[the-old-coach]

A horse will only move forward if the carrot is out in front of him. If he catches up to the carrot, he stops, as there is no need to go forward.

[the-old-coach]

Do you really want it to be fast and easy? If it was, everybody would be doin’ it, and then, you would not be able to quietly… to yourself… enjoy the pride that you get when a tough task is accomplished— one that not everybody can do?

Always– always– remember that it’s not about the destination…. it’s about the journey. When the Griswolds finally reached WallyWorld—- the very best parts of the movie…… were over.

So I have to repeat that, just for “effect”— It’s not about the destination…. it’s about the journey.

My advice is to be cool. Relax. Enjoy all the little moments— and all the help, advice, encouragement, and great friends that you will meet right here.

Your brain can only take-in so much/ so fast. Enjoy the “slow” part of it– (it really is the best part).

• This reply was modified 1 month ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 1 month ago by  the-old-coach.

[the-old-coach]

Don B–

Don’t be frustrated. It in itself will suck the life and fun out of your guitar journey.

Don’t ever compare your ability to “where you think you should be”. Or, to anyone else.

DO your stretches! Both…. before practice and occasionally– during. This will REALLY help when starting-out!— (but don’t get to the point of pain!)

Try tuning your guitar down (say 2 half-steps)— and then put a capo on the second fret. Your guitar will be “back in tune”— but now the strings will be easier to fret– because they are “lower”– as-in (now) closer to the frets.

Carry-on– remember the fun– and remember that learning to play guitar is NOT easy. But– you will begin to enjoy those moments of inner pride at your improvement(s), and a quiet smile will start to show up once in a while.

the old coach

• This reply was modified 1 month, 2 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.

[the-old-coach]

This is actually pretty cool…. I didn’t the old version was even (or still?) accessible!

I have completed both versions a couple of times– (and I think I agree with the group that thinks the old/original version is “better” than the new version).

They are BOTH great— a solid investment in my opinion!

(now I gotta go in & look to see if I can find the original version!)

[the-old-coach]

I’m “old-school”. I have a huge 3-ring binder full of printed-off Daily Challenges- (yes.. actually printed). I think I saved them (every one) until “the cycle” started coming around again. It’s about 2-inches thick and weighs about 10 pounds. Ridiculous?- Probably to many, but to me it’s MUCH easier that way. No computer/no tablet/no nothing. I simply open it to a lesson I choose and start playing. I really love just opening that big lesson-book to some totally random page– and spend maybe a half-hour focusing on just that one lesson. (It’s funny how quickly I remember them!).

Ya can’t “go back” to the prior-month’s lessons…. so if you ever want to dig them back up, you DO have to somehow “save” them. I printed ’em off….. and have ’em that way. For “old-school” me– that’s the easiest way.

[the-old-coach]

mso—

Don’t cancel.

Some of the Daily Challenges can seem pretty tough, especially for a very new guitar-player. If one seems too difficult for you at this point, just give it a try anyway- (~10 mins or so), and look at it as “OK, challenge, you are why I’m here. You may think you are tougher than me NOW, but I know you are going to come around again in say 8-10 months……. and I’ll be waiting…..”

In the meantime, there are plenty of really cool “Skills Courses” to check out, that you can work thru at your own pace.

Acknowledge to yourself that learning guitar isn’t as easy as it looks. It takes time and effort. Lots of both….. YEARS of both.

One last (and the best!) piece of advice…… FORGET ABOUT YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS AND COMPARISONS OF WHERE YOU THINK YOU SHOULD BE IN LEARNING. Just have fun with it…… It’s all about the ride— not the destination.

[the-old-coach]

So after all my yammering in this (great) thread- (my apologies BTW)- I guess it’s time I actually threw in my answer to Brandon’s original question- “When did you finally feel like you could play guitar?“…. (took me a while to actually think this out)….

For me, I think it was when I had completed Fretboard Wizard- (three times thru now)- and then also went thru two (separate/annual) “Fretboard Fluency” courses in a different-but-closely-related-website-group from TAC.

