# Maybe guitar is just not for me?



## Damien8 (Jul 22, 2020)

Hey guys,

So I picked up an acoustic guitar in April when the pandemic hit, and for the first couple of months, I was following Marty guitar on Youtube, playing about 15 minutes every day. I was just moving from one lesson to the next learning the basic open chords, and wasn't really doing any organized practicing so I felt like there was no progress. Then in mid-July, I started with Justin Guitar as I had heard good things, and doing his scheduled practice, I felt like I was making progress. 

So although I've been at it for 5 months, I would say I've really been dedicating myself to practicing for the last 3 months.

Although I am definitely doing better than I was, I am still really struggling with some of the chords. The one that makes me want to smash this guitar like ****** Tonk Man, is the A chord. It is doubly infuriating because this was the second chord in the lessons, and still, I mute one of the strings at least 50% of the time. I feel like after 3 months, I shouldn't be messing this up still. 

The other one is C... Although I can get to it, I feel like my fingers always land a little differently depending on what chord I'm coming from, so it never feels like I have it down confidently. Maybe not a good idea, but I look at other videos of people after 3 months, and seems they have these chords down much better than I do.

I am also still feeling tenderness in my finger tips, which I thought was supposed to go away after a few weeks?!?!?!

Anyhow, I'm just moaning now as I'm frustrating, but was maybe hoping to hear back from someone that was a beginner recently, and can maybe shed some light and hope.

Cheers!


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Definitely not a beginner, but here's some advice. Just keep at it. 3 months is not a long time to learn even just the basics of guitar playing. Muscle memory is a big part of guitar playing. The more you play, the more your fingers will get comfortable moving from one chord to the other. Even with experienced players, we still need to practice on a regular basis. I spend at least 8 hours each week, going through songs, learning new ones, writing music. When I was younger and just starting out, I used to play at least a couple of hours a day, some days more. Just try to have fun and enjoy it. There's quite a number of folks who teach guitar here in this forum. I'm sure they will chime in and offer some pretty good advice.
Cheers!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Keep going. All there is to it.


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## Markus 1 (Feb 1, 2019)

My Lady Partner played some simple folk within days when she was 15. She then let it go.... life and all ya know?

She is now 52..... and for the past 3 years I have been supporting, teaching and encouraging, as she wanted to take guitar up again.
The progress is slower -as all things are with age. Still - once she gets it - she gets it profoundly. Please keep going


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## PBGas (Jan 14, 2017)

You must know....that this guy can help...









I kid!!!!! Seriously, don't give up. You have put some time in so keep going. When you are a kid learning this stuff, it is so much easier but as an adult, it is more difficult. Keep at it!


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Damien8 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> So I picked up an acoustic guitar in April when the pandemic hit, and for the first couple of months, I was following Marty guitar on Youtube, playing about 15 minutes every day.* I was just moving from one lesson to the next learning the basic open chords, and wasn't really doing any organized practicing so I felt like there was no progress*. Then in mid-July, I started with Justin Guitar as I had heard good things, and doing his scheduled practice, I felt like I was making progress.
> 
> ...


Instead of moving from one lesson to the next, make sure to master each lesson before moving on. As you get in to each lesson make sure to understand it completely and execute it perfectly, then move on. Everything you do, do slowly at first making sure you execute everything cleanly. Then speed up as you can as long as its clean. 
I'm not familiar with those lesson sources but I'd try to search out something that has a lot of good reviews and proven success and then stick with it. Don't worry about hitting periods where it seems like your not progressing. We all go through peaks and valleys. Just stick with it. Try not to obsess too much with the technical aspects. When you get where you can change between change between 3 chords with relative proficiency, learn a song that you like. You have to make sure you have some fun with this so you don't get frustrated with all the technicality's.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

guitarman2 said:


> Don't worry about hitting periods where it seems like your not progressing. We all go through peaks and valleys. Just stick with it. Try not to obsess too much with the technical aspects. When you get where you can change between change between 3 chords with relative proficiency, learn a song that you like. You have to make sure you have some fun with this so you don't get frustrated with all the technicality's.


I'm repeating the above for emphasis.

Don't quit! 

Learning to play is a journey and the hill at the beginning of the journey was steep and tiring FOR ALL OF US.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

Keep on rolling. If you're enjoying it then keep enjoying it. If you're frustrated, then put a little more time in. We've all been there and it never really goes away. As you progress you just find new things to frustrate you  It's all part of the fun.


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## DaddyShred (Aug 11, 2019)

Keep at it, it will come. 

