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Def Need Assistance!!
I’m 5 days in and I’m still fired up to play but also realistic. It’s really hard for a beginner with no musical background/talent. When Tony says “practice this, tie this in and work on your speed” and then plays the arrangement it’s pretty unrealistic in my brain and in my fingers!! Feels like I’m taking Chinese lessons and the teacher is just speaking Chinese and says “now it’s your turn and there will be a test.” I’m open to feedback and I won’t stop but any thoughts on getting over these roadblocks would be greatly appreciated.
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23 Replies
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Do the best you can, stick with it. If you show up daily it will get better. Embrace the suck! We all had to. I still suck after 2 years of playing, but I suck a lot less than in week 1!
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The motto is progress over perfection. Just keep showing up and do the best you can for at least 10 mins each day.
Some days I might only get 1 measure, some days not even that. But over time you will see progress and get a little further.
Guitar is really hard, you are going to suck, it’s ok to suck, don’t get frustrated that you can’t do something, that is normal.
You mentioned it was like learning Chinese which is an apt metaphor. You are learning a new language and just like you would not expect to learn Chinese in a week, guitar is going to be the same. Small baby steps.
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Thanks for the perspective!
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I am two years into my Journey. I made Guitar a part of my life and my daily routine. I still struggle. But I get out, what I put in. I am telling myself for year 3, play at least an extra 10 minutes a day. It does get better. Like Pete said, I suck less than I did two years ago.
Hang in there!
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Thanks for the feedback. Obviously this is a long road but we’re all here for it. If you have any specific tips on playing the G chord without hitting the D string I’d appreciate it. That’s my current challenge.
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I’m trying to figure out how to play a good G chord without hitting the D string. It seems to go dead no matter what I try. Any suggestions?
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This typically comes down to the lack of curl in the fingers, and the pads contacting the strings. Pretty common for beginners, and it will improve with practice. Try to work on getting more curl, and a better angle so you’re only touching the strings with the apex of the fingertip. I’ve watched the string dents in my fingers change from when I first started. They were crooked, and a bit low on the fingertip due to lack of being able to curl properly. Now my string dents/marks after playing seem to be right on the very tip and mostly inline with the finger.
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When I first started playing (35+ years ago) and trying to teach myself, I went with the 3 finger G instead of the 4 finger G. My thought was teaching 3 fingers would be easier than teaching 4 fingers. That was the start of my yo-yo trip of playing for a week and then put it away for a year, and never getting anywhere.
When I started with TAC 2 years ago, my first thing was to play a 4 finger G. It is getting better but it is more natural now and getting better everyday.
Stick with it, it will get better.
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That’s great advice. You definitely described my challenge exactly. I have longer fingers and I don’t know if it’s easier or harder but I’ll work on getting to the very tips! Much appreciated!
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Long finger will be an asset once they start obeying your brain. Takes time. Also there’s so many ways to play the G chord. I remember early on I had could not play a clean G and when I finally got it I realized now I have to learn all these other G shapes that I have no command of. The one I use most now is a 3 finger shape:
ring on high E3, pinky on low E3 and middle on A2, it’s known as Folk G and Tony will use it a lot in the TAC program. It’s useful because you have quick and easy transitions from other open shapes: C, E, Em, Am etc.
It’s very common to struggle with some of these shapes in the beginning. I trouble with G, C, D, even the E. Slowly you improve on this one and that one. You should practice transitioning between chords as soon as possible. That’s how music is made so make those chord changes. Getting the chord to ring clean is only a part of the picture, you have to be able to get there from other chords.
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This is awesome insight and very much appreciated. Can’t wait to try this stuff out tonight! Thanks so much.
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I’ve always made the folk G though I didn’t know it was called that. I really do prefer the transitions from that G but the other thing it has done for me was help to build strength and coordination in my non-index fingers which was really needed in my case.
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Arggg! That particular finger arrangement is impossible for me!
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Some weeks are more difficult than others. Tony does this to appeal to players at different levels. If, as a beginner, you find a week is beyond your skills, like others have said do your best, give it your ten minutes and then hit complete and dont stress. Then spend at least another ten minutes practicing something else that you have learned and feel more comfortable with. Chances are the next weeks challenges will be easier. Remember learning to play guitar is hard. It takes committment and time, and like @Bayvu2 said you get out of it what you put in. If your goal is to progress more quickly, you have to play more. The more you play, the better you get. Keep at it bro and enjoy the ride.
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I really appreciate the reply and perspective. It’s definitely a challenge but I’m up for it. I’ve been trying to go do the previous days lesson to start my day and then do the new lesson. I’d say I’m averaging 25-30 minutes a day. Onward and upward! Thanks again.
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Thats excellent and sounds like youve got a good plan. And a good attitude…remember to cut yourself some slack when its not going so good and also pat yourself on the back when it is. The only other thing I would suggest is if you can, spend some practice time away from TAC too. If you can squeeze in another 20 minutes work on your chord transitions, scales and just doing the things you like that youve already learned. For eg get the G D C Em chords under your fingrs and spend time switching between them with a simple strum pattern. Go slow at first, the speed will naturally increase as you get better. Get comfortable with this and it will take you a long way. Youre doing great man! Rock on!
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I say this a lot so please excuse my “broken record”… Make sure you complete the steps in the Quick Start Guide if you haven’t already. It sounds like you might have gone on to the weekly challenges? I was a little confused at first regarding the 30-Days to Play and 5 Days To Play Challenge. These are important steps! Sounds like you are committed and that is great! Just make sure you reward yourself for small wins… you deserve it and a great first win is even trying!!!
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I can’t quite fathom transitioning between chords when I’m still trying to to not touch the wrong strings but I’m working thru it. I just go to the 30 day tab and pick up where I left off. I do feel a little confused abut 30 day challenge vs 5 day stuff. Right now, I try to practice previous lessons and then jump into the new lesson for the day hoping that I’m building a foundation. It’s the worlds slowest foundation but one brick a day is all I can muster. Sincerely appreciate the advice and support!
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Keep at it. I’m now stuck as to what to do next. I am having a bit of difficulty navigating the site and challenges and where to find where I left off. I’m a beginner and at it for about 2-3 months. Advice appreciated please.
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I’m sorry if you haven’t been helped yet. I see you posted this question on May 14th, unfortunately I never saw it until just now. Have you found your way or do you still need help @gyess ?
If you’ve completed the 30 days the next step is the 5 Day Routine. If you missed that it’s no biggie, okay to start the Challenges. The 5 Day Routine is sort of a warmup for the Dailies. The nice thing about being in the Dailies is that everyone else in TAC (other than those beginning) are all doing the same challenges with you so the dialogue below them (comments) can often be very helpful.
There isn’t a lot to navigate, you just show up every week day and a daily challenge will be there for you. This is probably one of biggest advantages TAC has, you always know what to do: today’s challenge. If you’ve done that and want more you can revisit past challenges, go into the skill courses or just keep doing the daily challenge on repeat. I typically revisit the dailies 3-5 more times daily. On weekends there are no new challenges, you can continue with what you glossed over or missed from the week. It’s always a good time to record yourself, I take most of my videos on the weekend.
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I agree but it is fun. Week 2 and I can’t remember week 1. I keep going back but in odd times, not when it’s lesson time. Im learning but not sure how this will all pull together.
Having said that, I sure know a lot more than I have ever known about playing.
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You aren’t alone and it’s impressive that you’re doing it!
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