[Loraine]

@RickyG

Playing with others is one of the best ways to improve. May I make 2 Suggestions:

You can search for members in your general area by going to the drop-down in the upper right by your name and click on members and do a search. I suggest doing a very broad search by state. It sometimes is beneficial to do 2 types of searches. One is by state, and the other is by key word, such as GA or Georgia. You can then DM people that you find that are local. I often find the keyword brings up more people.

The other option is to go to meetup.com and search for keywords, such as guitar, jam, song circle, music, open mic. That is how I found one of my in person jam clubs, and I found several virtual song circles and open mics.

[Loraine]

@jimrobinson894gmail-com welcome to the TAC community! Feel free to jump into the 30 days to play any time. Also, there’s no real time frame to go through the 30 days to play. 30 days is just a recommendation. Some go through it faster and many go through it slower than that.

Go through a lesson and after 10 minutes market is complete. You can still continue to practice, but I caution not to get too, caught up and trying to perfect a lesson. TAC’s philosophy is progress rather than perfection. Just do the best you can, but keep moving forward even if you feel you haven’t perfected it. You will continue to see progress by following this philosophy and way of learning.

Painful fingertips luckily it’s just temporary until you build up some calluses. It doesn’t take long if they become too sore I suggest backing off a little bit playing you can ice your fingertips and before you know it you won’t even notice.

30 days to play is such a fun course you really will be amazed in a short amount of time.

[Loraine]

@figgpyahoo-com Congratulations that’s a really awesome win! I completely understand feeling like a rockstar when you accomplish something that you’ve been working so hard at keep at it man that’s awesome!

[Loraine]

You play so smoothly and fluently, and great vocals. Congratulations on the hurdle of your 1st video. Look forward to seeing more!

[Loraine]

@dld2608gmail-com welcome to the TAC community, congratulations on your new guitar. That’s so awesome. It’s always such a cool feeling when you get a new one. Should post a photo of it and tell us about it.

The fact that you have the desire to try again says a lot, and just remember that it’s a journey, not an end. There’s no race, so my suggestion is to focus on building a routine. The routine might be as simple as just picking up your guitar that day; or Picking up your guitar and simply holding it; or tuning it; being intimate with your guitar by changing sstrings and a good cleaning and caring of your instrument; or going through the 30 days to play as a start. You might want to not jump right into the daily challenges until after you’ve built up a routine through playing the 30 days to play. Play for 10 minutes, and then mark a lesson, complete. It doesn’t mean that you can’t continue to play or practice a lesson, but don’t get caught up in trying to perfect a lesson. TAC is about progress rather than perfection, and you will progress by doing the minimum 10 minutes per day. It is actually detrimental, sometimes to play too long. I will typically pick up the guitar multiple times throughout the day and play for 5-10 minutes. What typically happens when someone puts down a guitar for good or gives up quickly is that their expectations are set to high early on. It is always best to approach. It is a journey, and there will be UPS and Downs. Ebzymphlos, but you will.

Be more well-rounded by Realizing that this will happen throughout your journey and things more difficult. Of course, at the beginning and guitar is not an easy instrument but it’s not impossible and it gets a lot easier as time goes by. I always say, don’t give up your dream before the magic happens. I nearly quit guitar into my first year, or probably more seriously thought about it, as I was completing my second year. Guitar has not come easily to me and I did not feel I was ever going to be any good, and I wasn’t progressing as fast as I saw other people progressing or as fast as I wanted to.

I’m glad I didn’t quit, because literally within a few months, things completely opened up for me, turned around, and i’ve not looked back and have been on a rapid improvement period since.

I also decided to supplement TAC with private lessons, and I found a great teacher who never felt threatened that I was a member here. He actually would often work with me on the same skills that we were learning here, but more often it was to complement the skills that I learned here. He said that because of TAC, I was more advanced than most of his other students. He offers a free virtual lesson, if you’re interested now we’re down the road., let me know and I’ll shoot you a private message with his contact information and website.

[Loraine]

@J.T. struggle with palm muting, even after four years of playing, but it does get easier. I’m not sure all ever be really comfortable with it, but with practice, you will be able to eventually do it. You can always google palm muting instruction or technique, and you might find something that helps you out with that. <div>

It surprises people to learn that strumming is not easy as many would think, but it does get easier with practice. I agree with @BarbaraM that angling the pick at an angle to skim across the strings, whether downstrumming or upstrumming, is key. When you’re upstrumming, you want to lightly brush upwards. You should not be hitting all the strings. You only need to hit a few. Your pick is also catching on the strings because you are probably strumming too heavily.