When I first started learning guitar, it was past 6 months when it actually started to click for me. I was playing a song to practice and I changed chords while sneezing...that was the moment lol

I watched a video the other day (the guys name escapes me but it's something like Mike Pamasaro...lini..something) and he was talking about the four pillars of practice. Basically outlined that theory and learning music is key but to not downplay the importance of learning the music you want to learn. Keep you motivated and interested to keep going....

...even if its learning seven nation army 

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

And if you find that learning guitar is frustrating take up the game of golf. That puts everything in to perspective.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Just don't get too frustrated


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

guitarman2 said:


> And if you find that learning guitar is frustrating take up the game of golf. That puts everything in to perspective.


Take up any hobby, really. Everything gets frustrating at some point.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Budda said:


> Take up any hobby, really. Everything gets frustrating at some point.


I've indulged in a lot of hobbies in my 60 years of life. None has been as hard and frustrating as golf.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

A lot of people hold down that "A" chord with only 2 fingers. If you have big fingers, it is hard to get all three, lined up, side by side, on the same fret.

An alternate "A" I use a lot (cause I like the sound of it) (and I find it easier) is to barr across the first 4 strings at the second fret, and then reach up to the 5th fret of the first string with your little finger.

As far as finger hurts go, that's pretty much a constant. If you are used to playing 15 minutes a day, the day you play for 20 minutes, your fingers will hurt. If you are used to playing for an hour a day, that night you get feeling good and play for 2 hours, your fingers are going to hurt.

Keep going, don't give up.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Damien8 said:


> the A chord. It is doubly infuriating because this was the second chord in the lessons, and still, I mute one of the strings at least 50% of the time


there's your problem right there

not that many styles of playing demand full voiced mute free ringing open chords all the time

in fact experienced players will usually be muting some strings most of the time on purpose or maybe accidentally it just comes with the territory

on an A chord first position 3 outta 5 ain't bad and same with a C chord if nobody hears the open first string on either of them it's maybe just as well and if one other string isn't sounding out nobody will care as long as it's not the low root note

guitar is super easy to pick up at first and then very very rewarding once you get comfortable in your style of playing and it's frustrating as hell in the in-between stage just tough it out

concentrate on your right hand rhythm and let the left hand fingering catch up with practice sing louder play more set it down each day just before you throw it across the room

j


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

laristotle said:


> Just don't get too frustrated


wonder if that's for real? The guitar seems to get worse out of tune every time he stops.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I learned Bermuda Triangle Exit by Stephan Grossman more than four decades ago, and I still can't play it perfectly. I opened a guitar at the post office to check for damage and played a few bars (way out of tune), and the lady behind the counter was blown away. BLOWN AWAY. And yet I will never be good enough to perform solo as an instrumentist. And recording, of course, reveals every imperfection.

I compensate with imagination, creativity and charm. So here's my advice: 

After you practise your regimented lesson, MAKE SURE YOU SPEND SOME TIME FUCKING AROUND AND HAVING FUN! Never leave the instrument without a smile on your face no matter how ridiculous and silly you get.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Is the width of your guitar neck playing a part in having trouble playing an A chord? Some people like a wider neck.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

If you’re muting a lot of strings you might try arching your fingers a little more. When I learned, it was my experience that it took about 6 months of serious practice to achieve two things, the finger strength to actually fret properly for an extended period of time and enough chords and transitions to play a few simple songs...poorly. Just keep at it.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

Throw some weed in the mix


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

KapnKrunch said:


> MAKE SURE YOU SPEND SOME TIME FUCKING AROUND AND HAVING FUN!


If there were ten commandments for guitar players that would be one of them ..lol


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## cbg1 (Mar 27, 2012)

A couple of weeks for the basics and a lifetime to master...  
Try not to worry about what you can't do and enjoy the things you have learned and the sounds you are making so far. 
So many people approach playing music focused on the destination instead of enjoying the journey. 
People progress at different speeds and achive different skill levels that is ok.
It should be a fun thing not a competitive sport.....

Hope you stay with it.


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## Griff (Sep 7, 2016)

Keep at it. Even if it doesn't sound better to you, I assure you you are making progress.

I would say that 15 minutes a day is maybe not enough. I would suggest trying to get to 30 minutes _most_ days. I know it's not easy to find time.

I recently started playing piano again, and am trying to learn some tough jazzy songs. It's a good challenge, and right now it seems that I will never master them... but I know if I put the time in, they will get "good enough".


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

JustinGuitar is as good as any online program out there. If you aren't already, I would recommend the fingering that he recommends for the A chord in this video:






It really is the best fingering for a new player. There is other good advice in the video, so it is worth re-visiting anyways.

