When did you finally feel like you could play the guitar

[Moose408]

I’ll give you a different answer than the others based upon my experience and definition.

A year in I did not feel like a guitar player because I could only play 3 songs from memory. Two years in, I had been practicing everyday but still only knew 3 songs. I then spent 2 months just working on learning songs. I am now up to a dozen that I have memorized and feel like I could perform in front of somebody. I finally felt like a guitar player and the coincided with hitting 500 hours of structured practice.

[BrandonK]

Sounds like I should focus more on just learning songs like you did?

[petelanger]

Great discussion! On Jan 3rd I will be 18 months into TAC and about 22 months since starting from ZERO on my electric guitar. By Tony’s definition I know I’m a player, but I still don’t truly play songs and sing along to them. I don’t consider myself could enough to perform as I’m very mistake prone and I have to take several runs at the daily challenges before I can do a decent take. There are still a number of them that I absolutely suck at. On the other hand I have come a very long way from ZERO and I still feel progress regularly.

I think the biggest obstacle right now is my fretting (left) hand is slow. I want to play Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd which I selected because it’s only 3 chords, but I can’t make the changes fast enough! Especially C to G.

I am doing 3 finger (folk) G; so I only have to move the middle and ring fingers up one string each but my pinky tends to get stuck (or blocked by the ring finger) and not make it down to the high E string. Then I remember that when I started TAC I couldn’t do this 3 finger G to save my life, the pinky was bending funny and kind of spasming. Now I can not only do it easily but I can hold it for hours so it helps to look back at where you came from. Why am I beating myself up for not getting there quickly enough?

Similarly when transitioning from the G to A minor, the index finger is lagging in finding the B string. Someone said 1000 changes: I’m sure that I rehearsed these transitions more than a 1000 times because I’ll do it at least 10 times every day that I attempt it (which is pretty near to every day) and I’ve been at it for well over 100 days. Probably closer to 200.

I have got to remember that while I won’t be an expert player next year, this doesn’t mean that I am not getting better with each session and I am absolutely a guitar player!

[BrandonK]

I have been practicing transition between chords from A Major, A minor, B Major, C Major, D Major, E Major, E Minor, F Major, G Major. And then go backwards. I do that 5 to 10 times each day. I started off one chord at a time and then strum. Then as I got better I would pick up the pace. If there was a transition I was having I would just practice the transition between those helping to build up my finger strength and speed.

That is what helped me.

[the-old-coach]

Next step– start working thru those same chords and transitions….. but now…… with your eyes closed. This forces your brain to “see them”, and store that information.

Important hint— GO SLOW with this/ forget about speed…… Totally focus on accuracy.

[BrandonK]

Normally I am doing the chord transition practice while watching TV. To do it in a way that I am not paying attention/distracted. I am going to add in doing it with my eyes closed.

[albert_d]

What a great thread! I ebb and flow. With the flow, it is important to MY FUN that I have a few back pocket songs to play. But it doesn’t have to be many. I have experienced few people really want to hear a full set of songs, just one or two they can relate to and connect with you. (Tony’s Benchmark songs can do that.) And so, then I am a guitar player. If then there is genuine interest you can do a few more songs that you like and feel good about. With the ebb, it is important to MY PSYCHE to just pick up my six-string friend and play some notes or phrases or chords or comfort and express my mood. And so, then I realize I am a guitar player with no comparison thinking or audience other than myself and that is enough.

[BrandonK]

Thank you Albert for your comment. It sounds like you are having fun. I think that is what I am missing.

[BrandonK]

Would you all say you are better guitar players thanks to TAC?

[petelanger]

I would claim that with a resounding “ABSOLUTELY”!

[the-old-coach]

Absolutely!!!!! I know I still have a LONG way to go, but it provided the foundation— the entire “base” from which I have built up from. IMHO– what I like the most is that it doesn’t teach you how to “play a song”…….. it teaches you how to play any song.

