[petelanger]

It’s called Tony’s Acoustic Challenge for a reason. Struggle is a good thing, it means you are being challenged. Your brain is an amazing thing, while you play through these little lessons, it’s recording so many things you don’t even realize. You are actually growing while you suck and struggle to do the challenge. Surely you were able to do certain parts, a measure here or a couple of notes there? Celebrate the things that went well and be happy that the hard parts are teaching you things.

The only thing certain is that if you give up, you stop learning. If you continue, magical things will eventually happen.

It’s up to you @jerrygriffiths389gmail-com

[the-old-coach]

Perfect.

[jorgemac]

That is a personal choice only you can make but know that i will have my personal ghosts haunt you every day if you quit…

That is no small thing as they would put a dent in any comfortable frame of mind you might enjoy..

hang in there brother.

[the-old-coach]

Repeat…….. Perfect, JM

[albert_d]

31 sessions is a drop in the bucket on a lifelong guitar journey. It hasn’t been enough time to experience the joy of how much better you are when a challenge comes back around and you realize the process and structure actually works. As @petelanger says, when you are struggling is when you are learning. But if you aren’t new to guitar, then throw some fun stuff in there and don’t make it all “work all the time”. There is a difference in learning, practicing and playing. So enjoy them all. Even at the gym no one wants to see if they can lift their personal maximum best each and every trip. Soon one regrets going to work out. So do your 10 minutes and then have fun.

I don’t get paid by TAC to promote anything. But I can vouch that it works as I near 2,500 [usually enjoyable] sessions. (But I still struggle with “Mississippi Timing”.) Hopefully this will be another consideration toward your decision.

[Braden]

The hard truth…yeah it might be. This isnt for everyone. Not sure what the stats are but many if not most people quit guitar within the first year. They have the dream, try to live it for awhile, but get frustrated because it doesnt come quickly enough and then the guitar goes back in the closet.

Learning any instrument is hard. It takes a long time and not everyone is willing to put that time in. You have to ask yourself two things: how bad do you want it, and whats it worth to you. The second question carries the most weight…it means many things: how many hours of practice are you willing to put in, are you willing to accept that youre going to suck a lot, and that progress is slow and in small steps. Answering these questions for yourself should help you decide what to do.

And maybe the most important thing is are you able to have fun and enjoy the process in spite of the struggle? If youre really not enjoying it, then whats the point. Maybe time to find another hobby.

But i hope you decide to stick with it. If youre like most of us youve probably wanted to play for a long time. If thats the case then my advice is dont hang it up. But keep your expectations realistic. The rewards are there brother. But youv got to pay your dues. Good luck and all the best!

[petelanger]

Pure Gold here, the combined wisdom and caring of TAC people are staggering and heart warming!

[jorgemac]

I have 366 Tac sessions on this merry-go-round.
Playing guitar , no matter how long you have been doing it, still has those “this sucks” days. I’ve finally learn to think about how much effort ., hours and work I’ve put in to reach a nice level of guitar picking.
So, when I have those inevitable down days I go ride my bike, take a midnight walk with the deer and cayotes , work harder in my senior Strength and yoga classes, chat up my neighbors, even the one’s I don’t like… and noodle for a while until I hit some new notes, riffs, chord progressions and climb back on board this lifetime guitar adventure. Don’t give up, just work our way through it until it is fun again. Enjoy the up’s and ride out your down’s because they will turn into up’s before you know it. it’s all part of life’s mystery. Keep on Chugglin ya’ll

[the-old-coach]

Jerry—

Our good friend @Loraine says it as good as anyone— “don’t quit before the magic happens”.

For my own 2-bits— I totally agree. In the meantime, be like the passenger on a long road-trip……. Kick back and enjoy the ride.

[Loraine]

Have to wholly agree. Don’t give up before the magic happens. I almost gave up after year 2. The magic for me happened 4 months after my 2 year anniversary. Everything clicked, and I’ve been getting better ever since, and I have so much fun. I would have missed out if I quit too soon. It is difficult in the beginning. But it will start making sense and with practice and sort term goals, dedication, and focus, you can get better and play.

