[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 live in Utah, and the winters can be very dry, sometimes in the single digits with less than 5% humidity. Quality solid wood instruments will start to crack with sustained exposure to humidity under 35% or so. I have three Martin solid wood guitars that I keep in a humidity controlled “tent”. Very easy to keep constant humidity. Humidipacks in the case can help, but you really need to stay on top of your humidity if it gets too low. I would recommend picking up some hygrometers, calibrate them, and keep one in the case with the instrument, and one in the room.

[Skyman911]

I think it is worth every penny. You get this for life, and can come back to it many times.

[Skyman911]

Hey Jen, I can feel for you. Most of what you are experiencing is normal. I find that my playing ability diminishes based on the day I’ve had. On those days that I’m just not in the groove, I just keep playing, and try to accept it knowing the next day may be better.

It’s funny, I always say that I just play for me, and I don’t really care what others think. However if that was really the case, I wouldn’t be afraid to play in front of others. I’m anxious like you. So, there must be something deeper, like feeling like I need to be good enough to play for others, and can’t make mistakes. I think that your Nana is right, and no one really notices the mistakes, muted string, missed notes, etc.. And I really think no one cares. So, why am I still afraid to play in front of others? Hell, I’m still afraid to post a video here! I still try though, and sometimes will play in front of family or friends. I usually set them up, letting them know that I am nervous playing in front of others, and what they get, is what they’re going to get. For me personally, I need to find others to play with. I think that could be a big step in improving my confidence.

[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.

[Skyman911]

So, in my opinion, this is TAC. TAC isn’t for learning songs per se, it is for teaching you how to play guitar, and incorporate what you are learning in ANY song. This is what sets this system apart from other sites. There are literally thousands of videos on the web to learn a particular song. TAC provides the foundational skills to actually play those songs.

[Skyman911]

I made it. About $80 in total. The “tent” is just a garment bag made for hanging in a closet. I just built a frame inside to hold the guitars. You could hang the guitars from the neck if one didn’t want to build the frame. I have a “wicking” system where I can control the amount of humidity by the amount of wick I have exposed. Need more humidity, extend the wicks, less humidity, shorten the wick. I only need to fill the water every three months or so. Pretty hands off. I’ve got two of them holding 4 guitars.

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Skyman911.