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My Guitar Guru
Yeah, so I never did a 4 year TACiversary. You know what else I never did? I never got a really regular, fixed practice routine. Yeah, that’s 56 months I’ve been showing up and watching lessons with Tony and I’ve never been “regular”.
Here’s the thing about “regular”, I’ve never been regular at anything since my mom used to wake me up for school. That enforced, artificial regularity ended 51 years ago this coming spring. It’s not in my DNA.
But you don’t want to hear about me and my make up. You want to hear about my guitar routine since coming to TAC. Well, I assume you want to hear about that, since you clicked your way here. Anyway, that’s what I want to talk about.
I’ve never missed a week in 56 months. I’ve missed some days, but not that many… and I always go back and catch up. I haven’t always done the lessons. I did for the first 2 to 3 years, but then I slacked off.
But lately, I’ve been doing the whole week of lessons about once per month. Sometimes 2, but I just don’t spend as much time anymore as my guitar journey/musical life is so full. When I did the lessons more regularly, I still did them rather disjointedly. Now, when I do the lessons, I really focus on the package presented throughout week. I’m not doing this to get the song (I don’t do cover songs anymore, just my own originals), but to get the techniques involved.
I’m at the level that I can do pretty much any technique Tony presents on Monday. But there are a lot of those techniques that I have never really incorporated into my playing. I’m very slow at utilizing new techniques and ideas in my playing.
Ok, so this is rambling on. And I still haven’t gotten to the reason I decided to post in “Show Off Your Routine” today. I wanted to get something out of this weeks lessons, but I don’t really care for this song (I dislike extremely repetitive songs, though I understand why Wagon Wheel and other repetitive songs are popular). So, I didn’t do a very good job of following along this week.
But today, I decided to do yesterday’s and today’s lesson. What hit me was how much I enjoyed watching Tony explain guitar to me. I realized that over this past 4 1/2 years, Tony has truly become my “Guitar Guru”. And that made me feel good.
That’s why I took the time to make this post.
MG 😀
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8 Replies
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Ramble On man, your singing my song! It is funny how similar my own journey is to others journeys. Thank for sharing N-light. Makes me feel like I am in the right place.
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Thank you, @jumpinjeff for coming by and leaving a comment.
Yeah, we’re in the right place for sure.
There are a lot of attitudes regarding TAC, Tony, and Levi. Me? I credit them with giving me the Acoustic Life I have today. I will always be grateful for TAC. And, I will always see Tony as someone who chose to share music and guitar with others out of the goodness of his heart. And yeah, he and Levi figured out a business model that works for them and their families.
But how does that take away from anything said before that? We all have to make a living (earn money), and they’re doing it by helping others find a satisfying guitar journey.
MG 😀
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“Stuff that Works” is a Guy Clark favorite song of mine. I am more regular (must be the Raisin Bran), but where we sync up is how truly useful Tony’s approach is to consistently enjoy the process of learning and playing. So keep on working it even if it isn’t orthodox.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by albert_d.
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Thank you @albert_d , for coming by and leaving a comment.
Yes, you’re totally correct. In spite of my “unorthodox” way of doing TAC, I have benefited greatly. And TAC is responsible for my guitar journey, even though I didn’t do it very strictly. I tried other sites and even a face to face instructor, but nothing really got me into the habit/routine long enough and consistently enough for my identity to take off and fuel my Acoustic Life. Tony “made” me a guitarist.
MG 😀
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This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by
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This is yet another great post you have made here.
There is a lot to digest there, partly because as I read thru it, I have to take quite a few time-outs to see that I’m quite similar– (yeah- scary).
I think I’m missing the TAC program a bit, because- (mainly unlike you?)- I feel like I do better/learn better when I have a clear plan given to me….. a task in front of me….. a boulder to push up the mountain.
For me it seems that once a person gets a little bit beyond “beginner”, maybe takes a few courses or classes– expanding their knowledge by a good amount, and also maybe writes a few tunes…….. things “change”. You begin to experiment with new things and also with things you already know. There is now a whole new world out there!!!!!
But all of this “new” can lead to too many choices, and possibly then, no clear path. So, another “practice” of random, unsatisfying, unproductive, noodling-around. Blah.
Which, to me anyway, is far worse than having a clear set of “assignments” that TAC gave me. Thinkin’ I shoulda stayed on…….
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Thank you Mark @the-old-coach ;
I can only assume your membership hasn’t run out just yet? You can still pay for a lifetime membership.
Here’s how I see it. There are a bunch of sites and instructors I could learn from. Most of them have limited benefit if I don’t pay for some kind of membership, whether Patreon or a membership website. So, it’ll cost me anywhere from $5 to $27 per month to get all the resources available from any one online instructor and belong to their community forum.
Five measly dollars a month adds up to $60 per year. 27 dollars a month adds up to $324 per year. The $5 per month options don’t compare to TAC. The few instructors who offer something comparable are the ones at the top of that money heap. So, TAC is actually cheaper than anything comparable. And you’d pay more in 2 years than a TAC lifetime membership.
So, why am I sold on TAC over other sites besides for the money issue? Because Tony teaches techniques by giving you a little chunk of music. No one does this. They either teach technique, which is boring. Or they teach you a specific song.
I do know one site that might be as good as Tony. But it’s at the top, $27 per month. He’s really good and shows technique in a musical chunk that can be applied to any song. So like Tony, he’s actually helping you improve your skill while working on something that sounds good. But he’s the only one I am aware of that teaches in a similar fashion to Tony.
There’s still a big “however”. However, he doesn’t use the concepts from Atomic Habits or Grit or… I don’t remember the third book. But Tony uses proven concepts from psychology to create habits and to master complex skills. And those concepts are incorporated into his website. You don’t have to read the books or understand the process. You just have to sign up and follow along.
And the real point about my post is that even if you do a poor job of following Tony’s method, it still works amazingly.
MG 😀
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So @the-old-coach you are always welcomed back. One nice thing about free will is all choices aren’t irreversible. When I was 18, I said I’d never own a minivan but with 3 kids at 40, I concluded I wasn’t going to let an 18 year old (even if it was me), tell me what to do. The concept works still even in retirement.
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LOL, @albert_d , that’s pretty funny. It’s also great advice. 😄
MG 😀
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