Falling behind

[N-lightMike]

What is recommended @steve48 , is to practice the lesson for at least 10 minutes, then mark it complete, and after that you can immediately forget it. Or, you can trying playing it some more later on in that same day and forget about it when you go to bed. Or, after playing it one or more times that first day, you can mark it as a favorite and continue to work on it during ensuing days.

Obviously, you can’t work on every lesson over and over again, day after day until you master it. You are supposed to put a minimum of 10 minutes into TRYING each lesson. That’s it. If you do that day after day, your guitar skills will improve. In fact, within just a few weeks, you will notice improvement. I have found that when a lesson came back around after a few months that I could play it better and faster even if I never thought about it again after the first 10 minutes I spent on it.

Music exists in the moment… then it’s gone. It doesn’t sit around like some dumb old statue. 🤣

MG 😀

[Loraine]

Hi @steve48 , I agree with Mike, put in the minimum of 10 minutes per day on the lesson (more if you like) and mark the lesson complete. You can still go back to it in your free time if you like, but as Mike pointed out the goal is not to master the lesson before moving on. All the lessons throughout a week build upon each other, so you’ll still be practicing the skills. You will notice improvement with just the minimum time committed. TAC teaches foundational skills and you will see the lessons again (they restart about every 8 months or so), and you will notice the 2nd time around that the lessons come much easier, because you’ve had 8 months of practice at the minimum time daily.

Keep on plunking, and you’ll continue to move forward. Have fun with the lessons and celebrate the victories and small wins and push aside the frustrations and imperfections.

[jumpinjeff]

Hi @steve48 , both MikeGuarnier and Loraine were spot on. I will add this: we put in the effort and the outcome is cumulative over time. There is no behind, only right now. When we focus on the moment the future takes care of itself.

[steve48]

Thank you all for answering. They were all helpful responses. Now I get it.

[Kim-Fitz]

I agree with everyone here. That said, I find when I struggle with an exercise I often try it again the next day and have better success. I don’t do that with every lesson and it will depend on the time I have. Mostly I move on like everyone has said. Another thing I do is incorporate some of the day one exercises into my daily routine. I have found it has really helped my finger strength and hitting the correct strings when using a pick.

[N-lightMike]

Hey @Kim-Fitz , thanks for adding these details that you do regarding the daily lessons. This is an excellent example for @steve48 to see how others use the daily lessons.

MG 😀

[better_play_good]

Wow. I feel better already. Thanks for your posts Mike Gaurnier and Loraine regarding moving on to new lessons instead of falling behind like Steve48. I have the same problem as he does. I’m trying in vain to keep up with the lessons and adding new ones every day and falling behind. Thus becoming frustrated and not enjoying the lessons. And feeling like the lessons are too hard for me. Tomorrow I am going to start fresh and just concentrate on that day’s lesson instead of trying to keep up with the old lessons.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by  better_play_good.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by  better_play_good.

[N-lightMike]

I am so glad I could help @better_play_good

You have outlined the right and wrong process in a very clear way when you mention becoming frustrated as opposed to enjoying your guitar journey and your lessons. We can go about our guitar journey in anyway we want… as long as we enjoy it. Any habit or attitude that causes frustration must be changed and/or dumped.

So, don’t just rock on… rock on happily. 😋

MG 😀

[Cadgirl]

I agree with the others. Do the challenge as best you can and while the guitar is in hand practice for awhile. When I first start playing my brother told me to learn the Pentatonic Scale. I would highly recommend it to you. You’ll always use it and you can go up and down the neck with it. I found a youtube with Tony showing you how to do it. I made a tab for you on the minor scale (follows what he is showing in the video. It quick and easy and you’ll have it down in no time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0Lveo9NicE , if the link doesn’t work, just copy and paste.

[Jimso]

Steve, this was exactly the question I had after just signing up a week ago. I usually like to get a piece up to speed before moving on but I see that’s not the intention here.

Thank you for clarifying the daily challenge roadmap, Mike.

[N-lightMike]

I am loving how many people have benefited from this one question. Thank you again for asking the question @steve48 . It just shows how this community works. If you have a question, just remember there will always be others who wonder about the same thing. Now, we have to wonder how many other people have benefited who haven’t left a comment to let us know they were benefited?