In general, several short practice sessions a day will be more effective than one long one. If you can do two 15 minute sessions a day, it will be more effective than one 30 minute session. As you get more proficient, you will need to move to longer sessions.

I'm biased because I teach guitar, but I believe that a good teacher will speed up the process considerably. One thing a video can't do is listen to you or see what you are actually doing. If finding a live teacher is not an option, then stay the course. Guitar is difficult and it does take time - definitely worth the effort though!


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## JohnnyT (Dec 12, 2014)

Well, I started playing when I was 45 years old after a few failed attempts earlier in life. A lot of very good advice in this thread. I'll only add two more thoughts:

1. The journey is the thing. Every time I quit in the past it was because the hill seemed so steep and i could see that I'd never be even half as good as i wanted to be. But when it finally stuck for me, was when i forgot about the end goal and just had fun while learning. I'm not suggesting i just screw around -- i focus in my practice -- but i make sure i'm enjoying it because there is no end state for me. No magical guitar god level i will eventually achieve. I better have fun in the meantime. 

2. Record yourself once in awhile. This will feel weird and you'll be self conscious, but do it. Just on your phone. If you put in another three months and then go back to listen to the recording you make today you will blow your own mind with how far you've come. And that can be so motivating.


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## GuitarPix (Jan 11, 2007)

When I was learning I realized my biggest ‘talent’ is probably being able to suck at it long enough to not suck any more.


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## ol' 58 (Jul 12, 2019)

Stick with it, and don’t try to bite off too much at once. I started guitar, music in general really, fifteen months ago a few days before my 58th birthday. It took three months before putting chords together even sounded like songs. And because EVERYTHING was new to me I tried to cram in too much too quickly. Theory, chords, scales, licks, riffs, acoustic, electric, etc. I was working on so many different things that by the time I got to thing number seven I was forgetting some of thing number one. Maybe because I’m older. I learned to slow down, practice fewer things more diligently (I usually put in 30-40 minutes twice a day), and as was mentioned earlier by someone else, take time to just screw around with the guitars and have fun. Play. By the way, I form the A chord with only two fingers.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Just keep playing. Practice the things you can't do well. Play everyday. All the previous posts say what I would so I won't repeat it except to say just keep playing.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Damien8 said:


> I am also still feeling tenderness in my finger tips, which I thought was supposed to go away after a few weeks?!?!?!


What guitar are you playing?
It might be that the nut is too tall? That would have you put more pressure down to get a clean note. Hence the sore finger tips.
When pressing down the string ahead of the second fret, there should be a very small gap between the first fret and the string.
If it's a bigger gap, take your guitar in to the shop and point this out to them and ask for a proper set up.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Yeah, setup is a big one and a badly set up guitar will be really difficult when you are just starting out. A well set up acoustic guitar with medium strings ( 13s ) can be pretty easy to play.

But, as so many have said, the main thing is to keep at it.


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## mrfiftyfour (Jun 29, 2008)

Start playing songs and forget about the whole "practice" thing.
Learning the songs you want to play is your practice time.




Damien8 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> So I picked up an acoustic guitar in April


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## Shaqrad (May 6, 2020)

I would like to echo @*laristotle , *the set up of your guitar could be what is holding you back. If the strings aren't setup correct or old and worn it will be harder to play, not sound as good and likely lead to some frustration, especially in the sore finger department. Personally, I found my technique improved when I migrated to electric guitar. Muscle memory has a lot do to with it so even just spending time going from A-C-A-C chord shapes without strumming while watching TV or something in even helpful. 

I understand your frustration after 20 odd years of playing off and on I have only now realized what I wanted to get out of playing guitar. When I was a teenager I thought of learning hit songs to be the next camp fire Mr. Big would be great but I lost steam because I wasn't playing for myself. Now, I exclusively play electric guitar in my basement, mostly myself and focus on scales, chord progressions, etc. and because of way I shifted my mental guitar is no longer a hobby that gives me frustration (unlike golf). I would say stick with it if it gives you happiest when you do succeed.

Also, try using your pointer finger in across the first 4 string from the bottom for the A Chord


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I play A with one finger and the high E and B strings are muted.


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## Grainslayer (Sep 26, 2016)

Justin and Marty both have good you tube channels.A couple big things that helped me was learning the pentatonic/blues scales.Really opened things up for me and a looper pedal.My playing improved so much with the addition of a looper.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Guncho said:


> I play A with one finger and the high E and B strings are muted.