[BrandonK]

Interesting. I am finding and this might be I just need to give it time, is that the challenges I walk away each session like I felt I struggled through it and don’t feel like I was able to retain the session that I could use it later.

[the-old-coach]

You now have the key…. Even if you don’t feel like you “got” some of the challenges at the time, your brain has stored them up for you! They will “come back to you” as you pass thru the same kind of stuff in your playing. (Maybe like finding money in the pocket of a coat you haven’t worn in a while– what’s better than that!)… Voila!- small wins and lightbulb moments!

• This reply was modified 3 months ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 3 months ago by  the-old-coach.

[MattTX_24]

No doubt I’m better because of this course. I’ve had a guitar for twenty years but always just dabbled with it. I’ve only been doing TAC for a month and I can say for certainty I’ve already learned so much and gotten better even within that short timeframe.

[BrandonK]

That’s amazing Matt and great to hear, keep it up. I am hoping to feel like that.

[Loraine]

Brandon this is actually one of the best questions I’ve seen posted. I remember when I first started learning guitar during Covid, and I thought I’ll be playing the guitar and all the songs that I love within a few months. That obviously did not happen for me.

I’ve seen people come here and have picked up on it fairly quickly I could name names but I won’t add to any stigmas out there about them picking up so quickly. Players come from all different backgrounds? Many had played back when they were younger or still played and they wanted to move to the next level. There are many who had experience with Music in different aspects, different musical instruments and they wanted to then move onto the guitar. I see this a lot with people that played electric guitar for a long time and now they were transitioning to acoustic. FYI, electric relies more on power chords and rarely any barre chords or chords at all. The acoustic is much more difficult than learning the electric, in my opinion.There are some people that just have a natural ability, and they’re able to literally just pick up and take off you know in their playing. There are those that have vast experience but they’ve gotten older and they have arthritis or physical disabilities many other things and they’re learning new ways of being able to continue down the road they’ve always loved.

I don’t need to tell you that guitar is a difficult instrument to learn. There are many of us that don’t fit in the above buckets. I for one had played piano as a child but I had no natural ability and it showed it in my playing. It also didn’t help that I did not practice much except when I was angry that was my go to. I tried to play violin when I was in grade school. I spent more time facing the wall and counting the holes in the cement.

So I really didn’t have any experience and I didn’t even know anything about the guitar at all. I called the strings keys because I had only played piano for that short time. Because I have no natural ability, it takes me much longer to learn than other people I would say that after however, many years I’ve been here, I’m still not a great player. I’m not beginner I’m probably intermediate but at the lower end of the spectrum. But I absolutely love playing the guitar, and I think that’s all that really matters to me. It is an outlet for me. I love the sound of the acoustic. It is a go to of mine because I live alone so it’s companionship for me. I go to it when I’m sad, angry, happy. I have a new group of friends, and some are very special and dear to me and I am grateful that I’ve met them. I have great mentors since I’ve begun here and I talk to them about things.

I think it was beginning of my third year of playing I had almost quit at the end of my second year out of frustration. I was going to meet people in person and there was a list of songs and I wanted to be able to participate and have a good time and I spent a lot of time practicing those songs and something just clicked after I returned. I don’t know what it was but all of a sudden I was able to start playing a lot of songs, and it just took off. I literally was learning a few songs a week. My court transitions got much better, my strumming loosened up strumming loosened up.

Prior to that I was playing songs I was a guitar player I was probably still ahead of the curves of what a normal person would be at two years into their playing . I actually began lessons locally while I was still utilizing TAC. The guitar teacher was shocked at the level of playing, knowledge and skills that I had at that point. The daily challenges really did give me a lot of knowledge about different aspects of playing and prep board wizard taught me quite a bit about what chords are made of what notes the difference shapes under the caged system it taught me how to find the notes of a song so I could tell what key it was in, the notes in the different scales of a key, especially after taking fretboard wizard. He was extremely encouraging for me to continue with TAC, and he often would supplement the lessons at TAC and we would work on things together. He was never threatened by my being committed to TAC. I highly suggest something similar for anyone who is questioning whether they should be further along. 1. Find a jam club. Find other guitar players to play with. You will be amazed at how your Learning and playing just takeoff and it’s a lot of fun too. There’s a lot of different ways to find other people look at meet up.com or you could look at music shops a lot of times they have boards of people looking for the same thing you could look here under members and find some that are local to you and reach out to them

