[petelanger]

This is a common trap that we have all fallen in to. But if you don’t break out of it, you’ll lose your thrill of playing which is very precious.

You definitely want to spend less than 40 minutes and mark that sucker complete! That might be only 10 minutes, in may case I’m retired and feel I can afford a bit more. Your best learning comes in the struggle so I like to stay in that mode for a bit, usually ends up being in the 15 – 30 minute range. Then I mark it complete and if possible I’ll come back to the lesson later (same day or another day).

If I am going to “~perfect” (and I don’t mean that word literally) a challenge it will be in the weeks that follow. I’ve probably played the Bon Jovi (Sambora Sweetness) a couple hundred times (takes maybe 10 seconds), I play the Hotel California chord progression almost everyday for a minute or 2.

[petelanger]

It’s awesome that you are recording yourself! It can’t be overstated how important that is for your growth. I try to make sure I record myself at least once per month, and several times during bench mark weeks. Those reference points are huge because it’s hard to notice growth just by memory.

Thanks for sharing! You are doing great!

[petelanger]

Welcome aboard!

[petelanger]

I’m not in the song learning phase yet, but I occasionally get the itch to play a lick or two! One of my favorite YouTubers for learning songs is Marty Schwartz, I find he does a great job of breaking a song down for a beginner to learn quickly.

Check out Marty Music on YouTube.
Here’s a sample of how he teaches a Led Zep classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDJIwD6on-Q&pp=ygUWbWFydHkgc2Nod2FydHoga2FzaG1pcg%3D%3D

[petelanger]

Yes I noticed that too the other day. Thanks for reporting that and getting it handled!

[petelanger]

Salut, Grietzi from Florida!

I’m a Canadian married to an American lady! I have lived in Geneva for a year and near Bern for almost 4 years, such a beautiful country! I’m originally Austrian and love my home but the Swiss Alps take my breath away.

I agree with you the goal is to learn beyond the daily challenges and be able to play full songs. However, these challenges gradually equip you with the skills to play many thousands of songs. It’s hard to see the forest right now with so many trees in the way. You can definitely turn your focus to learning a handful of songs, but if your time is limited, you may find the going slow in perfecting all the nuances of particular songs and this may be discouraging. Also this will take time away from TAC’s daily challenges so ultimately it may slow you down in your quest to play more songs.

Bonne chance!

Peter

This photo was from a visit to the Jungfrau Region almost 20 years ago.

[petelanger]

You’ve come to the right place Joe! TAC will teach you things in a stealth manner and keep you coming back regularly for more.

Filling the spaces between chords is what a large percentage of the lessons are about. We’ve got base walks, arpeggios and licks all over the place. You can take the daily challenges in any direction you want!

[petelanger]

In the skill courses (see the music symbol in the task bar on the left) you can find the Daily Stretch for Guitar https://tonypolecastro.com/courses/guitar-players-daily-stretch-guide/

tonypolecastro.com

Tony's Acoustic Challenge

Tony's Acoustic Challenge

[petelanger]

This is crazy good for a new player! Well done!
I would caution you with naming your video “Hotel California” on YouTube. The Eagles are extreme blockers and some members have had their accounts suspended. It would be nice if TAC’s platform would let up upload video to avoid this issue. It isn’t a problem with most artists.

[petelanger]

So I did this as well when I started. I completed the 30 days plus the 5 Day Challenge in about 27 days. I went ahead and started daily challenges immediately afterward. It’s really up to you if you are moving along in the program, but don’t overlook the skill courses, you might find some courses there that are more beneficial to your progress than speeding ahead with the first 30 days.

The daily stretch is awesome, I have gone through that entirely about a half dozen times and I use the neck, hand and finger warmups regularly.

Also:
Your Next 6 Chords

Strumming

[petelanger]

Ron, you will notice that Tony uses different variations of many chords but specifically the G has all sorts of variants and he often explains this in the daily challenges but not necessarily every time it’s used. You can leave the B string open but I have also seen where he leaves the A string open, but not both.

On the Fender (Tuner) App you’ll find 7 G Major Chord shapes, but there are actually more since you can use different finger combinations for some of them.

[petelanger]

Great suggestion, thanks @Moose408

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by  petelanger.

[petelanger]

In light of what Tony shared recently about playing guitar and not practicing guitar I want to modify what I said above from

“work, work, work” to

play, play, play!

[petelanger]

It’s a tad tender, but I was playing guitar with no problems on the same day it happened! Thanks @Guitargeezer-Jack !

[petelanger]

I haven’t heard the expression Shock and Awe since GW Bush days in Iraq. Pretty sure this song is not about him! lol!