Question is, what made you want to play? What do you absolutely love about guitar, or the acoustic guitar. What is your end goal? Then break it down into baby steps. Make sure you participate in the 3 month check ins. Make note of where you were at the beginning of that 3 month period, and then where you are at the end of it. Have you improved. Did you work towards your 3 month, short term goal? Why or why not What is the driver within to keep going?

All these questions and more. Write out why you wanted to learn guitar. Write down what drives you the most to keep playing. The best is to make sure you share all your small wins, regardless of how big or small. These are what you will build upon.

People don’t just pick up the guitar and begin playing. It is a process, and one where you never master it. You will always be learning. Bring your expectations down to a realistic goal.

Tell us where you’re at right now.

[petelanger]

“Tell us where you’re at right now”

This stat kind of says it: @jerrygriffiths389gmail-com has hung it up a while ago.

[Aservire]

I’m pretty new here… just a couple of months. I “played” guitar for a few decades but never put in the work to actually build a fundamental skill set. That is what I feel I’m getting here.
One thing I would stress is seriously and methodically completing the steps in the Quick Start guide if you haven’t already. And by seriously I mean don’t skip anything no matter how easy it seems. Take a full 30 days on the 30 Days to Play and 5 days on the 5 Day Routine Challenge. I started the course about 2 years ago and skipped a lot of that because it seemed to fundamental… I was wrong about that for sure. When I stuck to that plan it sort of clicked for me what what happening. You don’t have to get the exercises perfect before you move on… each makes different connections in your brain and muscle memory and then you’ll find improvements in areas you didn’t even practice… small improvements but improvements none the less. Then it took me about another month before I started feeling the rhythm of the weekly challenges. Some weeks it seems like no or very little progress… others I feel a huge difference.
Lots of great input above regarding other factors. Good luck with your guitar journey or whatever else you decide to do.

[scramoliniyahoo-com]

Don’t give up my friend. Challenge is healthy and necessary to grow. You’ll be ok. Just hang in there. My skill level is even farther down the ladder than yours…trust me. But I won’t give up. Yes, agree, you need to put in at least 30 minutes a day AFTER you tune your guitar and stretch (important as well). But like a few of these fellow guitar players are saying…..magic happens slowly but surely. Im in about 4 months now and I’m seeing progress (both in TAC and Babbel with Spanish). Whoopee!

Go get em boss!

[the-old-coach]

Scram–

PERFECT post!

[MattTX_24]

I don’t know how Tony could make it any clearer, but I feel like it can’t be said enough… You aren’t supposed to be “mastering” the exercises. Some are easier than others, and yes, there are days where you will be able to play along quite easily. But there are a lot of days where you might only be able to play along with 5% of the exercise, and that’s okay! I’ve come to accept that there are many days where I feel like I hardly was able to scratch the surface, but I still come away with the feeling that I learned something, even if it was just a tiny bit. But that tiny bit keeps adding up.

This is said over and over… do what you can, celebrate the small win, and keep going!

[the-old-coach]

I know this is a “divisive” subject, and has been hashed-out in here– (and other guitar-group-Forums). I get that… but…… (and I have said this before– many times…).

The whole “give me ten minutes…..” / “only ten minutes a day…..” mindset is a bunch of BS, unless you plan to live to be 100+ years old; or…….. you just want to call yourself a “guitar-player” because you can play a few chords on play along with a YouTube video of one of your old favorites- (notice I didn’t say play one of your old favorites/ I said “play along with“…. (there’s a difference). I have been there/ done that….. and it only works for so long, friends.

I certainly have a long way to go in my own guitar-journey, and I’m the first one to admit it, and also that I have NO standing to sound any kind of condescending….

But let’s face it, folks……… If there’s a challenging Daily, and you play just the ten-minutes, and then pat yourself on the back because you put in just the ten minutes………. then you gotta accept the consequences that come with that.

Someone who digs into that challenging Daily lesson, and really gives it some (extra) effort…. deserves to progress faster. Those who don’t, don’t.

This is Tony’s Acoustic Challenge , and we ALL joined-in knowing that it will be a challenge…. (at times difficult!)

