Moose408
Forum Replies Created
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He just misspoke (he does that occasionally but usually catches himself).
The tab is correct and in the video he is putting his finger on the B-string.
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If you were taking a traditional guitar course the approach is to practice a given skill over and over until you have some level of proficiency and then move on.
But TAC is designed with a different philosophy, the idea is you are exposed to a lot of different techniques and styles and many will be out of reach as a beginner, but you give it a good try for at least 10 mins and then move on. That same technique will appear again and again throughout the year and each time it comes around you will get better at it and you will learn it at the time in your journey that you are ready to learn it.
It’s a very unique approach and it is sometimes frustrating when given a technique which is beyond you ability, but by giving it a try you learn something, and can apply that knowledge the next time it comes around.
You are free to spend as much time as you want on the lessons and approach it however you wish, but I would encourage you to at least try Tony’s method and experience his teaching philosophy.
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We all experience frustration because our reality doesn’t meet our expectations. Great job recognizing the frustration and not letting it get to you. It will all come in time.
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Getting pressure just on the fingertips is hard. Here are some ideas…
– Slid your palm away from the fretboard and your body, this will allow more of a crook in your fingers
– Raise the neck of the guitar above horizontal, this reduces the rotation of the wrist
– Do the chord shape, pick each string individually, if strings are muted, do micro-adjustments until there are no muted strings. Then gently remove pressure and the press again. Repeat 10 times. This will help your brain understand what it should feel like. Now remove your hand and repeat. Do this for 2-3 mins a day and repeat everyday until you can do it without muted strings (typically takes 20+ days for me). This repeated focused practice is what tells your brain to move it into the subconscious.
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Day 1 – Technique – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/cloudy-day-2/
Day 2 – Lick – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/gone-too-long-2/
Day 3 – Improv – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/i-know-i-know-i-know-2/
Day 4 – Rhythm Guitar – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/wither-away-2/
Day 5 – Chord Progressions – https://tonypolecastro.com/lessons/every-time-she-goes-away-2/
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Unless you save a challenge as a favorite or copy the link into a spreadsheet (which is what I do) they will go away at the beginning of the next month. Tony has recently been including the links to the previous month in his emails.
I have the links and will post them when I get home this afternoon.
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I typically just strum the associated chords, or mute the strings and do percussion on the strings.
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Picking direction is determined by the length of the note and the timing. Whole, half and quarter notes are always downstrokes. Eighth notes are downstrokes on the beat and up strums on the off-beat (the ‘and’ in the timing). So if it goes 1 & 2 3 4 the numbers are downs and the & is up so it would go D U D D D.
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It doesn’t actually say Wagon Wheel on the web site, it shows this week of daily challenges being “Wheels on the Wagon” with the following 5 lessons.
– Dogwood Flowers
– Rock Me
– Wind and Rain
– North Country Winters
– Headin’ Down South
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To get a feel for it, try using your index finger of your strumming hand and just hit strings until you get a sound. Try moving around between the frets, try hitting straight-on vs at an angle, try closer to the neck, mid fretboard, and close to the guitar body. Some spots will be easier than others. Once you can do this with your strumming hand, go back to your fretting hand and just try with one finger to replicate the motion.
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The 90 day check-ins were discontinued after the July 2023 one. They don’t happen anymore.
Just jump into the daily challenges and enjoy.
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I struggled with the C chord for months and still do occasionally. The secret for me was to do dedicated, isolated practice for 5 mins every day for 3+ weeks.
My steps were
– position my fingers and pick each string, if I had a muted string then slightly reposition the offending finger and repeat the above until every string rang clearly.
– keeping my hand positioned I would then press down hard on the strings and then release the pressure, but keep contact with the string. Repeat this 20 times
– I would then lift the fingers off the strings and 1/4” and repeat step 1.
– once I was consistent with that I would take my hand off, put it on my knee then back to the C chord shape and repeat step 1.
I sucked at this for the first few weeks, and then suddenly my fingers were going to the right position.
I know this isn’t exactly the issue you were asking about, but the step 1 is the key. Slowly move and reposition your fingers until you aren’t muting any strings.
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That looks fantastic. Enjoy.
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I break up my practice routine so each day is different. I do the daily challenge each weekday but then will do 2 additional skills and 2 songs 6 days a week.
For example here is my current routine
Mon – Daily Challenge, picking, arpeggios, 2 songs
Tue – Daily challenge, strumming, chord progression, 2 different songs
Wed – Daily Challenge, rhythm, aural, 2 more songs
Thur – Daily Challenge, notes, power chords, 2 songs
Etc……
Sun – I run through my entire set list of memorized song which only consists of 12 right now.
For me I see ear training as a very important skill, because I can typically play a song by ear once I recall one of the chords, or the first couple notes for a riff. That might be harder down the road with a lot finger picking songs, but maybe not.
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Sounds like you are not on the right page. I did a video walkthrough that shows how to see all of the monthly challenges. It’s in this thread towards the bottom.
https://tonypolecastro.com/family-forums/topic/replay-daily-challenge/