[Loraine]

Hey @Ping Welcome to the TAC community! The chords can be difficult in the beginning. A smaller bodied and scale length guitar would ease some of the tension and allow for more reach. What I always tell others is make sure you are arching your fingers enough and playing on the tips of your fingers. To get more arch, move your palm down towards the floor. It creates a natural arch in the fretting fingers. Also, pay attention to where your thumb is placed on the back of the neck. Keep it aligned with the chords you’re playing. Also, only worry about the strings you should be playing. For instance, the low E isn’t played at all on the C chord, so it’s okay to let your ring finger overlap the A-String and deaden the low E. This creates more room for the D string being fretted.

As for remaining on the lesson, my suggestion is to move forward, but practice the chords daily to build up strength and muscle memory.

Have fun with it!

[Loraine]

Campfire, there are a few options for continuing to practice when it is not practical to take your guitar with you. You can see if a local music shop has rentals for the time you’re in Phoenix. Another option is to study some music theory during your trip. That is still considered practicing and you can take credit for the minimum 10 minutes per day. You can still watch the videos. Even though you can’t participate by playing, you would still be doing something related to guitar playing. You might want to find other TAC members that live in the Phoenix metro area and meet up with them for some jamming. Many member’s would be happy to let you use one of their guitars.

Have fun on your trip, and your guitar will be happy when you’re able to pick it up again on your return.

[Loraine]

Another thought is to purchase an inexpensive travel guitar. There are some that are extremely compact and very reasonably priced.

[Loraine]

@stickyfingers You are not alone with regard to finger stretching and reaching frets easily. Tony has spider fingers and has been playing a long time. To most of us, it is not possible to imitate what Tony can do so easily. I have to move my hand to reach frets all the time. I will say that with stretching and with lots of practice it does get better, albeit slowly. Hang in there, and keep up on the stretching and practicing.

[Loraine]

@Maydog Wow, to have picked up the bass and then the 6-string guitar and the ability to play solos and accompanyments in such a short time is amazing. It sounds as if you like to take on challenges, and you do well with them. Very inspirational.

[Loraine]

Sounds like you’re doing great @Stickmaker ! Steady and consistent win the race.

[Loraine]

Hi @OldDawg Welcome to the TAC community! I had absolutely no experience when I started 1 1/2 years ago, and I’m very pleased with how far I’ve come in my guitar journey. I’m a slow and steady learner, but I can now play several songs, have a great practice routine, know some guitar theory, know scales, improved significantly at chord transitions, learned fingerpicking, flatpicking, and strumming, am currently learning some rhythm guitar and classical guitar, can read tablature and play off tablature and chord sheets, and I’m Learning to read music, I have played and sang in virtual open mics (albeit not as often as others), and there is so much more I’ve accomplished. I don’t think I’d be as far along in playing had I just taken lessons or tried to learn through YouTube. The forums help a lot, because there’s a lot of support and positivity.

Glad you’re here, and I hope you enjoy the site. Tony’s a great teacher.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 2 months ago by  Loraine.

[Loraine]

@Duane58 That’s what it’s all about!

[Loraine]

Congrats on completing the 30 days to play and the next 6 chords Mitchell. I do suggest the daily challenges. They’re a great way to be introduced to many different types of playing and foundational skills. You’ll get your 10 minutes per day in by doing the dailies. Other than that, I would suggest looking in the Skills section at all the courses and possibly choosing one that interests you. I began the Skills courses by taking the Jumpstart to Fingerpicking, Jumpstart to Flatpicking, and Jumpstart to Strumming. They gave a really good introduction into those skills. Good luck and I hope your enjoy all the courses.

[Loraine]

That’s a great win @Jeff73 ; building finger strength & dexterity.

[Loraine]

Great accomplishment and win @stevieblues ! 300 will be here before you know it.

[Loraine]

I would love to share pictures of the same phenomenon, but I live alone, and my dog has trouble holding the phone or camera to take pictures. On a more serious note, I’ll see if I can’t find a way to get a photo. I’ve been on playing sabbatical for a while due to tennis elbow and tendinitis in my fretting arm. Very debilitating, but after quite a few acupuncture sessions and a shot of cortisone from the Ortho, I was given the green light to try and play again. I noticed that my fingers, hands and arm are much more tense, and my fingers do not have the same reach as before the injury, so I guess if you don’t continue to play and do the exercises your muscles and tendons become tight again. Starting slow, and I can’t agree more that you need to stretch before and after playing to avoid injury, especially if you’re really stretching out those fingers. When the fingers are stretched, a lot of tension is placed on the forearm tendons. Also, you’re right, the more you play, the more your hands and fingers limber up and stretch out, keep up the great work @albert_d !

[Loraine]

That it so awesome @trish91 – Congrats! It’s amazing how quickly that counter goes up when we’re consistent. You ARE a guitar player, and yes it is a lifelong quest, but you’ll experience many moments of wins throughout that journey.

[Loraine]

@MikeGaurnier You just did what I got my hand slapped for Mike. You’re not supposed to refer members to other sites in the forums per the conducts of business code of TAC.

[Loraine]

😪😠 I’ll definitely regret writing this, but I’m in that kind of mood today. I agree it doesn’t feel like home anymore, and we’ve lost so many of what I would call old timers – so much knowledge and skill are gone from TAC. The forums are so antiseptic now, and there isn’t an easy way to see and read them and the comments are sincere mostly, but the chat is difficult to navigate (having to scroll all the way to the end, not knowing which comments have already been seen, and banter is gone, which made the forums so successful and fun to read all the comments, and there were so many more topics to post in, and beginners or new TACers introduced themselves and we immediately welcomed them. <div>
<div>Anyway @Marty69 see what happens when I’m set loose too? I just really really miss the old TAC, and we’ve given this one a chance, but it is so bland, not very fun, and there is little comradry and little sense of accomplishment, joy, and just pretty blah.</div><div>
</div><div>Okay, I’m done. It felt good to get that out of my system. Now back to finding the good and positive, which is easier to deal with.</div></div>