[Skyman]

What a work of art. Beautiful.

[Skyman]

A lot of anger here. Maybe there is a better system out there for you as this doesn’t seem to be working.

[Skyman]

Thanks @MikeGaurnier and @Tailsawaggin. Much appreciated advice. I just downloaded the “metro timer” metronome a few days ago. Much better than the guitar tuna metronome I was using. I really like the voice count feature. I’ll stay patient, and stay at it.

[Skyman]

As always, your input is appreciated.

[Skyman]

I agree with these comments. Dreadnought’s are not all created equal. Go play a bunch and see what feels best. I started out with a Recording King RD06. Great guitar and I couldn’t play it worth a crap. I probably played 15 different guitars, went back and played the ones I liked a few times, and by deduction came up with my current lineup. Currently have a Taylor AD17 Grand Pacific. It is a big dreadnought, however plays so much easier than the recording king, feels more comfortable, and I can play it without any discomfort. I also have a Taylor Big Baby that is a 5/16 sized guitar. Slightly smaller than the typical dread, and has a slightly thinner body as well. Scale length is still 25 1/2. Neck width is 1 11/16, compared to the 1 3/4 neck on the AD17. The Big Baby is such an easy guitar to play, still has great sound, and you can pick one up for less than $500. Just some additional thoughts to make this even more confusing for you. 🤣

[Skyman]

I’m older as well, and a beginner of a year and a half. I was having the same issues. Just keep at it, and the improvement will come. Keep doing the stretches, and work on your chromatic scales. You will look back in six months and be amazed how much you have improved.

[Skyman]

@Ron49, Kristen1 advised me to go through the 5 days to play. I just completed that yesterday, and I do advise doing this. I learned a lot, and have now gone back through the 30 days to play to work on a few items I feel I rushed through. I’ll now start the daily challenges, and also begin working on a couple of other skills courses.

Thanks @Kristen1!

[Skyman]

I’ve been using a “hover” drill to help improve my chord changes and it has helped a ton. I spend about 30 seconds “hovering” my fingers just above the chord. Not touching, but not too far away. This has helped building muscle memory and now I can make most chord shapes before pressing the strings. C and D are still my slowest chord changes, so keep up the practice. C is still difficult for me to hit at speed. I also keep a record of my speed. Looking back a couple of months, I have increased my speed by almost 5 BPM. I know that doesn’t sound like a huge victory, however for me I thought it was. Keep at it, and it will come.

[Skyman]

Thank you all for the supportive advice!

[Skyman]

I couldn’t agree more with crarod, and never knew how much difference there was in guitars. I was so naive when went and bought my first guitar, and just bought the one that looked and sounded best within my budget. It wasn’t until I played a friends guitar, and it was so much easier to play that I wondered if I had the wrong guitar for me. The neck design was different, even the way it felt on the lap was different. I tried out a bunch of different guitars before ending up with the ones I have. It has made a big difference in my personal playing. You may want to take crarod’s advice and go play some different guitars and see if any of them feel any better.

[Skyman]

I appreciate the words of encouragement! What I am really liking about TAC, is the variety. I’ve mostly just done strumming songs, and now see the limitations of just strumming. The flat picking and finger picking has been a challenge. I hope to be able to just sit down and play some blues licks someday. With a beer of course. 🙂 I’ve only done a couple of the daily challenges, and some have been a little over my head.

[Skyman]

The guitar can be key, as well as how you are trying to make your chord shapes. When I first started, my hand position was poor, and caused hand fatigue. Now playing with better hand position, and my new Taylor guitar, I can play/practice for 2 hours without any fatigue. I’m 60 and just started a year ago. I love the Taylor neck. Plays like butter.

[Skyman]

I am brand new here as of a week ago. I’ve been trying to teach myself for the past year or so by watching youtube videos will little improvement. I started taking some in-person lessons about 5 months ago. My teacher has improved my playing ability greatly, and has given me some good things to practice on. That is the word. Practice. Practice, practice practice. So far the TAC course has been a fun addition, as I have a solid practice routine, and can mix what I learn from TAC into my daily routine. Have you done the 30 days to play module? I would be sure to go through that if you haven’t already. There are a lot of hidden gems.