of lessons. I’m most proud of utilizing the habit stacking process you mentioned in your 30 minute intro video and have built a good foundation for practicing and showing up for all 5 days. I’m planning to jump right into your 30 day challenge this Monday after I sign up for your yearly program which sounded like a good deal. Thanks for creating this program, I can’t wait to hear what I sound like after the first 30 days!
Just checking to see if my typing works. I did the 5-challenge and signed up as a TAC member today. So far, I really enjoy the content. I think I have already improved. Appreciate your methods. Take care.
I enjoyed your 5 day guitar challenge! I think that I have picked up on your guitar lessons better than when I took my guitar lessons many years ago. Thank you Tony.
i really enjoyed the challenge and think this is a wonderful way to teach guitar! I was able to play right along with you no problem. i have tried Facebook, YouTube, and email lessons and have most of the books you showed in the intro video, and wished i had something like this when i started out, it would have prevented a lot of my bad habits. I currently have your version of “Last Steam Engine” in my playing repertoire and it’s one of my favorites. Thank You for this opportunity. TAC is a wonderful teaching tool!
Finding day 5 almost impossible just really struggling with g & c cords
Days 1-4 great
Hi Tony,
I tried Guitar for Dummies, a couple of video courses, and I tried to teach myself by reading music that had chord diagrams for guitar on the sheet music. None of them has gotten me as far in as short a time as this past five days has. I am hooked.
Had a great time very difficult but the way you change things up makes it fun
Its been a tough week, not least of which has been the time constraints on me. My daughter started the week pregnant and overdue,
i just came back from my second visit to hospital to see my beautiful grandson. I made the decision this morning to join up and now I’m just going through day 5 knowing I’m still a mile from perfection , but understanding I am making headway and enjoying the experience at the same time. This is about the only time in my life that i have felt the need to make comment about it. Thanks Tony.
So what I have learned in 5 days is that I truly am NOT a guitar player!! I enjoyed the lessons but I can honestly say from my beginners standpoint I just couldn’t keep up without spending hours on each day. I’m such a beginner that I am just learning the chords and the strings as we go along and if you guys that are more familiar with guitar remember, as soon as you learn a chord, you forget it!! I am writing them out (diagramming the finger positions, which I think would be a nice addition to the lesson) to help remember them. I am sure Tony doesn’t realize there are students in this challenge that have never picked up a guitar before!! I would love to continue with the 30 day challenge but at this point I am so discouraged and frustrated I can only imagine what I would feel like given another week! I hope to be back when I have the basics under by belt (or fingers). Thanks.
Same as Val so eloquently wrote. Day 5 for example was much better going over the G progression with the strumming added I was doing pretty well, but the D progression I had a very hard time remembering which fingers to lift, so I blew that off for today. I’m still in open water here, so I’ll go over the 5 days again until I feel I won’t drown. I’ll consider buying on in full. I do wish I had one private lesson so somebody could give me some basic pointers about my guitar and my strumming. My guitar is pretty old and I’m not sure the threats are good or the strings are sitting in the saddle properly.
I’m concerned about going to the next step of signing for an entire year or even a month. I’ve found lesson 4 and 5 difficult and I can only get through about half the lesson with 2 or more hours of playing. If I sign for a year and the process is the next lesson builds on the previous then I’m screwed since I can only get a portion of the previous lesson completed with any accuracy. Are the paid lessons like the free 5 day cahallenge? Where you only get 24 hours to do a lesson before the next? Is it 260 lessons that I can take three years to learn or is it just one calendar year and then my membership runs out? I can’t do this every week day for a year, I’m not taking my guitar on vacation with me. I do appreciate the five free days, I’ve learned and progressed but definitely not at the pace of the lessons.
I have played guitar for 50 years. I learned it purely to sing songs and can play hundreds of songs. I can play lots of accompaniments and styles but I have never done runs or riffs or the stuff you have taught. Thank you so much. I hope I can join your course from the UK?
Your posts are very interesting, I really enjoyed them.