Whether down strumming or upstrumming, the key is lighter is better. Being too heavy handed is a common problem. I’ve been accused of it many times myself. You’re playing will sound more natural when you’re able to lighten up on the strums. It is more important know the root note in hit all the strings going downward, and then to just brush upwards. And it typically is just a string or 2, sometimes 3 that you’re hitting.

I remember when I first learned to strum at how frustrated I would become for the same reasons. What helped me was watching youtube videos of guitarists strumming and their technique. I would really try to study the positioning of their pick in hand and the motion of their wrist and arm. I have a pain disorder and I have chronic tightness in all my muscles. So trying to relax my wrist enough to where I was strumming from my wrist and not my whole arm has been challenging. Someone at one of my jam clubs recognized how difficult it was for me. He’s a drummer, and he suggested that I purchase a set of drumsticks. Holding it I then put a pick in fingers. I rock thee drum stick back-and-forth using my fingers and wrist only it mimics the natural hand position of a guitarist. This greatly helped me, and I still practice with it, especially when my muscles are very tight.

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[Loraine]

@rondansyahoo-com there are many ways to play different notes. With the blues baseline, it is because the distance between playing it on the 5th fret of the E versus an open A is because the other notes that follow that first note are more accessible by playing it on the 5th fret. Playing guitar is all about continuity and ease of flow and transitioning between chords and notes being played by using the least amount of movement of your hands and fingers between the chords that you’re playing.

I think you’ll find that locating and fretting on the 5th fret of the E will become much easier as you practice and move through your guitar journey.

[Loraine]

Hey, Rodney, man, that’s awesome. Congratulations on your 2 year TACiversary!!

I am always amazed when I have an anniversary and look back from the time I first started to where I currently am, and i’m in awe.

I like the contemplation you put into making the decision to becoming a life member and on whether you could still grow from the process that Tony offers. I like that. Your challenge now is to look more add building upon the foundational skills that you were taught here and to realize that there is so much more to learn and apply as a whole in your journey. And TAC is a journey, not a destination.

Congratulations on becoming a lifetime member and welcome to our club!

[Loraine]

@JeffM.22 Hey Jeff. Any hand surgery can be challenging in recovery. I just had wrist and hand surgery beginning of October, and a 2nd right around thanksgiving. I was just given permission to try to play a little bit, but take it very slow and not push it. But it’s painful and I understand it completely. I’ve lost the strength in my fore arm, hand and my fingers. The pain stops me from pressing as firmly as I need to for barre chords, and just some normal open chords, i’m finding some open chords even to be painful or uncomfortable, such as a G chord.

Anytime you have a surgery on your wrist, your hands or pretty much anywhere on your body, you’re bound to have arthritis after it. I already had some in my thumb. It was bothersome, but not debilitating. I’m now dealing with the increased pain from Arthritis in my knuckles, in my fingers now too. I also had nerve issues with the breaks and dislocations, and the surgery having to move the nerves in order to repair the brakes, dislocations, and put plates in And I also had what’s called PTSD Carpal Tunnel from the force of my fall, causing blood to fill the nerve shaft, so I had to have Carpal Tunnel surgery. They’re not sure I’ll get complete relief from the numbness. I’ve gotten most of it back in my fingertips, but the thumb and the Palm. And specifically around the thumb and base of the hand as well as the underside of the wrist where the surgery occurred still remains numb, and it’s actually painful now, because the nerves are coming back to life. They don’t like to be moved or traumatized in any way. It takes a long time for them to settle back down. Right now, they are coming back alive, and it’s very, very uncomfortable. I wear a compression glove and I can’t stand anything rubbing against my hand or my wrist, because the nerves are so on fire. I’m praying that means that the nerves are coming back to life and will settle down.

