[Kitman]

@davidw99 I really enjoyed your improv. Great selection of notes and your phrasing worked very well with the backing track. 😎🎸🎶

[Kitman]

Great improv @charlie_d . You know your way around the guitar neck that is for sure! Loved the integration of the improv tips in the lesson with what you created over the backing track. 😎🎶🎸

[Kitman]

Thanks for sharing how TAC and the TAC community is positively impacting your life – both within and outside the forums @Mrfredsporty . What I really appreciate about what you shared is that this experience is also encouraging your contacts and exposure in “real life”. That’s awesome.

Like you and @GerryB56 , I look forward every day to logging in to see what everyone is up to and to learn from Tony – and learn just as much from the TAC community! 😃

[Kitman]

Hi @KayMesser and welcome to TAC! I joined TAC in May 22 and took the same approach that you took (ie. signed up for Fretboard Wizard straight away). Our fellow TACers have already given you some good advice. The course is very helpful in providing an understanding of what Tony is saying in the Daily Challenges and what is going on in a song we are trying to learn. It is also foundational in the sense that it helps with providing an understanding of the fretboard and provides knowledge, tools and the “why” behind the fretboard and how music (eg. song keys, chord structure, which chord progressions are being used and what notes make up the chords, etc). Admittedly it can seem a bit heady.

I’ll share my experience and approach: I did the 30 Days to Play, Five Day Guitar Challenge and of course the Daily Challenge with guitar in hand so I was ready to play along. I did those at the same time plus the Fretboard Challenge (I am retired and had some free time 😃). I also had some prior experience in playing the guitar which helped. I did the 30 Day and 5 Day courses in the stated days – no worries there.

Fretboard Wizard was a different kind of animal for me. For the Fretboard Wizard, I did those without my guitar and instead had a notebook and pencil ready. I took notes on what Tony presented. I made a lot of sketches of what he was presenting. If I didn’t understand it, I backed up the video and played it over (and sometimes over and over 😃). Sometimes I would stop the video and open a new page in my browser and do a search on a term or an idea Tony was presenting – just to get an alternative view or two. After I finished a video I went back and reviewed my notes and attempted to reproduce the items Tony presented on my own in my notebook using the tools and tips from the video. I have quite a few revised or scratched out attempts in my notes!

After I did the above, I took the quizzes for the sections presented. If I missed an answer I reviewed my notes and rewatched the video to figure out why. When I finally passed the quiz I picked up my guitar and applied the knowledge I learned there (in “real life” as Tiny is fond of saying in the FW videos and quizzes). Finally, I moved in to the next section.

You might be thinking – that seems like it might take some time. It did (for me)! As @Cadgirl points out – the videos are yours to watch when you want and as many times as you want. I still go back to them and review them if I feel I am not understanding something (in the middle of the right now on a particular topic). I am not quite sure how long it took me to complete Fretboard Wizard – and how long really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you achieve an understanding and work completely through the course

I would finally offer that the time you invest in Fretboard Wizard will be repayes to you many times over. It provides a fundamental understanding of not only the guitar, but Music Theory in general.

Hang in there and take the course at your own pace. Above all, have fun learning and playing the guitar – it is your guitar journey! 😎🎶🎸

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by  Kitman.

[Kitman]

Hi @cj2101970gmail-com , I feel your question and point of view re TAC are both valid. From what I understand (having listened to Tony’s videos and read the info (eg guitar journal) TAC is targeted to:

1. Help us develop and implement a guitar routine that leads to us playing guitar on a consistent basis

1.5. Focus is on consistently implementing your routine every day,l. Create a habit

2. Providing something we can immediately play (daily challenge) that involves knowledge and techniques that we can apply in the “real world” (ie when playing songs, jamming, song writing, etc)

3. Providing a supportive community (via the forums, Acoustic Tuesday, etc) that encourage our playing and progress and to share experiences (like we are doing here!).

4. Provide “Skills” oriented courses any TAC member can take in a self paced basis to further and deepen our abilities and points of view.

There is a TAC song vault of some earlier (ie. Before my time with TAC) lessons that cover finger picking and flat picking styles. These too are more oriented to applying skills and techniques – although you do learn songs. Here is a link:

https://app.searchie.io/hub/254V7grV3m/https://app.searchie.io/hub/254V7grV3m/

As pointed out @GerryB56 , there are many YT videos and sites that will teach us how to play a song. I use these sites as well and augment the lesson with what I am learning here at TAC.

My advice and my experience: TAC is teaching me how to become a guitar player with accessible, fun content that I may apply to my playing outside of the TAC world. The method works for me. I am able to detect that I am playing better and in different styles. The guitar now feels more comfortable in my hands when I am performing. I continue to explore other sites and resources and listening to all types of music to map out what I want to learn next in terms of songs. I also go back to songs I already know and try out some of the techniques learned through TAC

Just another point of view and my experience! You will need to assess the level of value TAC brings to your guitar journey and how you may or may not augment that. Keep on playin and having fun! 😎🎶🎸🤘

[Kitman]

Thanks doormen update @Mrfredsporty ! 😃

[Kitman]

Interesting experiment @Mrfredsporty ! Let his know what you think.

[Kitman]

Hi @JoeT , did you attach a pic? From your description it sounds like the saddle may have been installed backwards, or for a left handed guitar (or perhaps right handed if you bought a left handed guitar). In any case it does seem a bit odd.

[Kitman]

Wow @Bill_Brown , a 500 day streak an amazing win! Congratulations ! 🎉 🎶🎸🏆😎😃

[Kitman]

Thanks for sharing this original with us @Marty69 . The chord progression and your use of 7th chord voicings did make for a mellow enjoyable listen! 😎🎶🎸👏

[Kitman]

I really liked your song @TLSlyder amd the finger picking that your used in conjunction with the hammer ons. Nicely done and thanks for sharing! 😎🎸🎶👏

[Kitman]

Great improv @jonathandavid ! Great integration of the scales and chord shapes. Really enjoyed listening! 😎🎶

[Kitman]

You are welcome! Sometimes we are so driven to rush through everything. In some cases slow and steady might work better. Here is a post that Tony Shared in an Acoustic Tuesday show about learning. This is what Fretboard Wizard was like for me!

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by  Kitman.

[Kitman]

Thank you @Cadgirl for taking your time to have a listen and for your feedback! I appreciate it. 😃

[Kitman]

Thanks very much for listening @Jonathandavid and for your specific feedback as well. That really helps me understand how others are hearing things as well. 😃