[the-old-coach]

Kirk–

First off– Welcome!

I hear you completely about the difficulty of “getting started”. You are asking your hands, eyes, and brain to do things they never have.

You have already gotten some GREAT suggestions– (doing the stretches- (VERY important!), focusing on FUN, maybe having your guitar “checked out”, moving-on in the hope that it will be easier when you come back to it, etc, etc). Again, great suggestions, all. And…… they ALL work……..

Here’s my two-cents if I may.

Instead of just doing some stretches, also, warm your hands up somehow- (temperature-wise). And– “shake them out” every few minutes to help get that cramping-tension out when it starts to come on.

Also maybe- instead of just trying to “land” a C-chord out of the blue- (or maybe worse– working and working like crazy to get your fingers in just the right place when they are sore and cramping)- try going “TO” that C-chord FROM a different, maybe similar, chord. Focusing on the TRANSITION to the C. Maybe try going from an A-minor chord TO the C-chord. Your fingers are already right there in the neighborhood, an easy move gets you there.

Try different adjustments to your hand-position– see what works best for YOU.

Also, DON’T think you have to squeeze the life out of your guitar neck. Making a chord is MUCH easier if you don’t have a death-grip on the fretboard.

Lastly— be patient with yourself. We have ALL been where you are right now. Your issues are temporary, and you WILL get thru them.

Remember— if it was “too easy”, you would not get the personal satisfaction of learning something difficult– that deep, inner, personal, enjoyment is coming your way!

You are now on a journey! Don’t focus on the destination….. make sure to take in the sights along the way!

Sorry for this long-winded reply……….

theoldcoach

[the-old-coach]

Well, I, for one, want to thank BOTH of you for all you have done for others… (including me)!

[the-old-coach]

Kevin–

Wow….. great job on this song, man!

It has always been one of my favorites.

Thank you for sharing this!

[the-old-coach]

Loraine– (as always)– nailed it!

[the-old-coach]

I have taken an old, cheap, no-name, “smaller” guitar along on some trips- (but they were “road-trips– no flying involved). Never taken one on a plane, and wouldn’t, unless I had one of those really cool, “folding” kind.

Maybe another variable is- “what KIND” of adventure are you going on? A cruise? Hotel/condo-ing it? Hiking in the mountains for two weeks? Taking a computer? Will you actually have enough time and opportunity to justify taking it along?

Even if you DON’T take your guitar along, you can still pack along a couple of guitar-workbooks- (or whatever), check-in w/TAC- (laptop or however), and stay up-to-speed with the “learning-parts”, and/or play learning-mind-games in your head, etc, etc.

Whatever you decide/ whatever your adventure…… have a fun, safe trip.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  the-old-coach.

[the-old-coach]

OK- I’ll jump in and throw my two-cents in.

Since I/we don’t know where you are in your guitar journey, it’s a little iffy to say…. and …. since everyone is different, this adds even more fog to your question.

My own thoughts are that as long as you have a good grasp on the 30-days-to-Play- (and the 5-day Skills course?), go for it. FBW is YOURS. You own it and can access any part of it whenever you want.

Further– it is a “ladder” learning system for the most part— (once you grasp “this”— THEN move on to “that”). You have to understand each step before moving to the next.

You can also, of course, go back and revisit any previously-completed part– to re-clarify things– when you come to a part that is more challenging.

And of course, remember you can- (and should)- go completely back thru the entire course again, from time to time— you WILL learn something new each time.

It is a great course!- (and well-worth the investment).

Try to “be” just a little bit beyond where you are comfortable.

DON’T hurry thru it, but also don’t go so slow that you are bored with it.

My two-cents…..

theoldcoach

PS- Don’t ignore the “Skills Courses”….. Poke around in there….. They are GREAT.

[the-old-coach]

Reading Loraine’s excellent post here made me think of something along the lines of this thread that someone mentioned earlier- (maybe a couple of years ago?).

The “jist” of it was…. to allow yourself to “get lost in the music”.

Now– learning is learning. Exactness is needed when LEARNING. That’s easy to see.

But, I believe there’s a big difference between learning and PLAYING. So, when your “learning” is done for the day or whatever……. go PLAY.

Pay attention to the chords themselves, of course, but beyond that…… deliberately DON’T focus on all the eye-confusing diagram-y stuff that tells you exactly when to strum- (and how.. either up or down). Dial it out.

And just…. PLAY…. within the music…. from your ears and heart…… just for the FUN of it. Play it the way that SOUNDS great to YOU, regardless of how “technically correct” it is. You will gravitate towards what SOUNDS good to your ears! If it isn’t exactly like the lesson’s version– oh well. You have played YOUR version of it!

Hope this perspective doesn’t sound tooooooo dumb. And I hope you get the “jist” of what I said.

(Note- I hate using all these “caps”- but sometimes if I want to “bold” or “italicize” something- it turns out showing all these weird characters in the post’s text once it is posted in the thread). Promise– I’m NOT shouting…..)😀

[the-old-coach]

Nick–

(Tried twice to respond….. POOF/gone…..twice….. in case they turn up- you’ll know why there are THREE responses!)

Anyway- my suggestion is simple, quick, and easy- (hah-hah).

