MattTX_24
Forum Replies Created
-
Pete followed up perfectly so won’t repeat much of what he said….
I know there is a lot of content on this site, and guitar can be overwhelming, but I feel like Tony does a pretty good job of introducing how to go about this process and this website. He has a pretty good intro video (was it like 20-30 minutes?) and talks about how the program works and where to go to find things. I would first ask, did you watch it or maybe miss it?
As you wrote your post much earlier today, I do hope by now that you are on the right path and have figured out where you need to be.
You didn’t ask for my advice but just want to reiterate, learning guitar is very rewarding but it does take some patience and realistic expectations. Given that, enjoy the small wins (learning a chord, learning to hold a pick, etc). Take a breath. Enjoy the journey.
-
I love this topic as I’ve been diving deeper into pick experimentation over the last several months.
Everything that has been said in this post is spot on…
I’ve learned that I’ve been gradually moving into the thicker picks as I’ve improved.
The best suggestion I could give is to go purchase a couple variety packs from a couple different brands… the ones that give you a wide range of thicknesses, sizes, shapes, and try them all! These can be found in most any music store or online.
You’ll find that you may like certain picks for different types of playing. You’ll also find that you might end up liking one you weren’t initially fond of.
I am currently digging the 1.0 Taylor Thermex Ultra picks, but this is always changing. I’m also playing around with the smaller, “Jazz”-style picks. Although I’m not sure I’d use those for everything, they are fun to throw into the mix.
-
I’ve been playing for many years and I admit I have no intention of doing the mini F chord, although I will probably practice it here and there. I always substitute it for a fully barred F chord, or I’ll play it without playing the high E string. This is one of the only modifications I’ve allowed myself to do and not let myself feel bad about it…lol 🙂
I would encourage everyone to practice the “correct” way to play things, while at the same time, go ahead and modify to make it right for you! In other words, I’ll practice it, but when it comes to playing something, I’ll modify it.
-
This reply was modified 3 weeks ago by MattTX_24.
-
This reply was modified 3 weeks ago by
-
Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed reading about your setup and routine.
I also applaud you for keeping your guitar in the case when you aren’t playing. I have a luthier buddy who always tells me that keeping it in the case (and humidifying in the winter) is the easiest way to take care of guitars. He sees a lot of dehydrated/cracked/warped guitars and most of those are from owners who never knew how to use the humidipaks or other methods of humidification.
-
One thing you will constantly be reminded about while in this program…. Don’t expect to “master” each lesson/technique/etc. Learning guitar isn’t a cake walk. It is challenging, but that is what makes it very rewarding.
Especially once you get into the daily challenges, you may only be able to a very small portion of the exercise. You do whatever you can, even if you focus on just a small part of the tutorial. You allow yourself 10 minutes (or whatever you’re able to do) to practice, then you hit complete! If you can only do 1% of it, that is 1% more than you were able to do before you started… and that is really the point of the program (progress over perfection). All of the techniques rotate and will come back around. You will gradually be able to do more and more of each technique as you continue to see them.
Enjoy the journey. Yes, it won’t be a breeze, but you will be surprised how many little wins you have (and you don’t have to wait forever before you feel like you can play a little somethin’).
Have fun! Refer to this community when you have any questions or wanna brag about your little wins!
-
Welcome! You should work through the 30 days at your own pace. Some people prefer to stick to 1 lesson a day, but if you feel like you can zip through them much faster, feel free to do so.
Once you finish that, you’ll do the 5-day deal which will then set you up for the daily challenges. Be sure you start the rest of the program (5-day & daily challenges) on a Monday.
Enjoy!
-
I think you should do whatever feels best for you. I didn’t use a pick for many years and just strummed with my fingers/nails. It is certainly a little easier and it hides some of the mistakes.
I’ve only recently started to use a pick because I feel like it is another “tool” in the tool belt of playing guitar. It challenges me because it does require a little more string awareness and technique to hit the exact strings you need to play, but that’s why I’m in this program.
A pick will give a cleaner sound, but it certainly isn’t a requirement for something to still sound good. I think a lot of my playing (depending on the type of song) sounds better without a pick cause I’ve created my own finger/hand strumming style.
My advice… play around with both techniques as I think you’ll appreciate having the pick in your tool belt as you continue to progress. But yeah, play without a pick if it makes you more comfortable and you feel like you are progressing quicker without it. Maybe you spend 80% of your time without a pick, and one day a week you mess around practicing with a pick. I think in the long run it will help you become a better player if you don’t completely ignore it.
Also, I’d recommend purchasing a variety bag of guitar picks (any music store or Amazon would carry them). There are thinner ones (.4 – .6 width range) that I started with that are more on the flimsy side which are much easier to strum with. Medium ones (.6-.8) are not too thick or thin, and the heavy ones (.9+) are better for picking notes. I’m not sure what kind of pick you are using, but playing around with various sizes/shapes might help you find something that feels better for you.
Most of all, have fun!
-
As you will hear over and over again, don’t expect to be able to master each and every lesson (once you start on the daily challenges). Do whatever you can, even if it is 1% of each tutorial. That 1% will continue to build. All of the techniques are revisited and you will see yourself slowly improve. Have fun!
-
Great work! Was this learned by ear or do you have a specific resource that helped you?
-
Great job! Love the sound of that Taylor.
I am looking to improve my finger picking over the next year and this song would be a good goal for me to work on.
-
This is great info. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, a lot of beginners probably don’t realize how much a proper setup could benefit a player that might be having issues pushing the strings down (if the action is high).
I always figured a new guitar would just be “set up” perfectly, but that isn’t always the case.
-
Here is a link to the first 12 chords most people learn.
I believe Tony has used most of these in his early lessons.
Hope this helps. You should just be able to go to the link and print easily.
https://www.imusic-school.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/12-beginner-guitar-chords.pdf
-
Nicely done! Sounds great!
-
It is tough. I have seen other tutorials (outside of TAC) that will break down a thumb picking sequence at a very detailed level (for instance, teaching 2-3 notes at a time, very slowly). This has been one of the only ways I’ve been able to learn. I feel like it just takes a lot of practice.
I also notice that my thumb doesn’t immediately go back to the bass note string when I am playing other strings at the same time. It is almost like my thumb waits until the other note I play finishes playing… or it waits until I pluck another string to go back to play the bass note. Whereas when I’m solely just using the thumb on the bass note, I can pick it and quickly go back and rest it on the bass note string until I play it again… But this doesn’t happen when I’m going to play other treble notes.
Tough to explain, but I’m sure I’ll get better as I practice.
-
Well said! It is definitely important to have the expectation that guitar is hard, and it takes a while to learn. It is a skill that takes a little dedication and patience.