Depending on the situation I may play it like that. But the most common way I play it is in the same formation that I play a D7 but of course all in the one fret. For a nice clean ringing chord I found that best.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Ouch that is uncomfortable. I can play the classic three finger A on the second fret if need be but 99.9% of the time I use either the one finger A on the second fret or the F formation on the 5th fret with the open high e. If I want to be fancy I play 0 10 9 11 0 0.


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## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

As others have said. If you haven't already, *just take your guitar in for a setup! *When I taught, I was often amazed with what beginners put up with. I couldn't make their guitars sound good -- usually bad action -- and they didn't stand a chance. So the guitar was actually fighting their success. The occasional setup is part of guitar ownership; it is not a fancy schmantzy luxury. It sounds like the result will delight you.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

You already got plenty of encouraging answers, but, as usual, I will begin to try to help before step one, say the guitar itself : Is it nylon (classical) or steel ? I guess it is a folk steel guitar since you still experience pain after three months.

Now, how is the strings height at first fret ? If there is room for a nickel it is too high and you need too much tension in your fingers to fret efficiently and you will miss speed in these crampy fingers. So first of all, be sure your guitar is well set up. Too many guitars died in a
closet as their bad setup discouraged a newbie. That is the actual sad story of my very first guitar !

So, I began playing some fifty years ago and almost always played at home for my own pleasure. I once and then visited a music store to buy a songbook containing pieces I would like to play. I would wander through the songbook learning new chords. I remember how F chord was hard to efficiently fret. But I kept trying... for years ! I now have a bunch of folders and songbooks.

I now also have the pleasure to own many guitars, playing complex chords anywhere on the neck. I still discover new songs, meet some challenges and sometimes successfully play some new pieces while others still remain out of my reach. 
Bottom line : Take all our encouraging kind words, be patient and continue practicing.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

This happened to me. When I was much younger, we had no money. Someone gave me a damaged guitar that was missing strings. Tried to play it but I didn't even have money for new strings. Gave that up after a week. Tried again in my 30s and decided to try real lessons. Was using an acoustic because that's what everyone said I should start with. Could not get into playing nursey rhymes and simple classical stuff. Could not get the sound of my guitar heroes (Gilmour, Iommi, Townsend, Angus, etc) so it wasn't inspiring at all.

Gave up on it again thinking that if I can't get the acoustic nailed down, I surely couldn't move to electric.

In my early fifties I bought a used Squier and Roland Cube on a whim from a pawnshop (had never been in a pawnshop before but I was waiting for an appointment and it was next door and open). Watched YouTube videos on how to tune and setup the bridge and how to use the Cube.

Signed up for lessons from some on-line service that offered basic instruction. Started to think that hey, this electric guitar stuff is really fun. I can get all sorts of great tones and it inspires me. I can't really play any songs but the way the basic chords and single notes sound was in-line with what I thought an electric guitar should offer. Took a beginner course from Andy Guitar which had one section on playing simple lead. It was over Sweet Home Chicago. I thought this was the best thing since sliced bread. I shortly thereafter discovered that I could play other notes that sounded good and voila, without knowing it, I was improvising! I was completely hooked.

This is a long post to say the moment when something clicks can be from 3 months to a year. But when it does, and you stop thinking about finger position and start to get lost in the music is one of the best things life has to offer. You will get there. Sit in front of the TV, put on a good show, dial down the amp and practice your chords without looking. Don't focus on speed. Take your time to place your fingers without muting the strings you don't want to mute. It will all come together especially if it moves from being a frustrating chore, to a skill you develop while doing something else you enjoy.


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## Gimper (Jan 14, 2016)

I was a beginner 5 years ago. Often I still feel like a beginner. Never get discouraged. Just get another guitar (and another, and another) 😁


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Gimper said:


> Just get another guitar (and another, and another) 😁


This!!


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

Only thing I can add is to keep reminding yourself once you get past this first learning plateau your learning curve will go vertical.
Keep at it and you Will get past this first plateau. Perhaps start looking for songs using the chords you're most comfortable with so you can see your progress more easily.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)




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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Different people also learn in different ways at different rates.
i saw this all the time teaching guitar.
Some picked it up easily, others didn't.
But somewhere along the way those that had trouble often and a light bulb moment & something clicked & there was big improvement.
It was always fun to see that.
On the other hand students who seemed very natural often seemed to hit a brick wall.

So it evens out.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

By the way, A songbook of easy classical pieces could help develop your fingering.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

mawmow said:


> By the way, A songbook of easy classical pieces could help develop your fingering.