Practice your transitions…….. with your eyes closed………

(be ready for some instant humbling- but MAN, you brain is building bridges!).

theoldcoach

[the-old-coach]

Hey– it made it thru!!

[the-old-coach]

PHC-

Welcome to TAC!

I have a couple of thoughts and suggestions for ya……

First off- Read, and re-read, and re-read again- the last sentence in Moose’s first paragraph- (about being patient with yourself). He nailed it.

ESPECIALLY— (being a natural “leftie-playing-righty”)…….. Make sure to do at least SOME stretching/warmup exercises before EACH session. You can find a course for these in the “Skills Courses” area.

(Don’t know “where you are” in your guitar-journey)- but I’ll maybe suggest this— what gauge are your strings(?). Maybe/possibly, it will seem “easier” to play with a set of “light” or even “extra-light” strings(?)…..

Maybe(?) also have your guitar “looked at” to see if the “action” is too high. This can make a HUGE difference in the instrument’s playability– and your enjoyment of it😀.

Alright, now, go back and re-read Moose’s post- (yes– again).

Remember-

“Progress over perfection”

“Expectation is where fun goes to die”- (my all-time favorite quote/saying)

“It’s about the journey- not the destination”

Don’t be a stranger here in this Forum….. There is an incredible group of people in here!

theoldcoach

[the-old-coach]

Loofer-

This is a legit question…… because it ISN’T obvious. There have been a few threads about this exact topic- “OK- where do I go next?”- once you/we have finished the “30-Days-To Play” segment.

Moose nailed it. That’s a GREAT next/first step…… here in TAC.

Don’t know “where you are” in your guitar-journey so if you are “beyond” all my goofy suggestions here, then just ignore this……….

But while you’re roaming around within the TAC site– poke around on your own all thru those Skills Courses! There is some REALLY cool stuff in there. Pick one- (or two!)- and just go for it—- ALONG WITH the 5-day course. Watch the introductory video(s) and see if they interest you, and then just give them a try….. the various courses are fun- and challenging- (some, “very”).

DO do the “dailies” but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t “master” them. Give them a decent effort, learn what you can- (or want)- from them, “Favoritize” any you want to come back to, and move on. It’s been said many times here- the real goals are “progress over perfection”- and have fun while doing it……..

DO check out the “stretching/warmup” course- and do a couple of minutes of those before EVERY session. Don’t get carried away with that– but it really helps to do SOME.

Last thing- investigate for yourself the Fretboard Wizard Course. It’s NOT a “free” course- (there is an investment in great guitar-knowledge here). IMHO- you get what you pay for with this course. There is some great stuff to learn that you likely never even thought about. (Hint— Maybe start your own thread in here just asking what others think about it!).

Glad you’re “back”!- (maybe me just writing THIS response to you will help ME get “back” too!).

Now— get to work!😀👍

theoldcoach

[the-old-coach]

Awesome!

[the-old-coach]

Loraine–

Oh, you don’t know how many times I’ve been told to “go outside”. 😀

I don’t mind being “outside lookin’ in”😎…… used to it, actually.

I coulda/shoulda mentioned- (you likely already know this….)- that if I want to play another person’s music- (ANY song/any artist)- that ISN’T in a key that “fits” my voice– like D– I just think it out, or (faster)- use the Circle of Fifths to convert it over to whatever key I want.

Most of the tunes I have written are actually quite simple– but a few little added sus’s and 7’s placed just right make them sound a little more complex than they really are.

Said this before…….. if I can do it……… ANYBODY can. Give it a try— you may be surprised!😍

mark

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by  the-old-coach.

[the-old-coach]

Thank you (again) for your kind words!

To answer your question as best as I know how—- I have to be careful because I don’t necessarily know that I really have the knowledge to answer “correctly”, and I don’t need any help sounding somewhere between stupid and absolutely full of BS.

For a number of my songs, I use the Key of D major. Only because that key seems to be the easiest for me to sing in. From there it’s just the chords in that chord family. Then I just monkey-around with different chord progressions and order. From there, I really like to sprinkle in some sus2’s, sus4’s, various 7’s, add9’s, etc, etc. So I do LOTS of doodlin’ around- adding or taking away or moving a finger or two– a fret or two– just to see what it sounds like.

When I “mess with” these chords like this, most of the time I don’t even know what the hell the “new” chord actually is until I draw a chord diagram, and dissect it “backwards” just to see what it is…..

Anyway, I hope this “dumb-guy explanation” sort-of answers your question. Bottom-line is, for the most part…… “I don’t really know”. I basically just mess around with chord progressions and the chords themselves……. until I find something that SOUNDS good to me. Beyond that, any actual knowledge of this stuff came from right here in TAC’s Fretboard Wizard Course, some of the TAC Skills Courses, and a few other course/classes I took on another guitar site I really like also.

Thank you again for your encouraging comments on this song— they mean a lot.

y-o-p

mark

[the-old-coach]

Maybe check out some videos about “playing in the “zone” ” or “playing in the “flow” “.

(youtube)- Classical Guitar Shed/ Allen Mathews may be a good place to start.

Stuff like this is great- it reminds us to see things right under our noses all along!