As usual, my post is too long but I just felt like this was such a good question Brandon I don’t know why you asked it, except maybe you’re feeling frustrated or questioning the program or your capabilities. Whatever it is, I always tell people don’t leave before the magic happens, and the magic does happen at some point, and then it just takes off and you’re trying to keep up with it and enjoying the journey completely.

[the-old-coach]

To Loraine— (my first friend here in TAC)—-

You have made a GREAT post here, miss!

Many great points you have made. Possibly my favorite is- “I always tell people not to leave before the magic happens”. Perfectly true.

Always great to read your posts!

YOP— mark

[BrandonK]

Thank you so much Loraine for your response and sharing your journey this was really helpful.

The reason why I asked this question is because I have been with TAC for just over a year and following the program.

1. 30 Days to Play
2. 5-Day Routine
3. Daily Challenge
4. Fret Board Wizard
..etc.

For me personally I’m just finding that it’s just not coming together yet.

1. I am struggling to learn how to play songs ie tempo, strumming patterns. I’m learning chords and can transition from one to another now. Just when looking at Ultimate Guitar Tabs and trying to pick up a strumming pattern is puzzling me.

2. Going through the Daily Challenge, I find Tony goes so fast and by the end of the Daily Challenge I feel like I did stuff, but I have no clue what I did and I don’t really feel like I retained it to be able to apply it. I feel like I need to go back through the video in slow motion several times so at least I will understand what Tony taught.

That is why I wanted to check-in with other TAC members because I might be just going through the development phase which is the hardest part and then eventually there is a breakthrough like you mentioned. That everything starts to come together.

That is why I posted this question and really appreciate everyones responses.

[Skyman911]

Have you ever looked into some personal instruction? TAC is great, and it is one of my tools I use. However, as good as this program is, I don’t think it can replace personal one on one teaching. Maybe find a teacher that can do like a one month class, maybe once a week. I did personal instruction along with TAC for just over a year. My teacher really liked the TAC lessons, and I was very open with him about using TAC as well. He did feel like some of the lessons were pretty advanced for some beginner players.

[the-old-coach]

No doubt that some of the lessons are well beyond many TAC members. If you are completely new at guitar– maybe most of the lessons are.

There is only one “TAC-curriculum”. There isn’t a beginner’s…. and an intermediate…. and, say, an advanced series’ of lessons. That’s what the individual courses are for.

And that’s what makes it great; as you get “farther-along” you will gravitate toward different areas that suit you…. then pick & choose what individual courses you want.

I look at it as….. TAC has given me the map…. it’s on me to look it over and then choose a direction and destination!

• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.

[BrandonK]

I have been doing 1:1 lessons with a teacher over the last few months. It has been a little bit of help to answer questions I have but I feel doing TAC I keep having more questions.

[the-old-coach]

This is a great thread indeed! Very thought-provoking!

Right or wrong- (I dunno which)- I’ve always felt like…. no matter how many courses, or lessons, or Challenges, or books, or whatever that I took….. all that stuff can’t be relied-upon as if that’s the only thing I need to make me a better guitar-player. They are all really just showing me options for me to choose from.

The whole “making myself a better guitar-player” is on me. It’s about listening to the sounds I make; it’s about experimenting/ trying new things. It’s about really thinking about what I am doing– as I do it. Studying…. and practicing…. is all about getting ready for the game. And then, the game is all about playing.

Never forget the fun part of it!

[BrandonK]

I think this is where I am having an issue, I find currently everything I am doing is a challenge and it’s not fun yet.