Faster, more-rewarding progress is there for you to go after……. IF YOU GO AFTER IT.

But all this “ten-minutes-per-day-and-you-will-be-a-guitar-player” hype…..

Think about it some……… It doesn’t work that way……… For anything in life……..

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 4 days ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 4 days ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 4 days ago by  the-old-coach.

[petelanger]

The 10 minute thing is not a complete lie IMO. At the start, devoting 10 minutes per day playing (not including the time you are sitting and watching video of Tony playing) will get you going. If you’re a complete beginner, you would want to add time to learn chords and some basic techniques from the skill tab. Just doing this, 10 or 15 min or a bit more can progress you slowly for the first 12 – 18 months. You will be a better player than when you started. But you won’t really make huge strides after that first year or so if you don’t push harder!

Now Tony does say you can also just play 2 or 3 days a week (and only 10 min I assume). That’s really iffy! I can’t see you progressing much with that effort.

[the-old-coach]

Great response, Pete- (as always)—

I guess I have just never been of that lackadaisical mindset. Joining-in on something like TAC is not “required-reading” in life. We have all made the deliberate choice to be here. I’m not putting down those who just “coast along”– it’s just never been in my DNA I guess.

Learning how to play a guitar– (and actually understanding things)– is a tough ask– requiring time, work, dedication, and persistence. It’s NOT easy.

I just don’t see how anyone would want to plunk down their $200 each year- (or much more w/ the Lifetime thing)- and not want to really get after it. I know we all have time constraints……… but……… the choice was ours when we joined.

As an old coach (for years)– I know that people quit when they are not “doing good” in whatever it is; they get discouraged because they are not “improving” as fast as they thought they would- (or should).

This thread was started because a guitar-player was thinking of quitting- (maybe because he wasn’t doing as good as he expected(?).

As I said earlier– I never want to see anybody quit— but how fast they see improvement is directly related to how much effort (and TIME) they put in.

Ain’t no gettin’ around that fact. And not just in learning guitar.

I’ve stated my opinion, explained my reasoning, and I’ll shut up now….. I’ve likely overstayed my welcome.

Yer Ol’ Pal—

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 3 days ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 3 days ago by  the-old-coach.

[petelanger]

Very true statement: “how fast they see improvement is directly related to how much effort (and TIME) they put in”

I would add the caveat that you can’t put in massive effort and then stop for a while, rinse and repeat. You want to keep your sessions in the 15-20 minute range and break. This will help much more than playing for hours straight. You won’t be focused enough and you can only feed your brain so much, then it needs time to process.

[Braden]

I’m all in on the 10 minute a day thing and think Mark @the-old-coach is dead on. I especially liked the line… “ten minutes a day…is a bunch of BS, unless you plan to live to be 100”! good one Coach, thanks for the chuckle

In this world of instant gratification, telling people that all they need to do is play ten minutes a day 2 or 3 times a week and before they know it they’ll be decent guitar players is smart marketing. They’re going after that prevalent mentality of I want it now, and as easy as possible. I do also think that some teachers tell their students this, hoping that the ten minutes will stretch out to a half hour or more. But its still a good hook…just give me ten minutes, even celebrate that you ‘just showed up’ at all. And you can call your self a guitar player.

For me it comes back to what do you want out of this, what are you hoping to get from learning guitar. What are you trying to achieve. In other words, how good do you want to get.

Some folks might be completely content and satisfied strumming some chords or playing a few licks. And thats great (although i wonder if deep down they wish they could do more). But theyv done the cost-benefit and mde their decision. For them, half an hour a week ie ten minutes a day, three days a week, is just about right. And if they skip a day / week or two, its no big deal and doesnt affect too much.

But I think the “all you need is 10 minutes a day!” line insinuates more…that this is all you need to do to become a good guitar player. And sadly, in this day and age, thats a good sell. We want it fast and we want it easy. So if I can be entertaining my friends or (fill in the blank) soon with only having to play ten minutes a day sign me up.

