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Hi Patty,
I’m new here as well (just started last week). A couple of things that I discovered that made this week’s journey a little easier.
First, check the width of your fret board. They come in different sizes. I was using my husband’s old guitar and the fret board was way too big for my short fingers. Luckily, I found a Yamaha junior guitar (at Goodwill) that I could practise on where the reach was so much better for my fingers. I promise myself a new guitar once I hit the 6 month milestone, so the junior guitar is temporary but functional for these lessons.
Second, check out Tony’s stretching exercises for the fingers within the skill section. They are a huge help in getting those fingers limber. I have been jumping between the 1st Lesson and the Chord lesson. Trying to make some of the chords (C especially) will take a lot of movement in those fingers to strike the notes correctly. I am still struggling with the C chord, but I am noticing improvement as I do these exercises.
Finally, journalize your wins in a journal. Give yourself kudos for practicing for 20 minutes each day. It is definitely frustrating in the beginning, but that is to be expected. Hang in there and one day, it is going to click and you’re going to say, “Wow!” – I did it. Good luck!