[the-old-coach]

Brandon– You’re gonna go thru those times when nuthin’ seems to be going right. If some of the Challenges are “beyond” where you are right now– (when that happened, I felt like I just wasn’t having any fun/ feelin’ bummed-out/ like I just wasn’t gonna ever “get it”, that “everybody else is doin’ great except me” thing)… don’t sweat it even one bit!… Some of those Dailies are difficult for everyone.

For whatever reason—- when I feel down in the dumps– (not “if”— because this happens to ALL of us at times)- I fall back into my old comfort zone for a couple days— playing my very favorite songs from the tabs, while listening to the recording of it. I think to myself– “these are my favorite songs! and I’m playing-along! It’s like guitar karaoke!”

Cheers me right up!

[jorgemac]

A lot of great posts on the great thread.

My practice, before practice, routine evolves all of the time but some of the constants are 3, 4 and 5 finger E shaped barre chords up to the 12th fret, 5 finger and the thumb E shaped barre chords up to the 12th fret. If you don’t practice your barre chords you will always have problems with them.

The A and A7th shaped and Am and Am7 Barre chords, omitting the treble E string, except for the 7th chord version, up to the 12th fret and as the old coach says do this with your eyes closed as it is muscle memory and also helps train the ear.

The E7 shaped chord beginning on the A, D, G strings. I do these in the before practice practice at least twice a week and sometimes every day. I also love the Bb major 7, B/3, G/2 and D/3 strings to the Am7- B/1, G open, D/2 and walk that up the neck( Cmajor7 to Bm7 starting on the 5th fret to the 4th fret) to the 12th fret. It is a great transition chord to the relative minor of every key, especially if you pick out every note leading to the relative minor.

[the-old-coach]

LOVE this post of yours here, so much that I “favoritized” it on my laptop! I agree with your opinion of “keeping-up” on those barre chords. I don’t know what I’d do without them– they open-up so many different options!

Yeah, I agree that “transition-chords” or walk-ups/downs add so much flavor to the way a song sounds.

Although I think you are “farther-along”, maybe you & I are a bit alike in that we are maybe always experimenting with different little tweaks and sounds- (this is the part of learning guitar that I love the most!— never-ending discoveries!)

Thank you again for your post here.

[jorgemac]

Thanks Mark,

I do tinker much too much and seem to have a guitar around all of the time. Almost every Thursday and Friday TAC lesson I practice ends up being Modified in some way. Like you I like to add the pull offs, hammer on’s and slides. Plus picking the progressions in other positions on the fret board. I post these changes when I have the time.

[the-old-coach]

But….. can we really tinker too much ???

• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.

[jorgemac]

No, but I love to tinker instead of zero in on the lessons. After I have the lessons up to the at least 60 BPM I start changing the fingering around. I’m just as bad when trying to learn a new song tab. As soon as I have the minimum arrangement down on songster I’m messing with it to make it my own version of the song. I usually stay close to the structure for Chorus but the verses are fair game. I do keep the same strumming structure in place but the chord notes can be changed. The 1 and 3 beats in most popular songs have a stronger beat to them so the 2 and 4 beats can be modified, The 4 beat can be a dual 8th note beat with the 2nd 8th note a diminished chord, or a major 7th chord, that leads to the next chord change.

I’m a member of K.O. Stringworks, an old time blues site, that introduced me to using diminished chords for a transition Beat before the actual chord change. Original Blues artist’s( Reverand Davis, etc,) used this to great affect. you have to pick your spots to use it but it is very effective. Just another tool to help you make your own stye.

That seems to be where the tinkering comes in. After you have the basic Progression down fairly well I always want to toy with it. Just my nature to never be satisfied with the arrangement, I think. Easy changes are hammer on’ s, pull offs, slides, Dyads and triplets, Sus, diminished,6ths, 7ths, 11th, flatted 5ths, on and on. A lot of the times that doesn’t improve the arrangement, just clutter’s it up, but sometimes… it does. If used sparingly.