But of course this isnt true…and like Coach says, it never was. If it was true, everyone would be doing it, there would be many many more people playing, and playing well. Instead its really the opposite, Most people quit playing before the first year is out , and of those who keep going, many of them give it up within a few more years. There are a lot of guitar owners out there… who dabble a bit, but not really too many good players. Why? Because its hard. Its very difficult on so many levels. And it takes significant committment, work and discipline. Also a very particular mindset….ie embracing the suck and struggle. Its not for everyone.

hey @petelanger my most productive sessions are about two hours (with a few 5-10 minutes breaks). After that I start getting a bit tired, but thats often becuase its late and time for bed.

I play a lot of tennis, several times a week. When Im playing a match that has a time constraint eg a tournament match, I hate that we only get to warm up for ten minutes before starting the match. When in a friendly match, we’ll often take half an hour to warm up before playing for points. Same for me with guitar, I need at least half an hour to warm up, go through warm up excercises, get my hands loose. Only after that does the real groove come along. Theres been many times where I kind of lose track of time and before I know it the whole afternoon has gone by. Of course I have days where I dont get to play but theyre few and far between. There are other days when all i can squeeze in is 10-15 minutes. Its always better than nothing but i dont really think of it as a successful guitar day.

People will talk about how many years theyv been playing, when what they should really be talking about it how many hours they put in. Using the 10 minutes a day model, a person can be playing for several years and quite likely will still be in the beginner stage.

The reality is simple…the more you play the better you will get and the quicker you’ll get there. And while we all strive to enjoy the getting there, the closer we get, the more fun it gets.

I really hope that Im not coming across as too critical or judgemental. Sorry if i sound preachy. People should do whats right for them. You do you, live and let live etc. Its just that i get a little tired of hearing people complain that theyre not a rock star and theyve only been playing a very short time and for only maybe ten minutes a day, a few days a week. Its a bit insulting to those of us who put in the work.

Ok thats my rant. Now I’ll shut up. Rock on my friends.

• This reply was modified 3 weeks, 3 days ago by  Braden.

[Moose408]

“…my most productive sessions are about two hours (with a few 5-10 minutes breaks). After that I start getting a bit tired, but thats often becuase its late and time for bed.“

There is loads of research that show you get diminishing returns after 20-30 mins of practice. The brain can only absorb so much at a time and then needs time to consolidate the new information (typically done overnight). That is what changes the neural pathways and results in “learning”.

There is a great book on the subject called The Laws of Brainjo, which explains how a musician learns and how they should practice to optimize their learning. Highly recommend it.

[the-old-coach]

Moose—

Thanks for the suggestion– ordered it this morning!

[the-old-coach]

Braden—– “Yup, that”.

[petelanger]

I hesitated for a long time before deciding to respond again. I didn’t want to perpetuate the life of a discussion that has maybe already run its course.

I think we are all in agreement that no good guitarist got to be good by playing only ten minutes a day. Opinions seem to diverge on how useful spending only ten minutes actually is. I think 10 minutes is a lot better than 0 minutes. It’s probably the bare minimum to achieve miniscule progress and not regress, especially for beginning players. For more advanced people, it will do very little.

I think the 10 minute thing is just enough to get you started and hooked into wanting to do more. Absolute beginners must develop a habit of playing regularly. Ten minutes per day can help us develop this habit. We’re not getting on track to become good players but we’re getting started. You need to give it more time daily to accelerate progress in a meaningful way.

What you do in the time you have is perhaps even more important than how long you spend each day. That’s what makes TAC really shine, because you have a challenge handed to you daily that is well structured and addresses key skill categories that players need to develop. It’s very important to spend the time you have wisely, meaning in ways that actually advance your guitar skills and knowledge. This is where a good many learning programs pale in comparison. They may have all the right content but it’s not disseminated in a way that’s both efficient and targeted.

[Braden]

100% Pete. Quality over quantity wins the day every time

[JimQuiz]

I am reminded everytime that I play with a friend that hasnt picked up the guitar in a long while… they all last about 10 minutes before whining about finger pain. Besides simply encouraging you to pick up the guitar, this may be a reason for a 10 minute encouragement. Rarely do I only play 10 minutes. It is usually much longer, as I get into playing it is easy to lose track of time.