[Skyman911]

So, a couple of things here. There are challenges to online learning. A good teacher can physically show you hand and finger placements. A bit more difficult learning online. That said, some issues may be your guitar, and how your hand fits the neck. All instruments are different, and have different sized necks, scales, bodies etc.. Another suggestion is trying to lower your elbow, creating more of an angle so you can create more of an arch. A bit difficult to explain. Also, as I’ve progressed, I have gotten more “arch” when forming chord shapes, and don’t mute as much as I used to. This also helped with the fleshy part of the palm that can mute the high E string sometimes. Others will chime in with words of wisdom.

[Skyman911]

I’ll add my 2 cents based on my personal experience. My frustration came from not being where I wanted to be based on the amount of time and practice I was putting in. Seemed like the more I practiced, the more frustrated I got. It was my last teacher who lifted the veil. From the very first lesson he could see I was frustrated, and not having any fun. He asked me why I wanted to play in the first place, and said you’re not having fun while playing, and you’ll probably end up giving up at some point. He said I’m striving for perfection, and I don’t have the skills yet, and this is where most of my frustration was coming from. He basically said “you need to be OK with sucking.” It’s OK to miss a chord, it’s OK to mute a string, it’s OK to be out of rhythm. Your a BEGINNER. He encouraged me to stop doing all my drills, and spend most of my time actually playing songs. No matter how bad I play them. Just have fun. This is really the reason we wanted to play right? To have fun? Well, my progress skyrocketed after that. Frustration only comes into play now when I can’t play. Never while playing anymore. Put the fun back into playing. You will improve.

• This reply was modified 5 months, 2 weeks ago by  Skyman911.

[Skyman911]

Thanks for sharing. I’ve also been contemplating this. Not even sure how to find a teacher.

[Skyman911]

<div>When I was first starting out, I made a chord chart with various chord progressions. I used a metronome, and would guage myself the next time that transition came around. It did help. In retrospect, I would probably do more what @Moose408 suggests, and probably do more transitions with actual songs instead of mundane changes. His advice was spot on.</div>

[Skyman911]

@petelanger, I used this program when I first started playing. I thought it was OK, but I didn’t get what I felt I needed from it. Seemed like there were two main teachers for most of the lessons. Are you wanting to learn more songs?

[Skyman911]

Great job on smooth chord transitions. Especially the quick ones. Is that a D-28, or a 00-28 you’re playing?

[Skyman911]

This is pretty common, and just takes practice. My only suggestion is to play as slow as you can.

[Skyman911]

Wasn’t this fun!! Big win for you.

[Skyman911]

I was one of those beginners. Big guitar, high action, thick neck. Finding a guitar you like, that fits your body, hands etc., with a proper setup, is literally night and day. Guitar is hard enough, don’t make it harder. The things we learn along the way when flying solo. I would have saved a lot of money and frustration knowing this up front.

[Skyman911]

Another trick that really helped me was the “hover” exercise. Basically, form and hold down a chord, and then lift the fingers off the strings slightly without losing the chord shape. Stay in this position as long as you can until the shape starts to distort more than you can keep the shape. This helps tremendously with muscle memory, and eventually you will make the shape before you even hit the strings. This is something I could do while watching TV in the evenings and still be practicing. This was the exercise that helped me the most.

[Skyman911]

I’m a fan of exploring other ways and methods of learning. We’re all drawn to a different flame, and I think people need to find what works for them. The program was good, just not for me. They’ve been around for a long time, so they must have something going for them. Have you ever taken in person lessons before? The personal lessons I took, accelerated my TAC learing.

[Skyman911]

Even better. It sure sounds great. Martins always have high actions from the factory. A good setup is key.

[Skyman911]

A lot of what Tony does is classic “Travis Picking”. In a nutshell, the thumb is dedicated to the low E, A D strings. The index finger is dedicated to the G, the middle to the B and the ring to the high E. This isn’t gospel however, and string positions can be modified to a particular song or fingerpicking pattern. A basic Travis Picking pattern would be thumb, index, thumb, ring.

[Skyman911]

@petelanger, I apologize if my reply was confusing. I was being a generalist when talking about TAC, and not the particular “Glove save and Beaut”. However regarding this tune, I just played it on a blues backing track, and was a lot of fun. I also played it along with You Ain’t going nowhere by the Byrds. I just found the beat, and started playing. The point I’m trying to make is, you can incorporate most of what we are learning into other songs. You can embellish and add a pull off, or hammer on, or slide, or whatever into most any song. Let go and let yourself be creative. The ONE thing I have learned on my journey is, there are many ways to play a song. Simple, complex, slow, fast, etc.. Make it your own.

[Skyman911]

Keep trying to play standing. It’s hard, but it does get better. It is certainly different than having it resting on your knee.