Is it possible?

[Skyman911]

@johnhalsall87gmail-com , John, totally possible. As an older player myself who just started a few years back, I’ve found that many songs can be simplified, and you can still have fun and sound good even though you may not be using the exact same chords or progression as originally written. Hotel California is actually one of our benchmark songs, and it will come around again soon. One of the first Beetles songs I learned was Day in the Life. It does contain some barre chords that can be modified if you’re not into barre chords yet. Blackbird is one I have been working on for a while.

[John H]

Thank you very much for your feedback, much appreciated

[Av8tormike]

I’m reluctant to write this because I don’t want to rain on your reunion. However, I can offer a suggestion or two, First of all, I’ve been playing for 10 months, and practice almost every day. I couldn’t do what you want to do. Nevertheless, If I had to do it, here’s how I’d approach it. I’d select the songs I want to play, paying close attention to how difficult they are. Buffalo Gals is much easier than Hotel California. Of course, the fewer songs I plan to learn the better my chances of success. Then I’d start learning them now, in addition to my regular practice, and play them every day.

I imagined that after a while of learning to play guitar I’d be able to pick up a piece of music and play it. The “catch” is that that will take much longer than I expected. I suppose it might happen eventually, but it will probably take years for me to get that proficient.

I suppose, like with all things, your success will be determined by the time and effort you devote to it.

I wish you all the best.

[petelanger]

I also just got my first guitar recently: it was December of last year. I started 2 programs and darn near quit them before finding TAC in July and I have played nearly every day since. I think it’s admirable to have those goals but, unless you are a very quick learner it’s not only unlikely that you will be able to proficiently play like 5 -10 songs (not sure of your goal since you simply said many Beatle songs plus Hotel California), but it may also not be the best thing for your progress as a guitar player. By focusing on learning a single song, this will take a lot of time away from your TAC routine.
Fellow student @jumpinjeff posted in the forums not too long ago and I would like to share it here because he said some things that really resonated with me and that you may want to consider. Here is a link to the thread if you’re interested:
https://tonypolecastro.com/family-forums/topic/advice-how-to-learn-songs/?bbp_reply_to=2149404&_wpnonce=130cf90587#new-post

[Moose408]

Here is my $0.02 worth

Being able play songs next June is doable if you devote the time. For me it was around 250-300 hours of dedicated practice time before I could comfortably perform songs in front of others. I could play a few songs around 150 hours but not reliably. It’s 223 days from now to June 1st, so if practice everyday for at least 45mins to an hour and your are results are similar you can get there.

[TerriG]

Hi John,

Welcome to TAC. What a great goal to set and your wife will be thrilled.

Everything is possible once you put your mind to it. It will depend on how much you practice, your finger dexterity, and the enjoyment/frustration level you have playing. TAC is setup as a learning based system of techniques, licks, solos/scales, rhythm guitar & chord transitions. To learn the entire song, you might have to search other sites for the complete chorus/verse sequence. Over time you’ll have the skills to play whatever you want.

I’m about 10 months into TAC and I can play simple songs and the numerous of licks that Tony provided. The rhythm guitar portion takes time. Unless you’re very good in nailing the chords and transitioning fast, this might not be where your expectations might not meet reality — yet. Search for simple songs. For example, I can play Blowing in the Wind, Hey Jude, Stand By Me. Also, Tony’s benchmark songs – Wagon Wheel and Ain’t No Sunshine are doable IMHO. Keep at it and I know your wife will be thrilled that you learn the songs for her. Good luck to you and again welcome to the group!

[Loraine]

Hey John, I too welcome you to the TAC community. What a great goal, and it would be so cool if you are able to reach it.

Guitar is much more difficult than most people realize. I too always wanted to play the guitar and I thought that I would just pick it up and start to play, but it took me a long time and I’m still not the greatest player. I could play some songs about the same time that you want to, but the real pivotal point for me was at the and my second year beginning of my third year, where I was able to pick up and play a lot of songs. Much more easily then I could at the beginning.

A lot of it had to do with I didn’t know how to start or where to start. I think often part of the issue is we don’t know how to take what we learned here in the foundational skills and make it work or how to play an actual song. There are many, many sites that you can visit. Lots of youtube, videos and everything else, but I have a different suggestion.

My suggestion is to get a guitar teacher to supplement what you learn here. I did that at the end of my first year and it elevated me much faster then I would have just trying to go and find court sheets or tab sheets and try to put it together myself. That’s a possiblity, and a lot of people do that. Find a teacher that is willing to simply help you learn these songs. A great teacher will listen to you and do what you ask them, because it is your goals, not theirs, that you should be working towards. I can give you a reference if you like to a good teacher. He does online lessons, and i’ve been taking online lessons with him since I started. I think I’ve met him 3 times

And it wasn’t necessary to go in to meet him. I just did it on my own and I went to see his band play. He has the best ear for music that I’ve ever seen. And he can easily simplify song and help you to play them. I’ll message You His’ contact info. No obligation on your part.I’m just giving you the information.

I hope you are able to reach your goals. It would be so cool and you would gain so much confidence and build your skills, so I say, at least pursue it to see if it’s a possibility. Good luck with it all

[Carol-3M-Stillhand]

@johnhalsall87gmail-com Glad you are enjoying playing guitar and especially that you are enjoying Tony’s Acoustic Challenge!! You have some great guitar goals for next year for you wife’s birthday celebration!! Knowing the “Why” is a very powerful motivation.

I think @Loraine gave some great advice, that it might be good to take some lessons even for a short time. Taking 1:1 instruction in person can give you very personalized tips on how to learn a few songs that you could be able to play for your wife by June next year. And of course it’s a great idea to keep going with Tony P’s teaching method right here to get your general technique to advance.

Also it might be helpful to find a local song circle jam group. It will help you learn how to play along with (and in front of) others, and you can share tips about how to make certain songs/chord progressions easier.

You might not be able to play those songs exactly like on the record album, but you might need to modify the songs to a different key with more playable chords. You may need to just play in a simpler rhythm pattern, like one strum per measure… you get the idea. I’m sure your wife and all the others at the party will be amazed at your progress, no matter where you are in your guitar journey!! Have fun!!!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by  Carol-3M-Stillhand.

[Skyman911]

I took private lessons for over two years. Half of one year also doing TAC. My teacher even knew I was doing TAC, and I showed him some of the challenges. He thought they were very well put together and thought out. Beware though, there are some not so great teachers. I had to go through a couple to really find one who I connected with. Even a couple of private lessons can go a very long way in the beginning.