Educate me- adult beginner acoustic guitar

[ThisLadyHunts]

Hi Lady. I'm in the same boat as you and Bill. One online lesson site that I like is JustinGuitar.com. His lessons are well structured from what I know from playing piano and violin as a kid and he charges based on what you want to pay. Very cool. Try it.

Sounds very interesting. Will definitely check him out. Thanks!

[Bill]

Educate me- adult beginner acoustic guitar

Update- it’s a month later. Frankly, I’m glad I purchased instead of renting a guitar. If I’d rented, I’d have brought it back by now and said thanks but it’s not something I can do. I really thought I’d be able to play something already, and see some progress.

It’s frustrating not being able to play simple G-C-G-C chords in sequence without fumbling to position my fingers ‘manually’ each time without looking. Plus every time I pick up the guitar it’s like I’m starting at the beginning learning.


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[Mr. Stickers]

Update- it’s a month later. Frankly, I’m glad I purchased instead of renting a guitar. If I’d rented, I’d have brought it back by now and said thanks but it’s not something I can do. I really thought I’d be able to play something already, and see some progress.

It’s frustrating not being able to play simple G-C-G-C chords in sequence without fumbling to position my fingers ‘manually’ each time without looking. Plus every time I pick up the guitar it’s like I’m starting at the beginning learning.


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Don't give up I'ts only been a month.....trust me, you will bang your head against the wall several times. Just keep at it & one day with out even thinking about it you will be playing G-C-G-D-C-G like a pro.....then you will bang your head again when you start adding to your cord progression. You have a great lil guitar to learn on. What I have found that works is to pick it up & practice for 30 min to an hour then put it down come back later for another 30 or so. Good luck & never quit !!!!

[txpitdog]

Update- it’s a month later. Frankly, I’m glad I purchased instead of renting a guitar. If I’d rented, I’d have brought it back by now and said thanks but it’s not something I can do. I really thought I’d be able to play something already, and see some progress.

It’s frustrating not being able to play simple G-C-G-C chords in sequence without fumbling to position my fingers ‘manually’ each time without looking. Plus every time I pick up the guitar it’s like I’m starting at the beginning learning.


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Sign up for the Justin guitar app. He has a great chord change tool that lets you track how many of each type of chord change you can do in one minute. You are able to see yourself progress, and when you can get to about 40-45 of one type of change in a minute you can usually play songs with that change. You aim for one per second but that practice will develop the dexterity and coordination, and consistent practice of all the chord changes make learning new ones easier.

I thought for about 2 solid weeks that I just wasn’t cut out to play G or C...but I got em both down. Then came Dm, but I got that one down too. Now barre F, that ones giving me trouble. Going on 3 months trying to get it but it’ll get there at some point.

Using Justin Guitar you’ll also learn when to use power chords, how to jam with a blues backing track, and a lot of other really useful basics that get you to the point of playing some songs.

[txpitdog]

I’m not much further ahead, but I am discovering playing root-sharp 5th power chord variations and root-5th-sharp octave for some (crappy) dissonant metal rhythm stuff.

[whitetailtrail]

Bill,

No real advice, but keep going! I had a goal to learn it when the pandemic hit and WFH became the norm. March 2020 I picked up the guitar, recently upgraded to a Yamaha FS830 and love it. The progression is painful, but each month or so I noticed myself becoming better and things easier. I’d then hit a new plateau and become frustrated but you get over it by just playing and sucking for a while.

What has helped me is when you mess up a chord or lose the strum pattern and suddenly your hands can’t do what your brain wants is just to play through it and act like it never happened, trying to keep the timing of whatever song your playing alive.


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[whitetailtrail]

Bill,

No real advice, but keep going! I had a goal to learn it when the pandemic hit and WFH became the norm. March 2020 I picked up the guitar, recently upgraded to a Yamaha FS830 and love it. The progression is painful, but each month or so I noticed myself becoming better and things easier. I’d then hit a new plateau and become frustrated but you get over it by just playing and sucking for a while.

What has helped me is when you mess up a chord or lose the strum pattern and suddenly your hands can’t do what your brain wants is just to play through it and act like it never happened, trying to keep the timing of whatever song your playing alive.


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Also, I play modified chords where I lock in the 5th and 6th, and play a Cadd9 as my “C”. Locking in the bottom two strings helped me tremendously. I suppose it isn’t correct, per se, but it works and sounds good.


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[Bluesman]

Yep.....don't quit!

[Bill]

Thanks for the encouragement and comments. I downloaded the Justin Guitar app, doing the first lesson on A chord.

Lazy day in Montana, after hitting 80 on Monday, we’re having snow. Nice to sit in a warm room and practice.






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[Leonhogboy]

Keep doing the reps Bill and it will come. Channel your inner Hag. Lonesome Fugitive is a good GCD song to practice.

If your living room starts to look like this, you know you are making progress...............and the wife at least tolerates it.

Hogboy

[Shane]

Learning guitar looks like this....

grind....grind.....grind.....PROGRESS!.....plateau .....grind.....grind....grind....PROGRESS!.....pla teau.....

[ThisLadyHunts]

I’m right there with you, Bill. I was making good progress, then developed wrist pain and hit a plateau. I think I’m going to sign up for private lessons, if for no other reason than to have someone critique and correct my form. Perhaps that’ll help.

[etbowhunter]

Don't give up I'ts only been a month.....trust me, you will bang your head against the wall several times. Just keep at it & one day with out even thinking about it you will be playing G-C-G-D-C-G like a pro.....then you will bang your head again when you start adding to your cord progression. You have a great lil guitar to learn on. What I have found that works is to pick it up & practice for 30 min to an hour then put it down come back later for another 30 or so. Good luck & never quit !!!!

This is a great suggestion. I still do this ALOT. I've got a couple of guitars scattered around the house so I can grab one when I feel like it. Keep at it.

[Pineywoods]

Learning guitar looks like this....

grind....grind.....grind.....PROGRESS!.....plateau .....grind.....grind....grind....PROGRESS!.....pla teau.....

Yep. I've been playing for 28 years and still have a lot to learn. It came in spurts for me after feeling like nothing was gained for periods of time. It's not something learned overnight and takes a little perseverance.

[Bill]

Educate me- adult beginner acoustic guitar

I’m right there with you, Bill. I was making good progress, then developed wrist pain and hit a plateau. I think I’m going to sign up for private lessons, if for no other reason than to have someone critique and correct my form. Perhaps that’ll help.

I can’t find any lessons/ instructors within a 90 minute drive from where we retired. I love being in a rural area, but there’s a downside sometimes.

I’m working-thru the combination of left wrist pain and ‘muting’ issues- when a finger on a fret touches the adjacent, lower string.

Lot’s of YouTubes later ( and the Justin Guitar app), I discovered if I rotate my wrist ‘outwards’ to where the thumb is behind the neck, my fingers are at 90 degrees to the strings and I can bend the last knuckles to use the finger tips.

I don’t know what the downside is of this hand position- but it seemed to eliminate the pain and muting.

To be continued.......




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