Sounds as if your surgery just recently happened, so I would just caution you to be patient with the recovery process. I think playing the guitar will be your best defense to the Arthritis becoming unbearable. I think that movement and building the strength in your handds that comes with playing the guitar is your best therapy. My surgeon said that because I played the guitar and because of my motivation to get back to playing it have benefitted my recovrry. Yhe surgeon said its been faster and smoother than most of his patients. Just be patient with yourself and takeit slow. Just take your playing down a notch , and take it slowly, and trust it will all come together, and you will get back to playing in due time. I’m fairly certain of that, if you do your therapy, build your strength back up and your forearms, and your hand and fingers and just stay consistent, you’ll do okay.

I highly encourage you to look into purchasing compression gloves. They’re fingerless love sputtered, adds compression to your hand and the fingers.

And they might actually help you get back to playing a little bit faster. . There are also prescriptions at your general practitioner or surgeon. could write for you that would assist with some of the discomfort that you’re feeling.

Good luck with it all.

[Loraine]

UPDATE 1.1.25 — HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2025 be a cut above 2024, at least I’m hoping for that personally.

The surgeon was still happy with the progress Im making, and he gave me the go ahead to try and see if I can play a little guitar, but to also not push it. It is very painful still and I don’t have the strength in the hand or the fingers for certain chords or barre chords at all. I’m playing fairly simple songs that only have maybe three chords give or take it’s hard not to play a song though because most have barre chords in them.

I did have a big scare this past week on my flight home from the Carolinas. I was rushing to get to my gate and I went through the big passageway to where the gates were and there was a threshold that was raised slightly going through the opening and my toe caught, and I went flying and fell, and I fell on my left side, which is the wrist that was broken. My only concern at the time was getting on the airplane and not missing my flight because there were no more flights that day. As embarrassing as it was, they put me in a wheelchair and said that I should be requesting transport anytime. I’m at the airport from now on. The good thing about that is you get on the airplane a lot faster ha ha. They wanted me to see medical personnel before I left, but the plane was already late boarding and there were no other flights that day. I was coming home early on Christmas Eve and my only concern was getting on that airplane. When I was in the airplane, I realized that I had fallen on my left chest, and I must’ve gone down on my forearm. Somehow I think I was trying to protect my wrist and my left ankle were painful.

I ended up going to the emergency room on Christmas Dayto get x-rayed and just make sure that I hadn’t refractured anything in my leg or my arm or hand. The leg previously had a severe tibial plateau break about 10 years ago luckily they did not see any new fractures and so I thought things were fine. I went to the occupational therapist yesterday and she wants me to see the surgeon again, Monday just to let him know what happened and have him check the wrist himself. He’ll x-ray check things out himself. I’m just cringing at all the bills that I’m getting.

But the icing on the cake as I’m excited that I’ve been able to at least play a few songs. It’s difficult for me not to want to keep playing. I have to keep telling myself to back off because it is painful and I don’t wanna overdo it and set myself back, but he did say let life be my therapy. We’ll see how that works out.

[Loraine]

Great thread @BrandonK I need to contemplate this one a bit more. I broke my wrist the first week of October, so I haven’t played since then, because I’ve had 2 surgeries on my wrist and hand, and I’m still having a lot of pain. I’ve just begun trying to play a few things, but it’s slow and painful.

My first goalis to get back playing, and build back up a practice routine. I haven’t been able to do finger style much, because of tremors in my hands. I’d like to find a workaround of some sort. I would like to do a live open mic. I’ve done virtual open mics for years, and I belong to 2 in person jam clubs, so I can play to small groups, but I still fear in person open mics. I plan to continue to build and strengthen my go to songs that I think I can perform well in an open mic.

@Skyman911 , I too went on meetup.com and found jam clubs an pd virtual Jo song groups and virtual open mics. You’ll grow as a player by playing with others.

[Loraine]

Appreciate it @Tricia_Lynn ! I still have.a ways to go, but it’s a start.

[Loraine]

Thanks for your support @Rodeo747 !

[Loraine]

@jmead I’m sending you a DM. Look in upper right at pull down arrow and click messages, all messages to see it.

[Loraine]

Thanks for asking Brandon. The wrist and hand are doing better. I’m definitely gonna have some arthritis and some additional pain that I wasn’t having previously. It’s still going to take a long time to feel comfortable playing. I’ve lost a lot of strength in that arm and fingers, and I still haven’t got full range of motion. It’ll be a little bit longer probably and I’m trying not to overdo it. Like trying to play the guitar now, but I just wanna jump right back into but I’m afraid of causing damage that’ll put me back you know like a month or two and I don’t want that.