Robert and Val. This was my question on Thursday. When we aren’t as smooth or proficient (it really isn’t a song yet) SHould we go into the next week with the same 5 days of study and song???
not so smooth on transitions. Working on it on day 6.
Sorry to be a lazy copycat, but I’m very tired and the post below by Val sums up my experience and thoughts on this 5-day challenge perfectly. I heard the idea of progress over perfection, but I just couldn’t keep up. Practice was around an hour per day and i was stumbling and then Lo! The next day was moving faster. Day 5 all I could do was watch, basically.
Enjoyed the lessons and have already joined TAC. Thank you!
I think Tony’s approach is very good; the only problem is the speed with which you move from one challenge to the next. It’s definitely not a 10-minute practice routine, but to be honest, if someone wants to learn to play by practicing only 10 minutes a day, they’re not taking the learning process seriously. Perhaps a few days or a week on each challenge would be more plausible and less frustrating, as it would allow the person to feel more confident before moving on to the next step.
For me, it was frustrating to try to move on to the next challenge knowing that I hadn’t yet learned the previous one. Instead of feeling motivated, I felt more frustrated. I definitely like his approach, but not the speed for someone who is just starting to learn. For someone who isn’t starting from scratch, it’s definitely perfect.
This chord transition was lots of fun, really enjoyed it, Thank you Tony
After playing this yesterday I KNOW I CAN DO THIS, just have to be patient with myself and consistent. Pick strumming I’ll get eventually.
Each day was a challenge! Learning is slow but by the time we got to the end I felt that I had progressed. At least I understand the process and see how it can move me forward. Difficult for a perfectionist to leave each lesson without playing it well.
Thank you Tony! This was fun! I am going to try to incorporate these more challenging bass walks. I usually only add simple ones when I playout in public. I took 7 years of 1-1 guitar lessons. I have the knowledge, but haven’t gone beyond the 5th fret when playing songs. I have to build my confidence up. I feel that this method of teaching will benefit me. I signed up for the Acoustic Challenge. Looking forward to it.
Really cool to play those transition notes over cords.
Am concerned my shoulder still hurts when I play. Arm goes numb.
That is the main thing holding me back from signing up for TAC.
I’m hoping we can come back to the lessons in this 5-day challenge in the future. I didn’t know “Friend of the Devil,” so I looked it up and listened (on day 5!). I want to be able to continue practicing the sessions with you until I can get really comfortable. At first, I felt overwhelmed, but now when I go back to previous days (from the email links), the first day seems a lot easier. My fingers are still getting conditioned, so I think going through the lessons again with the play-along will be very helpful–especially when I can play longer. I had already signed up for TAC before I started the 5-day challenge so I started the 30-day challenge on the same day. I’m having the same feeling when I repeat those lessons. I feel like I’ve come a long way in these last 5 days!!!
Wow that was so much fun. When you did that intro play, I thought well Tony you lost me. I ain’t ever going to be able to do that. I wasn’t perfect but that was the most musical I felt I ever sounded in my life
Day 5 was no celebratory experience. I couldn’t quite catch which strings to catch individually in order because it sems like you just rattle it off so matter of fact quickly. I’m not really feeling all that fulfilled, because it takes time and not being able to quite catch on leaves one feeling a bit lost and unfulfilled. I’m planning on doing the 30 day challenge because i already paid for it, but if things don’t get better I’ll be asking for a refund. Plus, do you ever respond to these emails individually?
Great way to deconstruct a song! Seems like a smart method to improve beyond the beginner stage. Question: I found impossible to play the Play video on my iPad (apart from day 1 and 2). Is it a bug that can be fixed? They play well I. The phone but I use my tablet to practice and play guitar.
