[Skyman911]

Many famous guitar players had small hands/fingers. Nancy Wilson, Paul Simon, Prince just to name a few. No reason one with small hands or fingers can’t be proficient.

[Skyman911]

What @petelanger says is good advice. There is no perfect way to hold the guitar. What is comfortable for you is the best position. Some classical players hold the guitar on the left leg with the neck almost vertical. So, find what works for you, and don’t be afraid of experimenting with different positions.

[Skyman911]

What type of guitar do you have? Is it a full sized guitar?

[Skyman911]

I think you can spend as much time on each lesson as you want. The 10 minute deal is mostly just to keep one progressing. For me personally, I spend about 10% of my playing time on TAC daily Challenges. The rest is my time to play songs, work on new songs, or just goof around with my guitar.

I’ve probably forgotten more songs than I know. I don’t really have a playlist per se either. I do have a large binder of songs that I refer to often. I love coming back to a song that I had kind of forgotten about. Almost like meeting an old friend again. I’m always working on something new though. Often I don’t even finish learning a new song as I tend to get bored and loose attention. I’m sure it’s my ADHD coming out as well. I couldn’t just play a few songs over and over and over again. That’s also what I like about TAC. Something different every week.

[Skyman911]

Nice!. If you know the Am Pentatonic scale, there are some real fun blues backing tracks you can jam along with. The Thrill is Gone by B.B. King is a great one.

[Skyman911]

Congrats!

[Skyman911]

Congrats. Way to stay consistent!

[Skyman911]

Depending on the song I’m playing, I use a modified mini F. Index finger on the first fret of the B string, middle finger on the second fret of the G string, ring finger on the third fret of the A string, and the pinky on the third fret of the D string. I kind of use the fleshy part of my palm to mute the high E string. And, if you can, you can use your thumb to fret the first fret of the low E string. You don’t need to use your thumb though to get the similar sound as the mini F. This way you don’t need to barre the B and E strings with your index finger. I use both depending on what song I’m playing. You may want to try it, it may be easier for you, and it sounds pretty much the same.

[Skyman911]

Some really good advice here. I went through a number of different guitars when I first started, mostly because I didn’t know what I was really doing, or looking for. My personal opinion is, but the guitar that fits you the best. You’ll be spending a lot of time playing it, so it should be comfortable, especially the neck shape and feel. Some are thick, some are thin, some have wider string spacing, and the list goes on. So many factors to consider. So I would take the advice of going to a good music store (not guitar center) and try out some guitars. Don’t buy anything that day, and go home and think about it a bit. Go back again and play the ones you liked. You’ll probably know your answer then. Try not to be brand specific. Many less expensive guitars play and sound just as good as the expensive brand names.

[Skyman911]

Everyone is different, and you will get a different answer from most everyone. If you only know three chords, I guarantee you can pick up your guitar and start playing songs anytime you want. There are literally thousands of songs with only three chords. I’m like @jumpinjeff, and had no innate musical talent when I first started. For me personally, it was about the three year mark where I felt like I was “getting it”. I didn’t need to think about the next chord, chord shape etc..

But what @jumpinjeff mentioned, you have to be diligent. You need to play everyday if possible. Leaving your guitar in its case, and hoping you will get better someday will just lead to frustration. One of my teachers gave me some great advice. Be happy where you are at, don’t get discouraged at where you aren’t. We all want to get better and improve. But if I’m frustrated at where I’m not at, you will never get there. I promise, many, if not all of us have been in your shoes. I remember practicing, and practicing and being so frustrated that I hadn’t improved as much as I had expected given the time I was putting in. There was only ONE big thing that changed. Acceptance. Once I started accepting where I was at, and being OK with it, and having fun with it, everything changed. Playing became everything I wanted to do, instead of dreading another crappy practice session, and wondering if I’ll ever “get there”. You are already there, just open your eyes and let it happen.

[Skyman911]

@CamiB, curious what pick you are using? Have you experimented with different picks, material types, and thicknesses? I have a few thumb picks and don’t care for them and just use my thumb.

[Skyman911]

@CamiB, I’m here in Salt Lake City, Utah, and have spent a lot of time in Vegas. There are a bunch of good guitar stores there, and most will have a selection of used instruments. Guitar Center may have the best deals, however their salespeople aren’t the most knowledgeable, and most of the Guitar Centers I’ve been in, don’t seem to keep consistent humidity in their guitar rooms. Not hard to find cracked or warped instruments there. Check a few out, and play some guitars. My first real guitar was a Taylor Big Baby. It’s a 3/4 sized guitar, and is very easy to play. The sound is pretty amazing for a cheap guitar. They can be found used for around $300. I had a Taylor GS Mini that was a great little guitar, better build quality that played well. The sound wasn’t as good as the Big Baby.

[Skyman911]

I tinker a lot. Sometimes when I’m just not feeling it, I just tinker and have fun with different chord progressions, random chord progressions, and just spontaneously play. I sometime surprise myself with a cool lick or sound. I feel this helps with being creative and exploring different aspects of the fretboard.

The key is, I’m always having fun, no matter what I’m doing. This wasn’t always the case. The fun only arrived when I learned to accept where I was in my guitar journey, and stopped being upset at where I wasn’t. If you’re always disappointed in where you aren’t, you’ll never have fun. And IMHO, if you’re not having fun, you’re not progressing.

Brandon, I really hope you can find this nugget. I can tell you really want to learn and play, and I think you’re further along than you may give yourself credit for. So many words of wisdom here. Please don’t give up.

[Skyman911]

Have you ever looked into some personal instruction? TAC is great, and it is one of my tools I use. However, as good as this program is, I don’t think it can replace personal one on one teaching. Maybe find a teacher that can do like a one month class, maybe once a week. I did personal instruction along with TAC for just over a year. My teacher really liked the TAC lessons, and I was very open with him about using TAC as well. He did feel like some of the lessons were pretty advanced for some beginner players.

[Skyman911]

Keep in mind that almost 90% of new guitar players quit after the first year. If you’re still committed, you’re in the 10%. The first year or so is the hardest for sure. I’m also curious if TAC is your only method of learning?