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Lessons moving along too fast?
I have been doing this daily for 8 weeks, but am still in the 3rd week of the 30 Days to Play. I often spend way more than 10 minutes a day, even go back later for another session. But having only a week to run through several lessons seems kind of fast. I generally run through the lesson a time or two, and if I understand it, even if I can’t do it yet, I mark it completed. But going back to earlier lessons to really be able to do them, is taking way longer than 30 days.
I know we can go at our own pace, but sometimes I feel like I’ve hit a wall. I know, I know, stretching, hand strengthening, all that. A few things are improving so I can’t say nothing is happening.
Is it common to take longer than 30 days to get comfortable with these early, basic lessons?
Thanks, Barbara M
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17 Replies
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@BarbaraM, I’m sure others with more experience with this program will chime in. My advice is not to spend too much time on each lesson. Keep moving forward. Have you started the daily challenges yet? If not, I would still recommend starting them and spending as much time on them as comfortable. The goal is to keep trying new things, and keep the newness alive. Spending too much time on a lesson and getting frustrated will only hinder your progress. The only other thing I can recommend is, have fun. Even if you can only play a couple of notes or chords.
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That’s kind of what I think I should do. I have started the 5-day challenges, got stuck on the hammer on/pull off thing, which actually seems better on my cheap guitar. My biggest challenge there is single note picking without getting on the wrong string! I need to rig up a way to have the tab in front of me so I don’t have to keep looking to the side and losing my place; maybe an adjustable music stand so I can place it low, as I’m sitting.
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We are very similar creatures Barbara. I too am logging on every day, practice 10-30min and sometimes even over an hour—time flies when you are having fun! I am finally wiggling past the power chords after becoming a member in early January as a New Year’s Resolution to myself to finally learn to play my beautiful Cherry wood Montana cut-away acoustical electric guitar that has been collecting dust in my closet since 2004 (purchased at a local pawn shop after hearing one of the store attendants play beautifully on it—had to have it, and have wanted to find the time to play ever since!!) Now’s MY time 20yrs later.
I personally cannot just fly threw the lessons to keep things new and interesting like some other members are suggesting. I need to feel an accomplishment before I can move on to the next lesson, maybe even perfection…that’s just me. The great thing about the TAC program is THERE IS NO RUSH. Another great thing about the TAC program is that IT IS FUN. No questions asked….totally am thrilled to finally be part of a FUN program that makes me want to envelope myself into it EVERY DAY….or as close to every day as seemingly possible now that all my kids are grown and have families of their own.
I find that when I complete a lesson, move on to the next, and complete that lesson as well—I find myself looking back for a brush up from the lessons I’ve completed. It may take me more than the “suggested week” for each lesson…..but so what. No pressure to do that……GO AT YOUR OWN SPEED. And I also save every daily challenge into my favorites without even playing them, so I can refer back to them AFTER I feel I have learned enough to play them. They will not be available after each month they are posted, so I get greedy and save them for future playing.
So tell yourself…..NO RUSH, NO PRESSURE, and GO AT YOUR OWN PACE. Most of all……tell yourself to HAVE FUN. I know I do, and I love reading about every one else’s journeys too. Sometimes by just browsing thru the Community Support you will eventually stumble upon someone who is struggling with something similar to what you are, and by merely reading about it will make you feel warm & fuzzy knowing you are just like all the rest of us. Enjoy your own journey, no matter how long it takes you 🦋
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If you were taking a traditional guitar course the approach is to practice a given skill over and over until you have some level of proficiency and then move on.
But TAC is designed with a different philosophy, the idea is you are exposed to a lot of different techniques and styles and many will be out of reach as a beginner, but you give it a good try for at least 10 mins and then move on. That same technique will appear again and again throughout the year and each time it comes around you will get better at it and you will learn it at the time in your journey that you are ready to learn it.
It’s a very unique approach and it is sometimes frustrating when given a technique which is beyond you ability, but by giving it a try you learn something, and can apply that knowledge the next time it comes around.
You are free to spend as much time as you want on the lessons and approach it however you wish, but I would encourage you to at least try Tony’s method and experience his teaching philosophy.
