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Frustra
Before I decide that this type of learning isn’t for me. Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me.
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11 Replies
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Hey there! I think a lot of the people in this course and forum are going to be excited to tell you why they like this course. I would assume that if they didn’t enjoy it, they would not be participating in the forums.
I really enjoy learning a different technique each day, and to the best of my ability in the time I have that day.
There might be others who originally felt how you do and could elaborate on why they stuck around????
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@billsandbeaks56gmail-com I agree with @MattTX_24 that it’s peculiar to come to the forum ask for people to support your dislike for the methods used here. For me it was great day 1, week 1 and month 1. The old timers on the this website will undoubtedly sing its praises! I know of several who have been here for 5 – 10 years and are still showing up regularly.
There was never at time when I thought it wasn’t for me. This doesn’t mean it was a basket of roses all the time, but it’s the best darn learning program that I know of!
I for one have only praise for the TAC approach, I think it’s unparalleled. There are dozens, perhaps hundreds of options out there, I tried 2 others before TAC and became a lifer here. After 18 months in the program I have added on another learning program that I find will help me get the level I want to be at in a more efficient way, but I am still doing the daily challenges regularly.
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Not saying I dislike it, but finding very difficult to learn the new material every day
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Some weeks are tougher than others, especially if you’re at the very beginning of your guitar journey, but try to remember that it isn’t expected for you to master any of the challenges each day. It is a “do whatever you can” experience, then you move on. As the techniques repeat over time and you revisit these techniques, you’ll be amazed at how much knowledge you’ve acquired.
No learning technique is right for everyone, but after a few months on the program, it is my favorite out of any I’ve tried. It challenges me and gives me a new idea/technique to try each day.
Also, the “skill courses” (the musical note icon on the left panel) are a great place to focus on a lot of the basics. I like to go back to them from time to time if I feel like some of the other stuff is too challenging.
Don’t forget (especially if you just started playing), learning guitar is not a walk in the park. I don’t know anyone who has learned quickly. I think everyone wishes they were further along than they think they should be. In this day in age where we are used to immediate gratification, learning guitar can be more of a slow burn. With that said, the small wins that start to build up (even early in your journey) are very gratifying and fun. But it is always good to temper expectations at first.
If this isn’t for you, I hope you do find something that works for you.
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Thought I was to learn everything each day, was able to learn parts of it. Now that I know that is the idea I feel much better. Thanks for your help
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I see a lot of people posting that they finally get the results they want about the 3rd time through !! Some of the Daily Challenges I get right away, but the majority, I’m happy to get the first 4 measures.
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@gmhendersonme-com it has gotten better each time through but I’m 5 rotations on most of the benchmarks and I am still not where I want to be although I’m 1000% better than the first time. As long as the general trend is upward…
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How long have you been playing guitar and what are you expecting to accomplish with every lesson?
If you are new to guitar I can understand your frustration. If you are like me and just had not found a system of learning guitar after years of seemingly not improving what were your expectations? This system has Helped me improve in all area of my guitar journey.
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Hi and I understand completely where you are coming from. Each week is a new introduction to a new technique, skill, chord, rhythm and/or scale and they can be daunting to a beginner. Totally get it….I’ve been there.
My recommendation is to absorb what Tony is saying and try it for 10 minutes. If it works, great. If not, no sweat and add it a win that you tried. Then go practice the basics for 30 minutes. This is where you will need the most work right now. If you are new, the fingers are not strong, so finger exercises (i.e. spiders, scales) are needed just for strength and flexibility. Then incorporate a metronome for keeping rhythm and play around with the various strumming patterns…first slow and speed up. After you the hang of it, add chords. Make it fun and you’ll progress pretty fast. In the meantime, heed Tony’s lessons – especially the skills and techniques.
You don’t appreciate the program the first year. I didn’t. This is my 3rd year and I am happy I stuck with it since I now understand how valuable the lessons were in learning. However, I will say if you just want to learn to play only songs, this might not be the place for you. Tony’s program goes much deeper. Anyway, good luck on your guitar journey and definitely practice the basics no matter what you decided especially if you are new to guitar. All the best….