[Skyman911]

I tinker a lot. Sometimes when I’m just not feeling it, I just tinker and have fun with different chord progressions, random chord progressions, and just spontaneously play. I sometime surprise myself with a cool lick or sound. I feel this helps with being creative and exploring different aspects of the fretboard.

The key is, I’m always having fun, no matter what I’m doing. This wasn’t always the case. The fun only arrived when I learned to accept where I was in my guitar journey, and stopped being upset at where I wasn’t. If you’re always disappointed in where you aren’t, you’ll never have fun. And IMHO, if you’re not having fun, you’re not progressing.

Brandon, I really hope you can find this nugget. I can tell you really want to learn and play, and I think you’re further along than you may give yourself credit for. So many words of wisdom here. Please don’t give up.

[the-old-coach]

Yet another fantastic post in this great thread!

Seems to me that any/all of these courses try to keep you “on track”- (just get from A to B). For me, the real fun is in walking “parallel” to the trail…… taking the information given, “sort-of learning” it as you go, and doing your own tinkering/experimenting with it— along the way. It’s not an assembly line. We’re not all the same, or at the same place in our guitar-journey. Our brain has to have some “free space” to actually use the information given to us. The only path to learning something is to be creative with it, otherwise we’re just memorizing it…… big difference between the two.

[Moose408]

The 1 and 3 beats in most popular songs have a stronger beat to them so the 2 and 4 beats can be modified

For most rock songs it is the 2 and 4 beats that are emphasized. Playing full strums on 2 & 4 and small strums on the 1 & 3 simulates the snare drum beat.

[the-old-coach]

So after all my yammering in this (great) thread- (my apologies BTW)- I guess it’s time I actually threw in my answer to Brandon’s original question- “When did you finally feel like you could play guitar?“…. (took me a while to actually think this out)….

For me, I think it was when I had completed Fretboard Wizard- (three times thru now)- and then also went thru two (separate/annual) “Fretboard Fluency” courses in a different-but-closely-related-website-group from TAC.

Right around that time, I felt I had enough knowledge to learn the art of tinkering with the music itself. Counter to what I had always thought……. I had to go the “knowledge-first/ then playing-second” route, rather than the other way around. I didn’t have the advantage of “growing-up around it” and being the 8-year-old kid on the front porch (who could play anything just about anything….. naturally).

Funny– “finally feeling like I could play guitar” may actually have involved more learning than actually playing! But, the two work hand in hand…. they need each other…

I’ll leave you all alone now in this (again, great) thread.

[jorgemac]

Skyman makes a great point about the joy of playing guitar. Being loose and noodling is just having fun. But even when noodling I’m surprised at how much i pick up just messin round that i actually use. usually not immediately. But, over time some part of the noodling does creep into different Progressions.

This morning I was doing the 3 string to 4 string noodle on the first 5 frets. G5, F, C, Am, C, F, Dm to BM7 to Am and ended on C.

G5( E/3, B/3, open G)

to F(E/1, B/1,G/2)

to C (open E, B/1, open G

to Am( open E, B/1, G/2)

to 4 string C (open E, B/1, open G, 4/2

to 4 string F

To Dm (E/1, B/3, G/2 and back to C of your choice.

I mixed and matched these chords for a few minutes and threw in the Partial B Major 7(B/3, G/2, D/3 and walked down to A minor to C.

great fun.

[BrandonK]

Thank you everyone for the responses! — I wanted to circle back and say a genuine thank you.

I didn’t expect this thread to turn into such a deep and helpful discussion, but it really helped me recalibrate both my mindset and my focus.

