• Community Support

  Newbie Needs Some Help

  Posted by lmadeza345gmail-com on January 4, 2026 at 1:45 pm

  Hi All,

  I’m stuck!

  I could use some help/guidance.

  I am currently finishing up week 2 of the “30 Days to Play” section. I’m a newbie!

  I can’t seem to get a clean note with either the G, C, or D chords. It’s frustrating! My fingers are just not cooperating. Do I need to do more finger exercises before I attempt these chords again? Do I even have the right guitar to suit me?

  Thoughts/Comments/Suggestions?

  Lou from New Jersey

  lmadeza345gmail-com replied 2 months, 2 weeks ago 3 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  Moose408

  Member

  January 4, 2026 at 2:30 pm

  First don’t be too hard on yourself, you are only 2 weeks into your guitar journey and learning the guitar is hard. It can be frustrating but just realize that when you are frustrated you are often learning. It took me 9 months to get a consistent clean C chord. Patience is your friend. My motto is I suck at guitar, I will suck for a long time, it’s ok to suck.

  Now for some concrete things you can do to improve your chords. Slowly place your fingers on the chords, then pick out each string and if it buzzes or is muted do micro adjustments with your fingers until it rings clear. Do this with each string and when you have them all sounding good do one strum and hear what it should sound like. Then remove your hand and repeat. Do this for 3-5 mins for each chord every day. Some you will notice improvement in a week or two, some chords it may be months. Don’t get frustrated just do the routine.

  Also play around with your thumb position on the back of the neck. Every one is different based upon our anatomy. I have to put my thumb in the middle of the neck or sometimes lower to get the finger spread needed for some chords. Experiment and see what causes the best sounding chords for you.

  Hope this helps and enjoy the learning journey.

  • 

    CamiB

    Member

    January 5, 2026 at 6:06 pm

    Great advice, Moose. I’m going to try those tips myself.

• 

  lmadeza345gmail-com

  Member

  January 7, 2026 at 6:28 pm

  Hi Moose,

  Thank you so much for the advice. I really appreciate it! I also took my guitar to a music store near me, and I found out that I should get new strings. This makes sense to me because I have a hand-me-down guitar, and it’s been sitting in my closet for years. I just never had the time to learn the guitar, and now I do. So hopefully by following your advice, and getting new strings, I have a chance for success.

  Thanks again,

  Lou from NJ

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