[Moose408]

One other thought. There is no rule that you have to do next week’s challenge. Maybe go back and work on a week that you enjoyed and want to get better at. I always skip Wagon Wheel week when it comes around and I don’t think I’m any worse because of it.

[Moose408]

I’ve seen 6 year old kids do barre chords so I would agree that small hands are not necessarily an issue.

I struggled with barre chords until I started private lessons last month and he showed me that my form was wrong on both barre chords and scales. My thumb was too high up and my elbow as not pressed up against my side. As a result of both of these my knuckles were not parallel to the fretboard which limited my stretch and reach. As soon as I lowered my thumb n the back of the fretboard my reach improved. It also allowed me to get my index finger parallel to the fret for barre chords.

Two minor adjustments made all the difference. The other thing he taught me was to place my barre finger first which insures it’s up against the fret.

I still have a lot to practice to get quick at it but now see it is possible.

As for your arthritis that may limit you. You asked what to do, the answer is modify the chords to something you can accomplish. Play the mini-F instead of the barre F, play an open C chord as opposed to the barre C. Tony often shows alternatives to barre chords during lessons because he dislikes barre chords so perhaps look through some past lessons to see his modifications.

[Moose408]

Here is my $0.02 worth

Being able play songs next June is doable if you devote the time. For me it was around 250-300 hours of dedicated practice time before I could comfortably perform songs in front of others. I could play a few songs around 150 hours but not reliably. It’s 223 days from now to June 1st, so if practice everyday for at least 45mins to an hour and your are results are similar you can get there.

[Moose408]

Easy answer first. It doesn’t matter whether you use the 3 finger or the 4 finger G. The 4 finger sounds a little fuller but either is appropriate.

Guitar is hard, you are going to suck at it for a long time, it’s ok to suck. People get frustrated because their expectations exceed their ability. We all want to be able to play an exercise perfectly the first time and we can’t. Heck we may not even play it perfectly the 4th or 5th time through when it comes around again. The goal of Tony’s program is progress over perfection. Every attempt you do during the 10 mins a day results in learning just a little bit more.

Everyone struggles with finger dexterity. We are asking our fingers to operate individually from each other which they aren’t used to. It will take months for that to improve but it will improve.

Wednesdays are about a lot more than just soloing. It’s teaching you scales and where notes are on the neck. But more importantly it is teaching you aural and timing. Being able to hear and really listen to what you are playing is a valuable skill. Being able to vary the tempo and rhythm of the notes will help with chord transitions and adding accents to your playing. You can certainly skip it, and just repeat Monday or Tuesday’s lesson. Or go back the previous week and redo one of your favorites. There is no set rules on what you can and can’t do. Everyone is going to be different so cater to your differences.

Above all don’t get frustrated, try to enjoy the journey. It took me a while to understand that. It’s going to take me years to get where I want to be but every time I pick up my guitar I get closer to that goal.

[Moose408]

https://tonypolecastro.com/courses/september-guitar-routine-2-2-2<div&gt;
</div><div>The link to the previous month is in the email that Tony sends out each Monday.
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tonypolecastro.com

Tony's Acoustic Challenge

Tony's Acoustic Challenge

[Moose408]

Here a couple of ones to try.

The easier one is the same as the barre version except for not playing the A string. Some people still find this one difficult.

[Moose408]

I’m partial to D’Addario XS Phosphor Bronze and D’Addario XT 80/20 Bronze. But there are dozens of other great string brands. I tend to go with the top strings in whatever brand I choose.

[Moose408]

Sorry you are having these struggles. My only suggestion is to keep at it. Consistency is your friend. Perhaps just practice things that don’t require seeing the screen, or have someone read the tab for you.

At least it’s just a temporary setback. Cataract surgery will get you back on track.

[Moose408]

Technically you could play the guitar piece just from the treble clef, the notes would give the note name and duration. The challenge is knowing where those notes are on the fretboard. That is why TAB exists. So you can know where to place your fingers on the fretboard without having to know the note or its location.

Reading TAB is definitely a skill that takes to learn. Keep at it and you will improve.

I’ve been here over a year and I can’t always follow what Tony is saying, so I always look at the TAB to figure out where my fingers should go and just use his verbal description to determine which fingers to use.

[Moose408]

I don’t know the answer to your question but do know that the session number has always been inaccurate for me. I use an IOS app called Andante to track all my practices.

[Moose408]

I’m 15 months in and still find learning a song difficult.

Part of the key is finding a song you love because you are going to spend a lot of time with it during the learning process. Look up the song on Ultimate Guitar and YouTube training videos. When starting out, you need to Simplify and play it Slow (this part is hard because you hear the speed of the song in your head and tend to want to play it at that speed). If you have an issue with a particular chord transition then stop trying to play the song and just practice that chord transition for several weeks/months until it’s not an issue. Simplify by perhaps only strumming once per chord or simplify the chord, or skip the chord. If you are making mistakes identify why and isolate that section and practice just it. Don’t continue making the same mistakes or you will end up learning the mistakes.

In general it takes me 3-4 months to learn a song that I would be willing to perform in front of other people. Don’t rush it and be patient. Enjoy the journey.

[Moose408]

As close to the fret as possible without being on the fret. You want just enough pressure so that the string doesn’t buzz.

[Moose408]

[Moose408]

I track it myself. I find the TAC website to not always be accurate.

I use an app on my iPhone called Andante. It gives me great stats and logging capabilities.

[Moose408]

I used the search term “guitar meetup toronto”