A few key takeaways that really stood out to me, and I want to acknowledge some of you directly:

• @MattTX_24 helped me reframe what “being able to play guitar” actually means — that feeling of recognizing the sound of a song you love coming out of your own hands, even if it’s imperfect. That “a-ha” moment you described really landed for me.
• @Acoustically_Challenged reminded me that simply picking up the guitar and playing already makes you a guitar player — and that progress isn’t linear. That reframe around identity vs. destination was huge.
• @jumpinjeff shared a long-view perspective that really stuck with me — the idea that freedom comes with time, repetition, and determination, and that intuition eventually replaces conscious effort. It was reassuring to hear that even without “natural talent,” this is still absolutely attainable.
• @Skyman911 made two points that really resonated:
1. rhythm and tempo take time and daily consistency, and
2. acceptance of where you are is what unlocks fun — and without fun, progress stalls. That hit home.
• @Moose408 gave very practical advice that helped me identify my real bottleneck: rhythm and strumming need to be practiced intentionally and in isolation. Muting the strings and focusing on the strumming hand is something I’m now building in.
• @TMutter and others reinforced how much environment and accessibility matter — guitar out of the case, playing along with recordings, even simple “guitar karaoke” as a way to internalize rhythm and phrasing.
• @the-old-coach consistently reminded me that TAC provides the map, but it’s up to each of us to choose the path — and most importantly, to never forget the fun part of playing. Your reminder that some challenges are simply beyond where we are right now helped me stop treating every Daily Challenge like a pass/fail test.
• @albert_d and @jorgemac both reframed what it means to “play” — that being a guitar player isn’t about perfection or comparison, but about expression, exploration, and joy. The idea of ebb and flow was reassuring.
• @Loraine, your post meant a lot. Hearing that your real breakthrough came after frustration — and that you almost quit right before things clicked — was incredibly grounding. “Don’t leave before the magic happens” is something I’ll carry with me.

What I’ve realized about myself:
I’m probably further along than I feel, my specific gap is rhythm, tempo, strumming patterns and the Daily Challenges.

That is potentially why I feel like I am not having fun. Which also be that I am at a breaking point meaning either I continue and all of the sudden there is a break through. Or like I have read, some people quit, which to me is not an option, I will grind it out.

So my adjustment going forward is simple and focused:

1. Isolate rhythm and strumming (including muted-string practice).
2. Learn a small set of true “back pocket” campfire songs start-to-finish, even imperfectly.
3. Use TAC as exposure and skill-building — not mastery in one sitting.
4. Make sure fun is non-negotiable again, just not sure what is fun for me yet

I really appreciate everyone who took the time to share their experiences and wisdom. This thread reminded me that I’m not stuck — I’m just in the hard middle, and that’s part of the process.

Thanks again, truly.

[jorgemac]

This thread did develop a special character of it’s own. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. For a long time I had terrible strumming and rhythm problems until i started using the metronome. I used to hate the metronome and avoided it as it forced me to actually clean up my strumming and picking issues. But It helped me organize my strumming patterns as I slowed it way down and found out how to strum and pick in a more consistent manner. Good Luck in your Guitar journey.

[petelanger]

I believe that many if not most beginners, when they take up guitar have some expectation of where they will be in a year’s time. I know I did, some of it was shaped by my understanding of my ability to learn new things but then there are a number of YouTubers who will sell you this idea that you can learn in no time if you just sign up for their program. Whatever your expectations are when you come to TAC, it’s best you figure out how to manage them. Guitar, however, uses your hands in such unique ways, mostly contrary to how you use those fingers in everyday life or most any other endeavor. So you can’t compare learning guitar to typing or driving a car. The learning curve is going to look totally different.

Bang on @Skyman911 – wiser words have rarely been shared in this forum, which IMO really sum up what many responders are trying to articulate: “The key is, I’m always having fun, no matter what I’m doing. This wasn’t always the case. The fun only arrived when I learned to accept where I was in my guitar journey, and stopped being upset at where I wasn’t. If you’re always disappointed in where you aren’t, you’ll never have fun. And IMHO, if you’re not having fun, you’re not progressing.”

The number 1 reason why people quit is because their progress is lagging behind their expectations. Most of us will have to do a reset of those from time to time Tony has us do a self evaluation every 90 days and the “Guitar North Star” annually to do exactly that. I wish it was a little more formal than it is, with some accountability. Many achieve this by playing with others. especially gathering with the same people.