Right around that time, I felt I had enough knowledge to learn the art of tinkering with the music itself. Counter to what I had always thought……. I had to go the “knowledge-first/ then playing-second” route, rather than the other way around. I didn’t have the advantage of “growing-up around it” and being the 8-year-old kid on the front porch (who could play anything just about anything….. naturally).

Funny– “finally feeling like I could play guitar” may actually have involved more learning than actually playing! But, the two work hand in hand…. they need each other…

I’ll leave you all alone now in this (again, great) thread.

[the-old-coach]

This is a great thread indeed! Very thought-provoking!

Right or wrong- (I dunno which)- I’ve always felt like…. no matter how many courses, or lessons, or Challenges, or books, or whatever that I took….. all that stuff can’t be relied-upon as if that’s the only thing I need to make me a better guitar-player. They are all really just showing me options for me to choose from.

The whole “making myself a better guitar-player” is on me. It’s about listening to the sounds I make; it’s about experimenting/ trying new things. It’s about really thinking about what I am doing– as I do it. Studying…. and practicing…. is all about getting ready for the game. And then, the game is all about playing.

Never forget the fun part of it!

[the-old-coach]

Ahhhhh, yes…… “expectations”…… I defer to the quote-master— Jumpin’Jeff- (author of the single best quote about expectations– in the history of the world).

[the-old-coach]

Loraine— Great post as always! (As I’ve said before)— you were the first one to welcome me when I first joined TAC– (back in 2019 I think– at the start of COVID). You have been– and still continue to be– one of the most helpful and encouraging people I have ever met here in our little guitar-world. I don’t know if you realize, but your always-positive, un-wavering, rock-solid manner has helped countless players— certainly including myself— get started, get them back out of the weeds, and get them back moving forward. You carry-around a truckload of good karma, my old friend!

• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.

[the-old-coach]

Yet another fantastic post in this great thread!

Seems to me that any/all of these courses try to keep you “on track”- (just get from A to B). For me, the real fun is in walking “parallel” to the trail…… taking the information given, “sort-of learning” it as you go, and doing your own tinkering/experimenting with it— along the way. It’s not an assembly line. We’re not all the same, or at the same place in our guitar-journey. Our brain has to have some “free space” to actually use the information given to us. The only path to learning something is to be creative with it, otherwise we’re just memorizing it…… big difference between the two.

[the-old-coach]

But….. can we really tinker too much ???

• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.

[the-old-coach]

Brandon– You’re gonna go thru those times when nuthin’ seems to be going right. If some of the Challenges are “beyond” where you are right now– (when that happened, I felt like I just wasn’t having any fun/ feelin’ bummed-out/ like I just wasn’t gonna ever “get it”, that “everybody else is doin’ great except me” thing)… don’t sweat it even one bit!… Some of those Dailies are difficult for everyone.

For whatever reason—- when I feel down in the dumps– (not “if”— because this happens to ALL of us at times)- I fall back into my old comfort zone for a couple days— playing my very favorite songs from the tabs, while listening to the recording of it. I think to myself– “these are my favorite songs! and I’m playing-along! It’s like guitar karaoke!”

Cheers me right up!

[the-old-coach]

LOVE this post of yours here, so much that I “favoritized” it on my laptop! I agree with your opinion of “keeping-up” on those barre chords. I don’t know what I’d do without them– they open-up so many different options!

Yeah, I agree that “transition-chords” or walk-ups/downs add so much flavor to the way a song sounds.

Although I think you are “farther-along”, maybe you & I are a bit alike in that we are maybe always experimenting with different little tweaks and sounds- (this is the part of learning guitar that I love the most!— never-ending discoveries!)

Thank you again for your post here.

[the-old-coach]

No doubt that some of the lessons are well beyond many TAC members. If you are completely new at guitar– maybe most of the lessons are.

There is only one “TAC-curriculum”. There isn’t a beginner’s…. and an intermediate…. and, say, an advanced series’ of lessons. That’s what the individual courses are for.

And that’s what makes it great; as you get “farther-along” you will gravitate toward different areas that suit you…. then pick & choose what individual courses you want.

I look at it as….. TAC has given me the map…. it’s on me to look it over and then choose a direction and destination!

• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.
• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by  the-old-coach.