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Thank you both, RiverRooo and Moose408! I knew this on some subconscious level, but I am somewhat of a perfectionist and can get easily frustrated when something feels too challenging, or if I feel too rushed. But with maturity comes wisdom, and I realize I will not always struggle with lack of coordination and weak hands, not if I keep at it! And keep at it I will, as, in spite of my seeming lack of progress, I AM having fun!
Barbara M
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Thanks everyone this post helped me out cheers Dean
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@BarbaraM I’m sure your post had helped many others. You are not the first, nor the last that will take longer than 30 days to take the 30 days to play challenge. I can understand how it could frustrate someone whose tendency is to be a perfectionist to try to keep moving forward before having mastered the lesson. Boy, if that were the case, for me, aid still be on the 2nd week of the 30 days to play, even after 3 1/2 years – lol. Just kidding. But to put your mind at ease as to whether the TAC program works, I had never played the guitar before joining TAC. I definitely did not master anything in the 30 days to play and many lessons after that. But, the amazing thing is that I actually learned how to play the guitar, read tabs and chord sheets, improvise, play songs, sing, play with others, perform at open mics, etc.,
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Oh I’m not complaining or criticizing the TAC program at all. It has helped me renew my enjoyment of this wonderful instrument. I played a little many years ago, took lessons briefly from a friend, but consider myself a beginner. I was just getting a bit frustrated at the speed toward even a little proficiency it seemed was expected of us. So I’m going to take the philosophy used by many horse trainers: “It takes as long as it takes!”
I’m glad my question helped others in the same boat!
BarbaraM
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Hey @BarbaraM My apologies if you thought I was saying you were being critical. That was not my intention, whatsoever? I’m so sorry if you felt like that. I have a very bad habit or actually a personality of being direct and often times saying things too harshly without meaning to. I thought your post was great.
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No worries, Loraine, we’re cool! 🙂
Barbara M
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I also have found the pacing too fast. I started last March and did the daily challenges consistently until August. They slowly transitioned from enjoyable to frustrating, because I wasn’t mastering anything. I could not do chord transitions, hammer-ons, etc with any kind of skill or proficiency.
I didn’t feel like I was learning. It just felt like fumbling around.
In August I quit trying. I quit playing.
I returned in January and printed out the Boom Chick-A Chord Exercise from 30 days to play, determined to train my hands to play those five chords and transition deftly between them. This will sound boring, but I did nothing but that, morning and evening, for weeks. I finally felt like I was gaining some skill.
I tried to rejoin the TAC challenges but quickly found I was eating dust again. Just frustrated.
What I want to do is work on one challenge until I master it. I particularly remember enjoying the lick part of the BB King week, and I wanted to return to it, and do the full week over and over until I had some proficiency.
However, I do not see a way to bring that week up and work with it.
Does anyone know if that’s possible? To return to a week and just work on it?
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You can access old challenges if you marked them as favorites.
I started copying the links to the daily challenges and added them to a spreadsheet, so I can access them anytime and keep them more organized than the Favorites list.
I have saving the links since end of July of last year and I did not see any BB King song, but it sometimes hard to tell because Tony rarely mentions the song name in his titles. Do you know when it was or the name of the song?
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Hi Moose,
Thanks for the info. I favorited one lesson from the week and it’s called “Lucille.” I didn’t think to favorite or save every link as I went though.
If you have time, could you see if Lucille is in your sheet and send the other links from that week?
Thanks!
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This reply was modified 7 months ago by TheRealRobbo.
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This reply was modified 7 months ago by
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I mistakenly replied to the original message from Barbara and not yours. See below for the BB King links.
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I did not have that in my list, it must have been pre-August of last year.
However I played around with the URL using the word Lucille and found the 5 challenges.
https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/bb-shake/
https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/lucille/
https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/kings-court/
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That’s so helpful! Thanks!
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Thanks to all of you. This has been encouraging. I am two and a half weeks into the program. I have learned a lot, more than I thought I could, but now it feels like the program is getting away from me. I am trying to master each section as I go, but it sounds like I need to readjust my expectations.
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