[N-lightMike]

Great job, @Philb

[N-lightMike]

Hello @Francie ;

There are different ways to learn guitar or any musical instrument. The most common are to work on scales and other boring stuff to gain proficiency on the instrument. Then, there is just jumping forward to learning songs because that’s more fun. Both of those ways leave much to be desired.

Tony has come up with the best of both worlds. You gain proficiency on the instrument while playing pieces of music. That way, you’re actually getting better on guitar but these pieces of music can actually be fun and sound cool.

When do you actually learn a song? Not here on TAC. But, Tony has adapted his method to accommodate the many people who think learning songs is the way to learn the guitar. (By the way, it’s not uncommon to see someone who can rip off Stairway to Heaven, but can “play” the guitar. They play only what they’ve spent hours learning to copy. So, that has long since been proven to fail at teaching someone how to play guitar.)

So getting back to the question of learning a song. Tony now teaches his 5 elements of guitar skill (Monday – Friday) based on a song. When the week is done, you can pull up the tab to the song and you’ll find that you have all the skill to play that song. But Tony doesn’t play the song or guide you through the song. If he did, he’d just be the 100,000th guitar instructor guiding people through songs. YouTube is full of them.

Here on TAC, you will learn to play guitar. You go learn songs elsewhere. You can even write your own songs with the skills Tony teaches. That’s what I do. I learn the song elements Tony teaches so I can incorporate them into my own songs, not so I can learn someone else’s song.

But hey, most people want to play songs that are popular. It’s ok. But again, TAC teaches guitar skills, not songs. And this method has already proven to be the most efficient, and steadiest way to progress on guitar.

You’ll get others explaining things in their own way. Basically, everyone will give you a version of “trust the process”. Over the course of a few months, you’ll realize your getting better. In a couple of years, you’ll be better than you ever thought you could be. That’s the experience of many, many TAC members.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Hey @Kerby ;

I love to answer questions about Fretboard Wizard. I actually teach a fretboard class on another site. Ask away.

(Or maybe I should guess what the confusion is? There are some pretty common misunderstandings. But I’ll give you a chance to help me out.)

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

@Mrfredsporty ;

I haven’t been on the forums as much as I used to be, but I’ve been around enough that I wondered why I hadn’t heard from you.

79 is the new 78 1/2? That’s pretty funny, Fred. So, what’s that make me at 68 1/2? Maybe 67? Or is that stretching? 😂

Well, I’m guessing you have a pretty large frame since you have 2 dreadnoughts. They are too big for me.

Anyway, I never left, per se, simply because I bought a lifetime membership. However, after 2 or 3 years, I did drift away. I tried a lot of other sites, both free and paid. But I never found anything that could replace TAC. Yeah, sure, a lot of the other sites are good. But it’s the method that Tony created using the principles found in some books about habit formation, becoming successful, and winning attitude that really makes the difference.

It’s real easy to think his system is kinda vague and the other systems are very specific. But actually it’s the other way around. Tony’s system leads to steady progress. Period. Other systems just keep you in a perpetual loop of poor to mediocre skill level. Again, period.

Glad you have found this out and returned.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Hello @PhoenixRising ;

First, let me reiterate that normally, the up/down direction of the pick helps to keep your hand in sync with the timing of the music. However, I thought you asked about why Tony showed all down strokes.

There is a simple explanation. First, most guitarists never “learned” music theory. They could care less what theorists say about their music or how they analyze it. All down strokes gives a different sound and feel. Period. That’s it.

So, can you play down/up and copy any rhythm out there? Sorta. To a large extent, you can emulate a rhythm sound by doing it differently than the original player. But not always. Sometimes there is an unusual timing to the rhythm that happens because of the way the guitarist was moving his hand.

Bottom line, it’s up to you whether or not you wish to learn both styles or just stick to down/up.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Thanks @sggray1978 ; I know the platform issues are distracting. But, Tony still has the best teaching method available and the best site based on those methods. My opinion, of course.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

I completely understand @TMutter . For me, the good news is I will continue having your influence in my guitar geek community. And I know you will prosper in your search for greater technical skill. You are like a sponge. You started off in a very impressive manner and then grew by leaps and bounds. I am very happy to observe your growth and your guitar journey. You have been an inspiration for me, and I think you will continue to inspire me. 😊

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Thank you Mark @the-old-coach ;

I can only assume your membership hasn’t run out just yet? You can still pay for a lifetime membership.

