[TerriG]

What a beautiful video…thank you for sharing! He’s definitely putting his daughter on the right path with music.

[TerriG]

I equate TAC to earning a black belt. You’ll learn skills/techniques first and eventually put everything together to create katas and in our case, play songs. Guitar is the same approach and in reality it will take years to master. I’m 90+ days into TAC (same as you) and Tony taught enough skills/techniques for you to jump in and learn some beginner songs.

Start with simple licks. I have a great time playing Mike Campbell’s lick from “Running Down A Dream” or Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” or Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”. Pick something you like that is doable and go for it. A very simple chord transition I would recommend is “Hey Jude” (YT videos out there to get you started). Once you realize how the chords are sequence together, songs will unlock quickly so you have a greater song library to access. The Nashville Number System helps so definitely try to learn this system (from Tony Fretboard Wizard or from other resources). Good luck to you and keep plugging away! (p.s. I still consider myself a White Belt, but definitely trying to move up the ranks).

[TerriG]

Hi Barbara,

Since you’re taking Fretboard Wizard, try to print out the reference material. Page 6 has a reference chart of the musical alphabet on the fretboard. Very handy to use when you don’t want to figure things out. I don’t know if this is what you were looking for, but it is helpful. In addition, get yourself a “Circle of 5ths” wheel – this will reduce the time figuring out chords, Nashville Number System, etc. Handy tool to have on hand and I’ve been using it often especially with Fretboard Wizard. Takes time to learn and understand, but once you get the hang of it – you’ll see quickly how powerful it is. Good luck!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  TerriG.

[TerriG]

It seems you were on the 2nd week of Fretboard Wizard if I’m reading everything correctly. Did you learn the CAGED lessons yet? If not, then I believe you might be on Week 2 – Day 4 of the Nashville Numbering System on the Play Tab. The lesson right before the quiz. See if this is familiar to you and I hope it helps….

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  TerriG.

[TerriG]

I hear ya…three months ago, I was 99%-not getting the right sound to 1% getting it right. Now, it is about 50-50. A few things that helped me were finger stretches, thumb placement on the back of the guitar neck (huge difference), and shorter fingernails. Also, practice going from an A-minor chord to a C-Chord and physically move the ring finger back and forth to help you. Exercise the ring finger and this little exercise might help you.

[TerriG]

Hi AI.E,

There are variants that you can try if you can’t get the F Barre/F Mini. Here’s an article that might help you. Give the last three options a try to see if they can make a difference for you. Good luck!

https://lessons.com/guitar-chords/f-chord-guitar

lessons.com

F Guitar Chord | The 6 Best Ways to Play (w/ Charts)

Learn the 6 best and easy ways to play the F Guitar Chord with chord charts. F Major is a tricky chord and this free guitar lesson helps you step by step.

[TerriG]

Hi Brandon,

I’m about 75 days into TAC now and I was a total beginner with guitar. My husband and son plays, but I didn’t know the first thing about them. I had some keyboard skills, so I knew about the musical alphabet, some chords, and notes – basic stuff.

Fast forward 75 days later (2 1/2 months) and I am learning to play songs I like. Not great, but you can definitely identify the melody. I attribute this to Tony’s teachings. As I mentioned, my son plays guitar and he took weekly lessons for five years. He commented the other week that I am learning techniques that took him a year to learn when he had lessons. So I am progressing….

As someone mentioned in the previous post, give yourself time. It takes time to get calluses on your fingers. It takes time to get those fingers stretched the right way and get stronger. It takes time for the muscle memory to kick in.

For example, this week is a benchmark week with Neil Young’s “Old Man”. Weeks ago, I tried a similar chord transition technique and absolutely sucked at it. Today, I tried it and I was able to play the “D” chord transitions. Small win. But the point is that it takes time.

And as someone else mentioned, make mistakes. That is the only way you’ll get better. More mistakes, the better sometimes. Good luck and enjoy the journey. This is a nice community and once you start daily challenges, you’ll see there are more people hanging out at the Daily challenge forums to assist you when you get stuck. Hang in there!!!

[TerriG]

This is a difficult challenge and not something you’ll get right away. On the 2nd week, Tony expands this concept to include the chords. It takes a lot of listening to hear the note that goes with everything. The first quiz and I couldn’t get the right answers. So the best thing to do is to go to the old Daily Challenges on Wednesdays and listen to the backing tracks. From there, see if you can identify the scale by the lowest note. This will give you more practice. Again, not easy and this will take time.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  TerriG.

[TerriG]

Hi MMoyer,

I’m also doing Fretboard Wizard and I’m on the 2nd week of lessons. After the 1st lesson, it doesn’t become an issue as I am finding. The finger positioning is just a way of you finding certain notes across the fretboard. On the 3rd week, Tony talks about the CAGED Navigation System which are the chord shaped patterns on the fretboard. If you can do the chord shapes of C,A,G,E & D, then you should be okay with Week 3. You’ll navigate the fretboard with these chord shapes and scales. Try to stick with FW since the Chord Matrix Tony discusses in Week 2 is definitely nice addition to your guitar toolbox knowledge. I hope this helps you.

[TerriG]

Hi Rob,

Don’t be “sad”. You are where you need to be at this moment in time.

I guess we all expect perfection right out from the gate. The perfect chords, accuracy in fretting the guitar neck and the perfect rhythm and as a beginner, it is not going to happen. And that is where the frustrations come in….