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Hi all!!! I don’t come to the Forum area much right now as I am just starting out, as I am a very new beginner(ish). I started with the 5-day challenge, back at the beginning of December 2025 after seeing a FB posting for this course by Tony. Since I was 10 years old I had always wanted to learn guitar. Back then discipline was not a thing I applied, being a kid…lol.
Over the years I kept coming back to the guitar yet never got into the rhythm of practicing. That changed when I was 12 when I told my parents I wanted to learn trumpet. They got me my first trumpet and got me lessons. I went into that like a lion, and practiced everyday for 30 minutes to start, and built that up to an hour a day, everyday. Moving forward, I played trumpet for 25 years before my daughter took an interest in the trumpet and she used mine. During those years I always thought of getting back to the guitar and when I was 43 my kids got me a guitar for Fathers Days, not a fancy guitar, yet a nice one as far as I was concerned. It is a Horne, and I still have that guitar today. I tried to get back to teaching myself, yea right! I learned the basic chords, C, E, Em, A, Am, F (hard), G, and D. Never really got beyond that, then my son picked up guitar, but I bought one for him to use so I still had mine. He took lessons for about two months, hated them, yet when on to teach himself guitar, had friends that played and he is pretty good today at 43. I took over his lessons, yet after two months didn’t like the style of teaching and stopped. Then life went on and the guitar sat, with the occasional picking it up and playing one note, one finger songs, more Christmas music than songs of the day. Having played trumpet I had an ear for music and would figure out some songs, using one finger mostly. Then taught myself the John Denver song, “Lady”, got pretty good at it, yet, life got in the way, again, and the guitar went back to it’s corner.
Jumping forward to last December, I saw the FB Reel by Tony. I had retired five months earlier and I figured I’d give the 5 day challenge a try. It was fun and relatively easy, so I took the 30-day challenge, and on December 28th decided I was hooked and signed up for TAC to see how I would do for a year. I am sticking with it, liking the Daily Challenges where Tony teaches songs, just measures at a time, yet I enjoy this and the one that I like the most right now, weelll, the only one I have been dabbling with is Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive.”
So, it’s been eight weeks now and I am still here with the guitar and practicing, not every day as I’d like, yet I do try for four days a week minimum, sometimes five, and I practice 30 or more minutes a day instead of the the 10 minutes Tony suggested. I have two grandchildren that take my time some days, hence the not getting to practice everyday. Last week, 9 February, I started the Technique lessons, the first one “Better Barre Chords.” This section is the hardest for me, no surprise, and I have a touch of arthritis in my left thumb which makes barring a tad of a challenge, and Tony is right this will take time and yet I will push through with it and I figure one day I will be there. The good thing is there are so many previous lessons I can go back to as often as I’d like and work on them.
I will admit there are days I ask myself if I want to keep going, and the answer is always YES!
I agree with a lot of what others have written in this forum area and with TerriG. It seems overwhelming having to learn something new every day, yet as she stated, listen to what Tony says, give each lesson a go, then definitely go back to the basics and work on those skills. I don’t think I am following the paths correctly though, lol. I did all the skills first, and am just now starting on the technique lessons. I distract myself poking around and trying other lessons. Then I stumbled onto the Daily Challenges where Tony is teaching you actual songs, kind of like shiny things catching my attention.
The fact that TerriG said she is now in her third year is a promising sign for me that I can do this too! Now, as Tony also stated, I am not comparing myself and my results to what TerriG and others have accomplished. I know I have a long road ahead of me, yet I am on this path and planning to stick to it. I really want to play guitar and be good at it, maybe not as good as others, yet as good as it will be for me. So hang in there billsandbeaks56, just take your time and work a the pace that is best for you, don’t give up.
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Well said! It is definitely important to have the expectation that guitar is hard, and it takes a while to learn. It is a skill that takes a little dedication and patience.
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