[Loraine]

I hadn’t heard of them before. Interesting concept. Look for reviews on YouTube and guitar forums over Amazon reviews. Amazon reviews can be bought and aren’t necessarily the most reliable. Here’s a YouTube review that compares all the models.

https://youtu.be/M_mU17_x76s?si=CLfRklWJDFEraA1s

[Loraine]

@John_Bolling_Hall Congratulations on your 4th TAC anniversary. I’ll have to check in mine. I think it’s around the same time as yours.

We’ve come along way baby!!

[Loraine]

@langerking. What a beautiful array of wins!

Congratulations on completing the 30 days to play and the 5 Guitar routine. In case you missed the Jumpstart to TAC, don’t forget to visit the other intro courses. Daily Stretch for Guitar (very important to avoid injury and inability to play), Strumming Jumpstart, Next 6 Chords.

I’m really surprised that your electric was more difficult to play than the acoustic. That is typically not the case. The electric is a much easier instrument to play. I often practice on my electric. You might want to have both guitars set up by a luthier. Also, if the acoustic hasn’t been stored in a climate controlled comtrolled atmosphere, there might be some necessary repairs and/or adjustments that need to be made.

Buying a new guitar is very exciting. You’ll have to let us know what you purchase and post photos.

Overall, some really fantastic wins!

[Loraine]

@Rob503 I completely understand your frustration. I didn’t have any play it skills whatsoever when I started on this journey. I became frustrated about the same time as you. I almost gave up. I began simply admitting that guitar is a difficult instrument to play, but it’s possible. I had to quit comparing myself to others. I was further along than when I began, and I started small by posting my small wins, and I said I was going to post my journey online – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

In the beginning, everything seems difficult and impossible, but if you do th minim of 10 minutes daily, you will progress – happens sometimes quickly and other times slow. Think back to when to began until now. Have you gotten better?

Learning an instrument takes time and perseverance but it is possible. Keep trying. Don’t stress about effecting a skill. You’ll be introduced to them multiple times, and you’ll notice each time you’re a little better and better.

Consider supplementing with guitar lessons,. I did this after a year of TAC, and I was lucky I found a teacher that wasn’t threatened by me doing the lessons on TAC, and he said I was further along than some of his,students with a few years of lessons. If you’d like a reference to him, let me know. He does virtual lessons.

The biggest thing is to be kind to yourself, try and still have some fun. Find a song with 2 chords that is easy and begin with them. Just google easy 2 chord songs. Take the skills/scale learned during the week and based on the key of the scale (Tony typically tells you this, search for the letter of the key and type in major or minor backing track in that key. Then just goof around playing different parts of the scale to different backing tracks. Take the Gretboard Wizard course. It opens up the fretboard to you.

I was one of the slowest learners ever, and the guitar has not come easy to me, but I had wanted to play since I was young. I’m not great even today, but I can play upwards of a hundred songs. I hit a period where all of a sudden things just clicked, and I started playing and playing and playing and having so much fun. I still hit,plateaus,and rough spells, but I know they’re temporary. Don’t leave before the miracle happensr.

[Loraine]

KHi Roy, is it tuned down by any chance? If unsure using a regular tuner, google guitar tuner online. It will show whether it is tuned too the wrong E. If it’s tuned correctly, I would suggest contacting a local luthier that might be able to correct it.

[Loraine]

Hey @TexRez Reverb is probably the best. There are also sites on Facebook that are for specific brands of guitars. For instance, I belong to a Guild group and a Martin Group, but they have specific ones for each brand. Just search by the brand and maybe even add guitar or acoustic to your search. Another if Facebook Marketplace. I’ve heard of some success with that.

[Loraine]

@BrandonK I understand your questioning and some frustration. I think I was shell shocked at first realizing how difficult it was to play guitar, and I was brand spanking new to guitar too. I was surrounded by some great people, however, who coached and mentored me and basically taught me to persevere and not give up. Going to local jams and open mics helped me a lot. But getting back to beginning guitar, the beginning (and I am talking the first 3 years) were very slow and challenging for me. I was progressing, however. I think I picked up a few 2-3 chord songs to learn. Just google 2 chord songs, and you’ll find all kinds of things. Try something like Happy Birthday, Twinkle Twinkle Little star, etc. Even if it takes you a while to learn the chords, and to transition between chords, you’ll be at least adding to your skills. Try one strum per chord. Remember, TAC is teaching you foundational skills that you can then take out and apply to songs, but playing songs is pretty rudimentary in the beginning.

I say to try and keep things light and fun, but also realize it takes years of practice to develop skills necessary to play halfway decent, unless you have an inane ability and skill that most of us don’t possess.. If it’s something you really strive to do, then don’t give up before the magic happens. For me, it happened in my 3rd year of playing, where all of a sudden, I was transitioning between chords smoother and faster, was able to play most songs I picked up, and was able to sing to most songs. To get to that point, I participated in TAC’s Lessons, I attended open mics, went to jams, posted the good, the bad, and the ugly of my playing on TAC and other forums. I did begin supplementing TAC with weekly private 1/2 hour lessons. My guitar teacher said that from working through the lessons on TAC, I was more advanced than many of his students who had a lot more time playing. This alone was proof to me that TAC worked. I have well over a hundred songs that I can play. I play them better now than I ever have, and even then I don’t always play great, but I can definitely say I’m having fun. I still post the good, the bad, and the ugly.

[Loraine]

@lytlejohnn I read your profile. not sure how long you’ve been back with TAC though. I’m glad you made it back. Guitar is a funny and fun and frustrating instrument. It’s definitely not the easiest, but if you stick with the basics, you will get better. There will always be ups and downs, but if you’re that unhappy right now, maybe a break is necessary or like you said to work on some of the skills courses. You’ll know what’s best for you.

[Loraine]

Thanks John! Glad to hear I’ve inspired someone. That’s all that matters!

[Loraine]

Thanks so much! You’ll get there. It takes time, but try and fupind 2-3 chord songs to start with. Don’t get discouraged early on. If you keep at it, you’ll get there.

[Loraine]

I don’t know if you know, but you have been a great inspiration to me over the years. I’ve always enjoyed our interactions and friendships. I truly miss seeing you nearly every week (or at least from the neck down – haha. If you’re ever out in the Philly area, please look me up. I’m good friends with Dom and Sharon too. We could all hang together. :).

[Loraine]

Thanks John! I absolutely love my playa brothers and sistas!

[Loraine]

I really appreciate that Albert. If it weren’t fun, I would definitely not be here. I think it is easier and funnier because of people like you. Thank you.

[Loraine]

Thanks Marty. It’s because of friends like you that I’ve stuck with it and moved forward.

[Loraine]

Aw, you’re welcome @albert_d ! It’s contagious playing the oldies. Lots of fun from that time period.