We are on a journey and this journey will bring us with many highs and lows. I’m a little younger than you (not by much) and 70 days into TAC. Your mission right now is just to be introduced to everything – hammer ons, pull offs, scales, various strumming techniques, etc. Some challenges will be exciting and some not so much. Doesn’t matter – just show up to understand the concepts. One day it will click for you – keep at it. You’ll start seeing small successes such as trying to get the C chord right one time after 100 attempts (been there). The chords are the worse since our fingers need the muscle memory to achieve them and 40 days is not enough time. So be gentle with yourself. You are a juncture point in this journey where your mind is telling you to stop while your heart is saying keep moving forward.

And if you play, play for your granddaughter who is loving it. And she’ll remember her grandpa on the guitar making music and that alone is worth the journey going forward. For me, my audience is my cat who runs away. Anyway, good luck to you and do the best you can at this moment in time. The rewards will come later in the journey.

[TerriG]

Same here…since it is a new month, they are probably loading up the monthly courses for accessibility and something happened in the process. Try checking back later.

[TerriG]

Hi Yafee,

Those songs rotate throughout the year, so you’ll see the lessons repeat in the coming months. This month’s benchmark (May) is “Ain’t No Sunshine”. In June, it will be “Wagon Wheel”, in July, “Hotel California” and in August, “Old Man”. Learn what you can the first time through and as they repeat you’ll get better at them.

[TerriG]

Hi Brandon,

When I mentioned the Low/High E, I was talking about the sound pitch. The thicker string makes the low E sound and the thinnest string has the high E sound. So, EADGBE I am going from the thickest to the thinnest strings. In the TAB, the bottom line is the thick string and each line going up is getting thinner.

As for using which fingers, it depends on the chord and what feels the most comfortable for you. In the beginning, your fingers will not be flexible for some of the chords (my nemensis is the C chord/F Barr), so try but don’t get discourage and work around them when you get more familiar with the FRET board. Some Chord diagrams will give you which fingers to use. You’ll see numbers from 1-4 underneath the Chord diagram. The “1” is the Index finger, “2” Middle finger, “3” Ring finger and “4” pinky. I don’t know if Tony chord diagrams have them, but you’ll see them on other YT video instructions. When you see a CHORD diagram, remember a few things – “X” – don’t play that string, “O” – open string, just strike it, “# (number)” refers to the fret number and what string to play it on.

Tony has the “play” videos in the lessons. Definitely analyze them to see what fingers he is using. He usually tells you. I’ve been printing out the TAB and writing which finger to use underneath the numbers (I,M,R,P) so I know. Also, you have the option to slow down those videos. There is a speed option, so I HIGHLY recommend slowing down the videos to grasp what is happening (a .5x instead of a 1x). Sometimes they go so fast, you can’t see the nuisances.

Also, you’ll find that a lot of people hang out at the Daily Challenges. So if you have questions, just ask over there. Tony has a “Skill Courses” section on the website, usually you can find some answers in the “Skill” or “Technique” section. I would highly recommend trying some finger exercises since those chords will give you grief. Gather small wins in the beginning…there is a lot to take in and the learning curve is steep at the start. But keep at it and you’ll be accumulating the wins in no time.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 11 months ago by  TerriG.

[TerriG]

Hi Brandon,

Not able to read the TAB is definitely frustrating and once you understand it, it will help you to navigate the FRET board more easily (and understand the notes). Before the 30 Day challenge, there might be an introductory video on the Guitar strings & TAB. A quick reader digest version on how I remember everything:

1. The strings are from Low to High: (E)ddie (A)te (D)ynomite, (G)ood, (B)ye, (E)ddie. (EADGBE). Once you get that acrynom under your fingers, move on to the TAB.

2. The TAB is broken down into two sections. The top section are the signature notes are the notes based on the musical scale (forget about those at this moment). Concentrate in the section where you see the numbers. This section will guide you where to put your fingers on the fretboard.

3. The TAB works as the following matrix. The bottom line starts with the LOW E and each line corresponds to a string moving upwards to the top line which is the HIGH E. The numbers are the fret numbers. So if you see the Bottom Line with a number “3”, it means to put your finger on the LOW E string at the 3rd FRET. If you see a bunch of numbers vertical to each other, that usually means a Chord. After a while, you’ll start to recognize the chord based on the numbers. The TAB is very, very useful so definitely spend time understanding it.

4. The top portion of the TAB (where you see the notes) will tell you how long to hold a particular note. Each note has its own length of sound to hold. I bet someone can post a YT video to go over this. If not, a great book to have on hand is called, “How to Read Music” by Roger Evans. Old book, but it is a dictionary on the fundementals of music notations. It is more for the keyboard, but you can use it for the guitar too. It will give you the basics to move forward.

Once you understand the above, then dive into the Daily challenges especially Monday & Tuesdays. Monday’s will give you some techniques and Tuesdays are short licks to play to build your confidence. Some are easy and some are not – depends on the lesson for the week. Also, hunt around the Skills section on the website, there are some lessons there that will aid you going forward. As Moose mentioned, don’t worry about getting it perfect – just understand it enough and it will repeat itself in the future. Good luck and I do hope the above helps you.

[TerriG]

You’re welcome. And if you know the G, C, D & Am chords, try the Daily Challenge today. Tony is teaching the rhythm section of Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil”. You don’t have to do Mon-Wed lessons (unless you want to). This will ease you in combining chords and you’ll learn that these chords are found in other songs as well (with different strumming techniques & patterns). Once you can transition between these chords, you’ll be making music in no time. Good luck!