Here’s how I see it. There are a bunch of sites and instructors I could learn from. Most of them have limited benefit if I don’t pay for some kind of membership, whether Patreon or a membership website. So, it’ll cost me anywhere from $5 to $27 per month to get all the resources available from any one online instructor and belong to their community forum.

Five measly dollars a month adds up to $60 per year. 27 dollars a month adds up to $324 per year. The $5 per month options don’t compare to TAC. The few instructors who offer something comparable are the ones at the top of that money heap. So, TAC is actually cheaper than anything comparable. And you’d pay more in 2 years than a TAC lifetime membership.

So, why am I sold on TAC over other sites besides for the money issue? Because Tony teaches techniques by giving you a little chunk of music. No one does this. They either teach technique, which is boring. Or they teach you a specific song.

I do know one site that might be as good as Tony. But it’s at the top, $27 per month. He’s really good and shows technique in a musical chunk that can be applied to any song. So like Tony, he’s actually helping you improve your skill while working on something that sounds good. But he’s the only one I am aware of that teaches in a similar fashion to Tony.

There’s still a big “however”. However, he doesn’t use the concepts from Atomic Habits or Grit or… I don’t remember the third book. But Tony uses proven concepts from psychology to create habits and to master complex skills. And those concepts are incorporated into his website. You don’t have to read the books or understand the process. You just have to sign up and follow along.

And the real point about my post is that even if you do a poor job of following Tony’s method, it still works amazingly.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

LOL, @albert_d , that’s pretty funny. It’s also great advice. 😄

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Thank you @albert_d , for coming by and leaving a comment.

Yes, you’re totally correct. In spite of my “unorthodox” way of doing TAC, I have benefited greatly. And TAC is responsible for my guitar journey, even though I didn’t do it very strictly. I tried other sites and even a face to face instructor, but nothing really got me into the habit/routine long enough and consistently enough for my identity to take off and fuel my Acoustic Life. Tony “made” me a guitarist.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Thank you, @jumpinjeff for coming by and leaving a comment.

Yeah, we’re in the right place for sure.

There are a lot of attitudes regarding TAC, Tony, and Levi. Me? I credit them with giving me the Acoustic Life I have today. I will always be grateful for TAC. And, I will always see Tony as someone who chose to share music and guitar with others out of the goodness of his heart. And yeah, he and Levi figured out a business model that works for them and their families.

But how does that take away from anything said before that? We all have to make a living (earn money), and they’re doing it by helping others find a satisfying guitar journey.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

Ok, @Moose408 ;

You are assuming I don’t understand. I have tried to show you what you are missing.

Tony and Levi JUST moved the site to another platform host. Many people thought they were making a bad choice to pick WordPress. But that was that. Now it’s too late.

Second, they used consultants from the beginning. They paid for this site to be set up. And the people they paid have not come through with their promises from the beginning.

Let me say it again, this hurts Tony and Levi waaaaay more than it could ever hurt any one of us. So, yeah, they care more than you could ever understand… obviously.

Life simply doesn’t always go the way we think. And no, there are not always solutions, period. And even when there are solutions, they can be unrealistic, or simply out of reach.

Bottom line: Stop judging. You don’t have enough information about their situation. You are making a lot of assumptions.

MG 😀

[N-lightMike]

👍

[N-lightMike]

👍 Awesome @PhoenixRising . Glad I could help and glad you are going to take advantage of this great community. 😉

[N-lightMike]

Lack of caring on Tony’s part, @moose408 ?

That’s totally unfair. Tony and Levi have built a business that has helped 10s of thousands of people learn guitar and have an acoustic life. As the business grew, they needed to upgrade the site and even the platform.

You think you’re disappointed? Think about how Tony and Levi feel. They made a considered choice after a lot of planning and discussing to go with WordPress. They have the site design they wanted. Yeah! Oh, wait a minute.

Right from the start there were huge problems and “glitches” that meant they were not able to get a number of the things they were promised. Oh, but it’s ok. “We’ll fix it.” Really?

How long has it been and they, Tony and Levi, are still being fed promises of “we’ll fix it”. Do you know how much went into their planning? Do you know how stressed they were about losing the business they created and hoped would carry their families through out the rest of their careers?

I can’t say I understand why WordPress hasn’t been able to make this website run faster and more smoothly. But it’s still the best guitar teaching site available in my opinion because it is based on scientific principles of learning and habit forming. And the site is set up to follow those principles.

Tony is one of the most caring people you will have ever met. Anyone who has met him will tell you that. But hey, too bad everything in life doesn’t go exactly the way Tony would like… because everything in life always goes your way, right?

MG 😀