[Skyman911]

@BrandonK, Brandon, depending on what type of song you want to play, you could probably start playing a song today. Horse with no Name for example is basically an E minor with some variations. A very simple way is just form the E minor shape, and for the next chord, just drop your ring finger down to the next string. Not the way it is written, but a fun way to get started. The E minor is one of the easiest shapes to make. There are tons of easy songs with only two chords.

Consistency is your friend. Just try to be consistent. You will hit walls, and you won’t think you are progressing, or can’t get past something. Just stay consistent, and try to play everyday even if it is just a couple of minutes. You will progress. I’ve only been playing for three years, and didn’t think I would be doing fingerstyle or flat picking thinking that was way too advanced at this early stage. I was really just a strummer until joining TAC. Now I’m doing all sorts of stuff. It really keeps it fun.

[Skyman911]

@BarbaraM, I’m sure others with more experience with this program will chime in. My advice is not to spend too much time on each lesson. Keep moving forward. Have you started the daily challenges yet? If not, I would still recommend starting them and spending as much time on them as comfortable. The goal is to keep trying new things, and keep the newness alive. Spending too much time on a lesson and getting frustrated will only hinder your progress. The only other thing I can recommend is, have fun. Even if you can only play a couple of notes or chords.

[Skyman911]

@Sandie, like @ChuckS stated, guitars come in many shapes and sizes. I was amazed when I finally got one that actually fit me. The playing enjoyment greatly increased. I would spend some time in a guitar shop and try out some different guitars. Maybe start with a parlor size and go up from there. There are a number of manufacturers that make decent parlor size guitars without breaking the bank. They are typically shorter in scale, with more narrow necks making it easier to fret for smaller hands. I also have a Taylor GS Mini, that has a pretty short scale, and smaller body. Maybe try one of those. With so many guitar size choices, no need to suffer and not enjoy this journey.

[Skyman911]

@zman I agree 100% with @ChuckS. So many neck profiles. I’ve purchased way too many guitars because I thought they sounded great, which they did. They didn’t fit me however and now I’ve been selling them off. Two things to me are most important. How the neck profile fits your particular hand, and how comfortable the body is. Do this. Rest the guitar neck in your palm, facing up, with the natural curve of your palm cradling the neck. Now wrap your fingers around the fretboard. Your middle finger should cover the sixth string. If it is just touching the sixth, you will struggle making a good curved arc with your fingers. Try a number of them. You will be very surprised how each one fits your hand. Then the body is next. I liked the sound of the large dreds. Not comfortable for me to play for a long time though. I’m currently looking for a used Martin 000-18. I’ve played a few and this one really fits me well. Taylor necks seem to fit me good as well. Good luck.

[Skyman911]

@Issac_Shmishi, I’m here in Utah as well. Things seem a bit slower to get to the challenges more in the evenings I find. No issues while in the lesson though. I hope you figure it out.

[Skyman911]

@kirk62, like many that posted before me, many of us are in the same boat. I started at 59 and I am three years into my journey. I can’t top any of the great advice already given, and I agree with the previous posters. All I can say is just commit to playing everyday. Even if you get frustrated. The commitment will get you through. The C chord is still hard for me to get clean everytime as well.

[Skyman911]

I’ve wondered about this as well. I don’t have anyone to play with, and that is one area I really want to work on.

[Skyman911]

I try to play everyday for at least an hour. I’m three years into my journey, and my fingertips still hurt sometimes. In the beginning, they hurt so bad I wasn’t sure I could do this. I started spitting up my playing sessions to only 5 to 10 minutes, two or three times a day. That did help until my finger tips finally got guitar acclimated. Just keep it up, and one day, you will put your guitar down and say, wow, my tips don’t hurt that bad. I think I’ll keep playing! I also make sure my finger tips are dry before playing if that makes sense? I wash my hands often before playing to keep my guitar clean. I wait for a while after washing my hands to let my tips dry out. For me, that really seems to help. I promise, just keep playing, and it does get better. Also, the better you get at fretting the string close to the fret, you’ll find you don’t need to press as hard on the string. Hope this helps.

[Skyman911]

Very nice. Smooth chord transitions.

[Skyman911]

There are some drills that can help with that. I do something called the “spider” drill. Start at the low E string, index finger on the 5th fret, middle on the 6th fret, ring on the 7th fret, and pinky on the 8th fret. Hold all the fingers down on the strings. Then take the index finger and move it down to the A string, 5th fret. keeping the index finger on the string, move each finger down separately to the lower string. Do this all the way to the high E, and then back up to the top. You can continue to move up the fretboard and back if you want more exercise. This has really helped me build finger coordination, and is a good warm up drill as well.

[Skyman911]

I used a very similar program when first learning the basic chords. I can usually hit most chord shapes without thinking much. That dang F chord though.

[Skyman911]

Wow! Talk about organization! Thanks for your input.

[Skyman911]

Thanks Brian. I’ll try and contact support. Glad you rejoined. I like the little skills I learn from TAC that I may not normally do. For example, I just started trying to learn “Wish you Were Here” by Pink Floyd. Some of the slides we did this week in the daily challenges, directly correlates to some of the slides in that song. I couldn’t see this value when I fist joined.

[Skyman911]

My Moniker. Well, I’m not too tall at 5’8″ and played a lot of volleyball when I was young. For some reason I could really jump high, and would surprise taller people at the net when I could either block or hit over them. My teammates gave me that nickname. Skyman was already taken by my prior profile, so I just modified it to Skyman911.

[Skyman911]

Thanks @Loraine. I’ll be active in the forums. Someday I may actually have the guts to post a video of me playing. So envious of the people like you who put yourself out there for all to see.

Kyle