[MattTX_24]

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

• This reply was modified 3 months ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

No doubt I’m better because of this course. I’ve had a guitar for twenty years but always just dabbled with it. I’ve only been doing TAC for a month and I can say for certainty I’ve already learned so much and gotten better even within that short timeframe.

[MattTX_24]

Great work! Love that Taylor… is that one of the mahogany or koa ones? I’ve had my eye on those!

[MattTX_24]

I’ve been playing off and on for several years and this was harder than I expected it to be! I definitely had the most trouble with the F chords… yikes.

I also have trouble with moving my pinky around due to a previous broken finger accident… but I’m not going to use that as an excuse! (even though I just did, lol).

Looks like I have some practicing to do!

[MattTX_24]

Love this! Great work!

[MattTX_24]

I definitely echo what Jorgemac said..

If I had a $1,000 limit, I would probably do an entry-level Taylor… but that is purely my subjective opinion. I just love the way they play and sound… and their guitar necks feel good on the hands. My first and only guitar is a Takamine G series, and I bought it for about $450 around 20 years ago. It has done me well and I love the way it sounds more and more each year. My buddy has a Yamaha and those seem to be a popular pick as well.

Whatever you pick, definitely go to a store that will let you play around with several until you find one that just feels right. The right guitar should just feel right in your hands.

Some models are larger/smaller and might be easier to play based on their size. For instance, some of the smaller-sized guitars will have slightly smaller fret sizes/etc, which could make it easier for your fingers to play the chords (depending on your dexterity/hand size).

At the end of the day, it is whatever just feels/sounds right to you! You could ask 10 different people and get 10 different answers and everyone would be right 🙂

• This reply was modified 3 months ago by  MattTX_24.
• This reply was modified 3 months ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

Actually, the Coldplay songs weren’t overly difficult… I just had very little knowledge at the time I was learning the chords. When I learned the chords and heard myself play them, I had an “a-ha” moment… like, “oh wow… I can play guitar!”

Did it mean I could sit down and play a song for a bunch of people? No… but it was the first moment I thought that I was a guitar player.

[MattTX_24]

I thought about this some more… and I think I have a better answer to what you were asking.

I felt like I could play guitar when I could play the chords to some of my favorite songs.

I started playing guitar around the time Coldplay’s first album “Parachutes” came out. That album has some unique chord shapes and tunings. I felt like I could play guitar when I was able to learn some of those songs. And no, I couldn’t play them at 100% speed or without stopping and starting, but I felt like I could play guitar if I could recreate the sounds of my favorite songs.

I do hear you about feeling like you can play when you’re able to just sit down “at a campfire” and play a few songs….

I think you’re closer than you think. I don’t feel like I ever give myself the opportunity to learn full songs. But this can be done with a little extra effort. Heck, there are a million songs out there that just use a few chords.

• This reply was modified 3 months ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

This is going to be completely subjective and everyone will have their own answer, and I guess it comes down to each person’s interpretation or expectations.

For the record, I would say you can definitely play guitar.

I can play a little bit of drums, bass guitar, and piano. By no means am I able to sit down and just have a jam session with any instrument I play, but that doesn’t mean I can’t play the instruments.

I guess the best way to approach this is to simply allow yourself to add a qualifier or two to the statement. “I’m a guitar player, mostly amateur at this point but continuing to learn.” But you’re most definitely a guitar player.

[MattTX_24]

This is a good question, and I think it is tough to answer because when you start playing, you learn how to properly push down on the strings with your fingers (at a specific angle/etc). When I want to mute strings, I have to go against the “proper” way to push down on the strings.

I am a fan of Dave Matthews, and a lot of his music uses the left-hand muting technique, which is how I learned. There are some fairly “simple” chords to learn that only involve using 2-3 fingers. The easiest ones involve using your pointer finger on the low E string while using it to also mute the A string… so you kind of play the E string with your pointer in a “downward/slanted” position rather than hitting the string at a sharp angle.

I found a video that shows a few easy-to-learn chords that uses this technique, and all of these chords only use 2 fingers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvMvkmNACD8

• This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by  MattTX_24.
• This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by  MattTX_24. Reason: wording

[MattTX_24]

Welcome! I joined about a month ago and I can tell you that I’ve greatly enjoyed the process. Cheers!

[MattTX_24]

Thanks for the suggestion! I’m going to order it. Looks like something that would be beneficial and timely in my guitar journey.

[MattTX_24]

Thanks! Yeah I’ll keep playing with it and practicing. I think my hand is used to playing without a pick so my hand wants to naturally be a certain length away from the strings. Hopefully as I continue practicing, my playing will evolve into good form.

[MattTX_24]

Another pick question for you all…

As I’m playing more and more with my pick, I notice the back of my thumb lightly brushing against the strings on my upstrokes. It doesn’t produce any sound (from what I can tell), especially since the pick is plucking the strings a nano-second afterward.

I think I also lightly touch some strings on the downstrokes with my pinky.

Does anyone else do this? Or does ONLY your pick touch the strings while strumming?

• This reply was modified 3 months, 2 weeks ago by  MattTX_24.

[MattTX_24]

It was super slow a few days ago for me, but today seems okay.