[Skyman911]

@BrandonK after 5 months of playing I could play about 4 chords. That’s about it. Actually about 7 months in I quit TAC because I didn’t feel like I was learning and progressing as fast as I want. Almost 4 years in, I still don’t feel like I’m progressing as fast as I want. I don’t see this ever changing, and just accept it. I’ve always been pretty hard on myself.

I took private lessons for 1 1/2 years, and did learn a lot. It was then where I began to see the value in TAC and rejoined almost a year ago. There is so much to TAC. And for the value it can’t be beat. Keep it up, and try not to get discouraged.

The one piece of advice I can give is just to have fun. If your not having fun, you won’t progress. If you are getting discouraged and frustrated, you’re not having fun. This is really why we want to play in the first place I think. Unless one is just learning to impress others. I’ll tell you though, I’m learning and playing stuff I never thought I could even attempt a couple of years ago. Lots of Barre chords lately!

[Skyman911]

@anthonytaylor1mac-com the way I understand the TAC system, it is teaching you elements of songs, techniques, timing, all different types of things like hammer ons, pull offs, slides, flatpicking, fingerpicking, rhythm, etc.. Many of these techniques many beginners would not even try. By throwing something new at you constantly, it keeps one from stagnating, and just doing the same thing over and over again. Then, when you are learning a song you want to play, you will start seeing the elements you work on in the daily challenges, and for me, it makes learning new songs easier.

Learning actual songs is really up to you though. There are many, many resources for learning songs. I have a number of sites I go to depending on the song.

[Skyman911]

@BarbaraM Here’s a short list of easy songs that can make you sound great.

You Ain’t Going Nowhere – Bob Dylan. G Am C

Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffet. A D G with a number of chord variations

Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash. C D G also with chord variations

Cry to Me – John Hiatt. G C/G Em D C

Heart of Gold – Neil Young. Em7 D Em C G

Hope this helps. I use Chordify a lot to play along with. You get one free song per day if you don’t want to sign up for a pay service.

[Skyman911]

He was here in Salt Lake City, Utah a few months ago with Trey Hensley. I had tickets for a meet and greet prior to the show. He spent a lot of time with me, and even signed my Martin 000-18. very unpretentious.

[Skyman911]

@joseph-vitzen I can certainly relate to your feeling lost and overwhelmed. I originally joined TAC about three years ago. I had only been playing a year, and mainly trying to learn off Youtube videos. After a few months I quit TAC because of your very dilemma. I then took private lessons for a year and a half. During the private lessons, I kept seeing similarities on what TAC was also trying to teach. I rejoined TAC less than a year ago, and wish I had never quit. There is so much here for the value. I just couldn’t see it beyond my frustration.

So, here’s my take. I use TAC as a supplement, and not my main learning tool. I do the challenges, but don’t spend too much time on them unless I’m really into the lesson. I still do at least 20 to 30 minutes on each challenge. You still want to learn to play songs that are within your ability. And there are tons of songs out there for any level of player. TAC teaches elements of songs, not the songs themselves. I think that is the magic of TAC, and what sets TAC apart from other online learning platforms. There are also tons of great lessons from Marty Music, Justin Guitar, Guitar Hero2zero, David Potts, etc..

The best piece of advice I have ever gotten was to have fun no matter how bad you may think you sound. This is why we wanted to learn play in the first place right? Play songs and have fun!

[Skyman911]

@BruverJive also keep in mind that Fretboard Wizard can be pretty high level. You will want to come back to it often as you progress. Don’t spend too much time on it, so you can start getting to the daily challenges. And those as well, don’t get too far down in the weeds and try to perfect each challenge. Do at least 10 minutes. More if you can.

[Skyman911]

@bruverjive, he would only be holding one string down at a time for this exercise. Have fun with the course, and reach out to the group with any questions.

[Skyman911]

@abrew67gmail-com , @Loraine had some great advice. I’ve been working on strumming for 3 1/2 years, and still don’t think I strum well. It’s all in my technique though. I think the pick choice is not the biggest concern. Great players can play with any pick. I have been trying thicker picks lately though, and have been trying VERY, VERY hard to just have 1/4 to 1/8 of the tip exposed. My thumb and index fingers still hit the strings often. Again, technique.

[Skyman911]

@Loraine Nice! It looks like you aren’t having any issues with your strumming. Nice and smooth as always. I hope you’ve seen some improvements. It looks like you have.

[Skyman911]

@jimmaggio6gmail-com are you using a Snark tuner by chance? I have a Snark that will do that on the B and high E string. It will jump back and forth between different keys.

[Skyman911]

@mikelockswbell-net I use Ultimate Guitar Tabs, Songster, Musicnotes and Chordify. They all seem to have their advantages.

[Skyman911]

@Mrfredsporty, I tend to use my weekends to just play. I try to incorporate some of the TAC info during my playing. For example, played some Wagon Wheel riffs this weekend in between playing songs. Sometimes you just gotta play and not worry about practice. This is why we do practice.

[Skyman911]

@BrandonK, I did want to mention something that kind of aligns with what @jumpinjeff was saying. I was struggling, putting in 2 hours a day, doing drills, doing scales, and just wasn’t progressing as fast as I wanted given all the practice time I was putting in. I had found a good guitar teacher, and he basically said, “you aren’t improving as fast as you want because you aren’t having fun, and have set your expectations too high”. I didn’t quite understand at the moment. He said, just stop the drills for a while and let’s just work on some fun songs. He kept stressing having fun. Even if I sound like I suck, just keep having fun. After a month or so, my progress took off like a rocket. He said, I know drills are beneficial, but they should be a small part of your practice. Playing songs should incorporate most of your time. Even if the songs are only easy two chord progressions. Hope this helps.

[Skyman911]

Looks like we have more in common. I’ve trained in the MA arts for over 40 years, and still do today.

I agree with some of your comments such as being taught in person how to fret a particular chord vs being taught by a video. I cannot understate the value of personal instruction. It just isn’t practical for many. For me, TAC is just one of many tools I use to learn. It is not my main avenue for learning and practicing. The value it provides is unmatched in my opinion. I hope you can find your path.

[Skyman911]

Let me expand on this a bit. I actually tried a couple of teachers. My first teacher was a perfectionist and would not let me move to the next lesson without perfecting the first lesson. About six months in, I was beyond frustrated, and at this pace, it would be 10 years or more before I could get to the point I wanted. Then I found a new teacher and he was revolutionary. He could tell within 10 minutes that I was just not having fun playing the guitar, as I was trying to perfect every note/chord and I would get pissed when I hit a note or chord wrong. He basically said “you need to learn to have fun playing crappy”. He then had me start to work on Blackbird by the Beatles. I’m like, this is way over my head, and was so intimidated. My progress took off like a rocket ship after that, and the change in mindset was significantly better. After a year with my teacher, I decided to start my own journey. We still keep in touch.

His words of advice still resonate. Don’t compare yourself to others. You will make mistakes, just have fun and be OK with it. Most likely you will be the only one who notices or cares. When frustration sets in, put your guitar down and do something else. Find songs to play that you want to play regardless of the difficulty.