[Moose408]

Two things. The thought on the Daily Challenges are that you spend at least 10 mins on them each day, but that you don’t perfect the technique the first time through. You get exposed to it and give it a try. It will come back around again in several months and you will get further through the lesson the next time as your skills improve. You may feel like you aren’t making progress but then discover you’ve come a long way when the challenge comes along again. It’s an interesting approach to teaching guitar.

I supplement TAC with another online guitar course that has an actual teacher that I can interact with and ask questions. It is a very structured course that teaches the 7 fundamentals of guitar. Some I find quite easy because of the things I’ve learned here on TAC and others Tony never covers (like reading notes, and aural training). It’s been a good compliment to TAC. Personally I would be hesitant to purchase a book to teach me guitar but that’s more because of my learning style, I’m more of an aural learner and don’t learn as well from books.

[Moose408]

I would probably wait until Monday and start fresh with next week’s challenge. If you want something to work on on Sunday then go back to last week’s challenge and give it a try. There aren’t really any rules to how you approach it. Just that you try to practice on a regular basis for at least 10 mins.

[Moose408]

There is nothing special about a capo and pretty much any will work. I have a Kyser which was recommended by two different instructors. But I’ve also used a Velcro strap I had lying around and it worked just fine

[Moose408]

I would caution against comparing yourself to others in how long it took them to learn to play songs. Everyone has a different path, some practice 10 mins a day, some practice 1-2 hours a day. The important thing is to be consistent and focused in your practice.

As to what I think you are asking, if you practice multiple days a week (doesn’t have to be every day but that’s ideal) you should be able to play songs with your friend by summer. Ed Sheeran says he knows 3 chords (he actually uses a lot more in most of his songs) so if you learn the basic open chords you will be able to play a lot of songs.

[Moose408]

There is a Quick Start guide on the main sidebar that will answer a lot of questions. Here’s the link

https://tonypolecastro.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/TAC_User_Guide-v5.pdf

You should work you way through the 30 Days to Play before attempting the Daily Challenges. The idea is to spend a day on each video. Many people spend longer in an attempt to perfect each lesson but Tony preaches consistently over perfection. Meaning show up everyday for at least 10 mins,

Welcome to TAC, it’s a great place to learn.

[Moose408]

I’m not sure I understand the issue. The backing track that is included with the lesson is the same backing track that Tony plays in the video when he demos playing the scale over the backing track.

Is the issue that it is too loud, or that the notes don’t work with it?

[Moose408]

It depends on how much time you are practicing. If you are trying something for 10 mins, giving it your best shot, and then moving on, you are really devoting enough time for it to become a bad habit. If however you spend an hour on it doing it wrong then yes you could be developing bad habits. Typically it’s going to take multiple days of longer practice sessions to commit what you’re doing to your subconscious. Since Tony mixes stuff up everyday the chances of that happening are small.

I’ve been here since June and can rarely play along with Tony and the backing track on Thursdays and Fridays. I’m a little better on the technique, lick, and improv days. Most of time I spend enough time that I can get most of it under my fingers and can feel like I made progress from the beginning of the lesson until the stopping point.

[Moose408]

I originally learned palm muting so that is what I used for the challenge. On the down-strum, just before striking the strings I lay the meaty part of my palm and outside edge of my hand on the strings, which deadens them during the down-strum. It’s takes practice to get both the timing and the correct amount of pressure, but it’s not too challenging.

I tried Tony’s technique of using my finger, but found it very challenging.

[Moose408]

Often the TAB will have an indicator that shows the pick direction.

V for upstroke

And this symbol rotated 90 degrees [ for downstroke

(sorry I can’t find the actual symbol on my keyboard)

If you post a link to the TAB might be able to explain further.

[Moose408]

When I first tried guitar I lasted 6 weeks and quit in frustration. I came back to it a year later with the attitude that I suck at guitar, I’m going to suck at guitar for a long time and this is OK. This attitude has served me well. I still get frustrated at times, but just have to step back and realize that I’m learning and these things take time.

Just like golf, I wasn’t able to make par on any hole my first month, I don’t expect to be able to play the guitar in a few months either.

There is a GREAT book that explains how the brain learns and it has helped me tremendously in my guitar journey. It’s called, “The Laws of Brainjo” and I highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Laws-Brainjo-Science-Molding-Musical/dp/139350776X/ref=asc_df_139350776X/

[Moose408]

If it helps. As of today I have 171 hours of practice time and I can play dozens of songs, and could play a lot more if I tried. It was around 80 hours that I felt pretty good playing a few songs.

I think hours practiced is a better metric than days/weeks/months, but again everyone is different and learns at different speeds. Comparison is almost always demotivating.

[Moose408]

Yep, that’s the one.

[Moose408]

Paint Shaker – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/paint-shaker-2/

Color Swatch – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/color-swatch-2/

Drop Cloth – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/drop-cloth-2/

Painter’s Tape – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/painters-tape-2/

Paint Roller – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/paint-roller-2/

[Moose408]

Unfortunately I cannot reverse engineer the URL without the name of the missing lessons.

The URL contains the name with – replacing spaces, so
kc12-accidentals-key-g is KC12 Accidentals (Key of G).

Without the name it’s pretty much impossible to guess.

[Moose408]

I don’t know about any specific Zoom meetup but that might be interesting.

I have found multiple beginner guitar get-togethers in my area through Meetup.com. One meets once a month and another weekly. I’ve been going for a couple of months and have learned a ton from the other participants. Might want to check if there are any meetups in your area.