Tony, After 5 days I’m gassed! I was starting to look for the door to get out. Fortunately for you,
I couldn’t find it. I just never have taken well to defeat so it looks like I have to stay in, just to redeem
myself! Larry
I took this challenge hoping to get fired up. Been member since 2021 but not made any progress due to time restraints and failure to utilize the program. Was hoping to get direction starting back and actually using program. This was a good overview of the program and how I should approach it. I must say I am very overwhelmed and discourage with my personal abilities. I can watch the training until i see what I need to do. But, actually getting my brain and fingers to work together using both hands to make it happen almost feel like an impossibility task. Making question if I can do this. The fact I can see what I need to do, makes feel if I practice enough I can finally get there. Yet, it is not a 10 minute commitment. lol I get it, I need to put in the time, seems in my case much more than most. Hehe I feel like I just went through the motions these 5 days as I was never able to successfully play any of the assignments. I believe I can, but not sure how much time it will require. However, it does give my new things to play and learn from. Being a member already and paid until May 2026 I will keep working on it hoping it becomes fun at some point. I will renew in May 2026. Trying to reach the goal of actually playing, having fun and not just practicing to learn. It is just crazy to me how hard this is for me. I am normally a fast learner at most everything. I will be starting with the 30 days to play, then 5 Day Routine and on to daily challenges. Couple questions about the program. I felt that during the 5 day challenge if I learned anything it was a win. But, yet moving on to the next day without being able to play the previous days lesson really meant I did not learn it obviously. How should I look at the course? Move on with course flow or hold up to learn? Meaning, do I just get what I can and move on? I’m not sure that means over time, I will get better a each of the 5 skills? I feel like I need to at least make it through the whole assignment for each day even if it’s a little messy to actually be learning? Honestly seems like the daily challenges will be going much faster than I can achieve success. Any tips on my best way forward?
Thx V/R
Nick
Being invited to experience Tony’s Acoustic Challenge suggests a hands-on, immersive event focused on sound, rhythm, and musical skill—likely blending technical precision with creative expression.
I had to take a couple days off. My fingertips are killing me. I can’t even press on a string. This 5-day challenge is now a 3 1/2-day challenge; take a couple off and finish 4 and 5. So it’s 7 days for me.
Nice…fun building out the transitions!
Struggled today, first line I got down pretty easily, 2nd line is taking some work 3rd line I came off the rails completely lol… today’s challenge was a tough one for me. Will need to go through multiple times… having said that, these lessons are great, I’m further along than I imagined I’d be in 5 days. Fingers are sore for sure but I’m gonna keep going!
Ok I have had my guitar sitting in its case for the past 20 yrs. I finally took it out and played around but then left it on the stand. Then I found TAC. So I tried the 5 Day Challenge. Thankfully I had some previous experience and understood the strings and some chord positions. But found it hard to master each days lessons before moving onto the next day. Its great to get daily lessons but what If want to work on a lesson for a few days before moving on? And I still don’t understand how the tab sheets work. Do you explain how to read them. I dont know which note is the up beat or down beat either. Just a little confused. If the program starts from scratch I think I will be able to keep up. Just not sure yet?
Restarting the TAC program after 1 year of trying different methods. I haven’t found anything that keeps me coming back day after day like TAC does. Excited for a new beginning with Tony. already noticed after just 5 days that this time the jumpstart seems easier.
Forming a C chord is a struggle for me but I will continue to work on this. giddy-up…..let’s do this! (I’m a left handed player strumming a Fender Classic)
Tony, I’m totally new and can’t do half of the material from this week well. That being said, I can hardly wait to start playing the next day and I attribute that to your excellent coaching abilities. Thank you for this week of successes and frustrations. I’m signing up after I send this and looking forward to seeing what the future holds!
I feel like I’ll need to go over these five days for 15 more days before I take the next step. But, having said that, I am strongly considering joining you.
I just retired and I am brand new, so I really struggled each day and really was unable to keep up by halfway through and do the lesson properly even in 30 minutes. My frustration and a barrier to success is my struggles to reach some frets and to stay of an adjoining string. For example, on a G chord, I can’t seem to keep my finger on the 3rd fret of the low E off the A string, so it is flat. I will practice more over the weekend on these lessons and see if I think I should keep moving forward. I have enjoyed small successes but suffered big frustration.
The day 5 challenge takes a big leap around about 10:30 in the video. The tab doesn’t seem to align at all.
Day 5 killed me, going to work on that for a time and possibly try your 30 day beginner at some point.