You are so welcome @Jimso . I don’t know which I like better. All the help I’ve gotten from TAC or all the help I’ve been able to give to other TAC members.

MG 😀

[Moonhare]

Hi @steve48 (and @Jimso & @better_play_good ). I’m still in my first year here at TAC (Joined in April) and I agree with all that has been said my @MikeGaurnier @Cadgirl @Loraine @jumpinjeff and @Kim-Fitz . I have a slightly different way of dealing with this but exactly the same outcome in that I try the daily challenge and if I can get it at 1x speed then I tick it off as complete. If I can’t I just leave it unticked and move on to the next one. (see screenshot). It gives me some idea of what stage I’m at each month then I figure next year I’ll be able to tick off more each week as I progress. After the last 90 Day Progress party I downloaded the 90 day guide and one part of my plan was to revisit the 30 Day Challenge and see how I got on. So far I have redone the first three weeks (as well as my normal guitar routine) and have been able to play all at 2x speed. Now I was only getting them at .75 or 1x speed during my first 30 days. What a change in 8 months!

So don’t ever feel you are behind or not keeping up. I am buzzed by my progress and yet you can see from the daily challenge I’m not getting them all by any means. If I was able to do 100% already I’d be wondering if as a novice player this was really a challenge at all. Let the system do its magic and it will creep into your playing almost unnoticed. Oh and do try to get along to the 90 Day Progress Party on Jan 5th and meet some fellow TAC players. Keep rockin! 🤟😎🎸 Darren (Moonhare)

[N-lightMike]

Hey Darren @Moonhare

Thanks for including your approach. This method will work well now, but some of us who have been around for awhile wouldn’t have thought to do it this way. Why? Well, it used to be that if you have all the lessons for the month marked complete, your profile pic would be put on the dart board and get the chance to win a guitar… every month. Since that is no longer happening, the “mark complete” can be used in a different way, such as how you have explained.

MG 😀

[Moonhare]

Interesting. I never heard about that. I think as a new member I’ve sometimes wondered about things Tony mentions in some of the videos like posting a video to get a solo badge. 🤔

[N-lightMike]

Yeah, in the previous manifestation of TAC, I had all 4 badges available. But I’m not familiar with the arrangement that came before me. I know it had changed just a few months before I joined. As I understand it, TAC when through a number of transformations before I came along. This last one is the only one I have seen. I believe they are done morphing and have become the butterfly.

MG 😁

[punder]

The genius of this site is so simple.

DON’T THINK.

Just pull up the challenge and try to learn it—for at least a few minutes. Don’t get it? No problem. Pull up the next challenge tomorrow and try that one. Rinse, repeat.

DON’T THINK. I’m not being sarcastic. I’m perfectly serious. The genius is in establishing the habit, not in perfecting anything.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by  punder.

[N-lightMike]

Wow, @punder , I’ve been on TAC for 2 1/2 years and actively trying to understand/explain Tony’s method the whole time. I don’t think you are being sarcastic at all. That is brilliant. This is the simplest way to understand Tony’s method.

Don’t Think. Just play. And enjoy. Every day.

Thank you for sharing your take on this. I love it.

MG 😀

[punder]

Thank you Mike! High praise indeed. Much appreciated.

Now I just have to stick to my own theory… 😆

[N-lightMike]

Yes, you are right about that Patrick ( @punder ), but I think it will be much easier to implement the ideology when it can be understood so simply. If the concept is vague, it would be more difficult even if you remember to try. I definitely will remember this simple way of looking at this.

MG 😀

[Cadgirl]

I have to agree with everyone . It’s just a quick exercises. For a blues run or a tribute / tribulet (?). I found them beneficial when I start learning a new song, and it has something in it that I remember from a challenge. I would recommend saving the challenges to a folder on your computer and naming them something you can search for. Tony makes up a lot of names for his challenges that have nothing to do with what the challenge was, so they are hard to find. Todays challenge is ‘Triple Threat’. rename it to ‘Triple threat – blues shuffle’. Then you can do a search and pull up all those challenges that have a blues riff. Just a suggestion.

[N-lightMike]

🙏👍

[Moonhare]

Good idea!