[MattTX_24]

As Tony continually mentions, you do whatever you can do, and that is the win.

I would say that a majority of people on here don’t “finish” or “complete” or “master” the daily challenges. The idea is to do whatever you can and push yourself a little. You will learn what you learn and the technique will come around again and you will continue to learn.

These lessons will slowly and continually build your skills little by little.

You aren’t supposed to be as good as Tony in the videos 🙂

Enjoy the process!

[MattTX_24]

Hey there! I think a lot of the people in this course and forum are going to be excited to tell you why they like this course. I would assume that if they didn’t enjoy it, they would not be participating in the forums.

I really enjoy learning a different technique each day, and to the best of my ability in the time I have that day.

There might be others who originally felt how you do and could elaborate on why they stuck around????

[MattTX_24]

That’s great! Congrats! I love these little wins.

I’m also a long-time dabbler and this program has really helped me improve in a short amount of time (been signed up for only a few months so far).

Keep it up and enjoy the process.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

Not going to repeat the recommendation that you might look for a guitar that fits your hands (it would help)… so I’ll just say….

There is no “falling behind!” Everyone is on their own pace. You should not expect to breeze through this program. You just do what you can… you complete the challenges each day no matter how “good” it is on the spectrum. My technique on today’s challenge was absolute trash… I did what I could and I hit complete! These will come back around and I’ll see how much I improved next time.

Showing up and practicing whatever you can that day IS ENOUGH! It is a struggle but that’s part of learning something new.

Keep going!

[MattTX_24]

I probably average an hour a day, BUT, I wouldn’t get too caught up in comparing yourself to others. Everybody on here is in their own life circumstance (retired vs working vs work from home, vs kids/no kids, etc). I’m currently unemployed, and I’m not sure if my practice time would be as abundant if I was working.

Be okay with whatever amount of time you’re able to give. It is reiterated over and over on this site… showing up is a win! There are days that I only get in a quick 10-minute practice and struggle through the challenge, but it still helps in the long run.

[MattTX_24]

That chord is tough!!! For me, I mostly ignore the high E string (leave it open, don’t strum it, or have the left or right hand lightly touching it to keep it muted when strummed). I mostly focus on the next 3 strings (from the bottom)…. Pointer on the first fret of the B string, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G string, and ring finger on the 3rd fret of the D string.

That’s how I like to play the F chord if I’m not doing a full barre chord.

Remember.. guitar is hard. It is supposed to be challenging. Focus on the small wins. Showing up and trying is a win. Each day you will improve a tiny bit and you will be surprised how quickly the small wins start adding up.

Hope that helps! Don’t give up! Lots of modifications are available for almost anything you want to play. Have fun!

• This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

I’ve also recently realized how important hobbies are and happy I found this program. Keep up the playing! Cheers!

[MattTX_24]

As Pete said, you shouldn’t expect to play at Tony’s speed. You should go at YOUR speed. There are MANY lessons where I only learn a small portion of the “riff” or “technique” he shows, and I’ll slow it down and do whatever I can in the allotted time I have that day and call it a win!

Be proud that you are giving it all you can each day. It doesn’t really matter whether you can “finish” the lesson… what matters is showing up and trying. These small accomplishments add up quickly, and when the tutorial or technique shows up again down the road, you will be surprised at your improvement.

Have fun!

[MattTX_24]

I might be misinterpreting your question, but if you are looking for this site to have a bunch of songs and you just pick one and learn it, than this site is not really about that.

Yes, you can and will learn some songs while going through the tutorials each week, but the site is more about introducing you to techniques to improve your fundamentals. At least, that has how I’ve interpreted my experience, but I’ve also only been a member for a short time.

There are many knowledgeable folks on here who might have different commentary.

Cheers!

• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.
• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.
• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

The site does have a lot of content and can be confusing at the start, but once you get going it is pretty straight forward. Like Pete said, just start with the 30 days to play. Once that is done, you will start on the 5 day challenge which sets you up for the rest of the program. Tony (in my opinion) does a really good job of explaining everything in the videos and how to progress.

There are also the other optional tutorials on the site (under “Skill Courses”) which you can do at your own pace. I like doing these on the weekends when I have time (just started the fingerpicking course which has been really fun).

Have fun! And be patient! Focus on the little wins and know that it takes a little effort and practice. And keep your expectations realistic at the start. It is a fun journey.

Cheers.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

Yes, this is completely normal. Guitar is challenging. I would suggest trying to train yourself to feel okay with being out of your comfort zone. These tutorials aren’t meant to be “nailed” the first time or two around. The “win” is that you are doing whatever you can that day and inside the challenge for however much time you can give it (5 minutes, 25 minutes, 45 minutes, whatever).

If I feel like a challenge is way over my head, I end up picking a small part of it and just trying to improve on that one small part (even if it is 10% of the day’s challenge). Tony says this all the time, but just feel happy that you did whatever you did and that you showed up and tried. Yes, they feel like small wins, but you will start piling up wins before you know it, and you will gradually see how much you’ve grown once you look back after a month or two. Be happy with the small wins, even if it was just you showing up and trying.

The techniques repeat throughout challenges, and you’ll come upon a challenge later and realize that you can do it a little better that time…. and this continues.

I would also suggest taking advantage of the play-along speeds where you can change them to 50%, 75%, etc.

So yes… be okay with being overwhelmed. Do what you can, even if it is just a little. That is kind of the theme of this whole program.

And have fun!

[MattTX_24]

Great job! Good tune. I like the sound of your geeeetar too! What are you playing?

[MattTX_24]

Some weeks are tougher than others, especially if you’re at the very beginning of your guitar journey, but try to remember that it isn’t expected for you to master any of the challenges each day. It is a “do whatever you can” experience, then you move on. As the techniques repeat over time and you revisit these techniques, you’ll be amazed at how much knowledge you’ve acquired.

No learning technique is right for everyone, but after a few months on the program, it is my favorite out of any I’ve tried. It challenges me and gives me a new idea/technique to try each day.

Also, the “skill courses” (the musical note icon on the left panel) are a great place to focus on a lot of the basics. I like to go back to them from time to time if I feel like some of the other stuff is too challenging.

Don’t forget (especially if you just started playing), learning guitar is not a walk in the park. I don’t know anyone who has learned quickly. I think everyone wishes they were further along than they think they should be. In this day in age where we are used to immediate gratification, learning guitar can be more of a slow burn. With that said, the small wins that start to build up (even early in your journey) are very gratifying and fun. But it is always good to temper expectations at first.

If this isn’t for you, I hope you do find something that works for you.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  MattTX_24.
• This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

They “start” on Mondays but I wouldn’t worry about starting on another day of the week. Since the weekends are free, you could work on one of the “skill courses” over the weekend until Monday.

Have fun!!

[MattTX_24]

Your statement that you feel like this isn’t mentioned anywhere confuses me as he reiterates the “progress over perfection” practice over and over in many videos. In fact, it is one of his main points in the intro videos when you initially sign up and start the program. Tony is constantly saying “don’t worry about getting it perfect… do what you can and that is enough… move on”

Maybe I’m wrong but that has been the clear message throughout my experience anyway.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.