What should I focus on?

[Moose408]

TAC is about progress over perfection. It sounds like you have that in that you practice every day. The idea is to practice whatever Tony is presenting on a give day for 10 mins and then move on. Some days it will be easy, some days you may only get the first measure, that is OK is will come around again in the future and you will hopefully progress further.

I structure my practice time as follows. 10 mins on the TAC Daily Challenge, then 5 mins each on two of the 7 essential skills (picking, chords, arpeggios, rhythm, notes, aural, scales). I rotate through each day so I’m covering 2 different skills each day of the week. Then I spend 10 mins on songs.

If I have a particular chord transition I’m struggling with I will a 5 min session to work on it. Right now it is D to Bm.

[DennyG]

Thanks for the advice.

[jumpinjeff]

I remember that feeling when I wanted to get it right from the get go right out of the box. What I did not understand is that when everything is needed…I could do not wrong. The only wrong there was in my journey was when I put my guitar down. @dennis16runbox-com , you could work chord transitions for the next 10 years and you may be a player like Bob Weir. What I found helpful was TAC gave me direction without having to strategically plan my own learning path and encouraged me to have fun playing…Play in the challenges, play when I was participating with other musicians, play when I was struggling to get my bar chord F clear and ringing like a bell. TAC removed the chore of learning and my anxiety surrounding whether or not I was getting it wrong or right. All I had to do was the minimum. Pick up and play,…play by having have fun. Do something difficult even if only one part and celebrate. Then do it again. This is how I passed 10 years in doing what I thought was impossible. Tony makes the complicated plain. I was the wrench, my thoughts getting in the way of my own success. As long as you are picking up and “playing” everyday everything else will fall into place. This is the zero challege. Do this for a period that is long enough that it becomes second nature or odd if you don’t. Recognizing the importance through direct experience is key. While doing this you will learn quite a bit without even knowing you did. So relax settle in…you can do no wrong, except for being idle.

[DennyG]

Thank you for the advice.

[the-old-coach]

Jeff– once again– you have delivered the perfect response and guidance.

Dennis– Forget about “needing” to be so all-exact in your practice time– and the subject matter of each practice. Don’t worry about that stuff. IMHO– just “go with the flow” of the TAC philosophy. This is what you are paying-for as a member in TAC. You’re paying for all the planning to be done for you, so the burden of all that thinking-about “what you should work on next” and all the self-expectation is off your shoulders. Just keep playing every day, remember that learning guitar is not “required-reading” in life—– and that it is a s-l-o-w process. And never forget that you started this journey with the intent of having fun with it.

Over time, learning all these various things- (that may be seemingly impossible now)- will almost happen “on auto-pilot”.

When I was first in my power-lineman apprenticeship training (mid 1980’s)- boy was I ever “full of p*ss and vinegar”. I wanted it ALL……. NOW. That was a big mistake. You need time to fully understand something new. I was told by an old-timer lineman that I should stop “trying to make things happen– and just let things happen”. What a difference that made! I also realized right then that there was a huge difference between learning something, and actually understanding it.

Yeah- the whole “practice-time” (and content) is a very vague thing if you try to figure it all out yourself. But, that’s why you are a member in TAC. You have enough on your mind in learning– let them do the heavy-lifting as far as planning-out everything.

(Disclaimer– offering completely-un-asked-for opinions is just another service I offer free of charge!)

theoldcoach

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  the-old-coach.

[jumpinjeff]

You earned a solid 2 cents from me, copper, not the zinc ones. How many years did you pull wire? (side bar)

[the-old-coach]

Sorry, Dennis- got carried away also. You have started a good thread here.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  the-old-coach.

[jumpinjeff]

good stuff there. I will reply on PM. Sorry Dennis for getting off track on your post.

[the-old-coach]

Oh, yeah……. LOVE that song.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 1 month ago by  the-old-coach.

[DennyG]

Thanks

[JohnWP]

I bought an “egg timer” cube that has different times on each side. I give Tony 10 minutes each day to learn a new technique and if I am enjoying myself I may play longer. Then I practice a handful of different strumming patterns going from one cord to another. Sometimes it’s some pattern I have found in a song or sometimes it’s just random cord to cord transitions. Next it’s playing some simple single note riffs, power cords, or openings to songs that I have found online.

So at the end of playing I have learned a new technique, practiced strumming and cord transitions, and played something that actually sounds like music. Sometimes I play a lot longer and some days 30 minutes is my max. For me it’s about creating a daily routine and having fun along the way.

[DennyG]

Thanks John. This was exactly what I was looking for.