Based on my own experience, I would agree this could help.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

Whenever I am trying to suss out something specific and I feel like I have hit a wall and I'm just not getting any further or that I've hit a plateau I switch gears for a while. I'll stop practicing that one thing that's frustrating me and start working on something new. After I feel like I have made some progress on the new thing (doesn't have to be perfect, just noticeable progress) I go back to the thing that was frustrating me. 9 times out of 10 I break that barrier after I go back to it again.

By the way, hitting a wall is something you are going to come up against thousands of times in your guitar playing life. 
It's completely normal. Don't sweat it. Like operating ANY piece of equipment it all comes down to how much time you spend with the machine. There are no shortcuts to practicing.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Three days. Zero reponse from OP. 

He is either too busy practising his ass off, or we are flogging a dead horse. 😄


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

KapnKrunch said:


> Three days. Zero reponse from OP.
> 
> He is either too busy practising his ass off, or we are flogging a dead horse. 😄


you thinking troll??


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Maybe guitar really is just not for him?

A "Thanks" to everyone from the OP for their time, energy and good intentions to help would certainly be a nice gesture.


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## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

Lincoln said:


> you thinking troll??


He had another thread related to a Gibson in which he made several posts and acknowledged he was new to guitar and expressed being excited to learn. Maybe he is the impatient type and really did give up. If so, he may have also given up on his thread here. One possibility.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Lincoln said:


> you thinking troll??


Nah, Just low level of commitment. See Simpson video...


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Either way, threads like this are useful for anyone who might have the same question and happen to land on this message board.

I started playing guitar when I was in grade 5 or 6 when it was easy to learn stuff and I had nothing else to do. And now, 100 years later, I still play almost every day sometimes for six or seven hours. Turns out it was a good move to learn an instrument.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I don't get to play as much as I want --and often when I am on here I am also on the computer for some other reason, or I am giving my eras a break while playing. (Sometimes everything starts sounding the same, so my eras need a break)-or there is some other reason I can't play.
Right now I am having a bit to eat, and checking on the slow cooking stew.
Play later today.


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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

Damien8 said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> So I picked up an acoustic guitar in April when the pandemic hit, and for the first couple of months, I was following Marty guitar on Youtube, playing about 15 minutes every day. I was just moving from one lesson to the next learning the basic open chords, and wasn't really doing any organized practicing so I felt like there was no progress. Then in mid-July, I started with Justin Guitar as I had heard good things, and doing his scheduled practice, I felt like I was making progress.
> 
> ...


If you are young and not in a hurry to learn the guitar there are some words in this post that you should study, however if you are an old fart like me then the advice still stands.

Polyphony.. movement of different melodies at the same time.

Inversion... the order of notes in a chord 1,3.5 is the chord of a scale, 3,5,1 is the first inversion, and 5,1,3 is the second inversion, 5,3,1 is termed as an open inversion because of the wide spread from the 5 of the scale to the 3 in the octave above.

So the difficult C chord that you refer to is in the first inversion if played from the 5th string to the second string because the notes of the C major scale being played are c e g c which is 1,3,5, and octave 8. This is called a closed voiced chord. You are most likely having trouble making the first string which is above the octave 8 c note sound at the same time as the rest of the notes, and if you move or let off the pressure then the e note being played on the 4 the string causes the open g string to not sound. Be patient and these problems will pass!
.............

On with the post!

First study how to play from one note to another not how to hold them down at the same time. Only then will the crucial importance of studying guide and pivot fingering necessary for playing anything on the guitar become obvious. Playing chord melodies and melodies of any description at first, is the best approach to quickly leaning to play the guitar well. IMO

For me in my formative years of the late 1960s, when I did not read well or did not practice counting melodies to learn where the accents go, the simple act of singing a melody and then finding the notes in the first position on the guitar yielded the best way to advance more rapidly. I am not talking about chords but just playing any simple melody in a relaxed way. Take it one note at a time without interrupting the flow of the song. Play someone else's melody then create your own and do it every day. You will quickly discover that melodic play is very simple on the guitar once you learn to string cross with guide and pivot and only shift positions up and down the neck when necessary. 
To this day melodic play is still the best way for me to get back to good accurate chordal playing quickly.

Only then can I quickly learn a difficult piece with complex chords and polyphony. And only if I am studying and playing without strain as well as hearing the music in my head even when I am not playing. Generally I find that if you can whistle, sing it or hum the melody of a piece then it just comes out of my fingers on the guitar. But it took time to get to that point and it certainly requires the love of practice and study to stay there! You can get to the point where you hear chords and melody before you play it while learning a piece but it takes practice and patience with the task. Yes it is a chore, BUT WHAT a wonderful job it is! A good orchestral or studio musician can read ahead of where they are actually playing and hear what they are about to play come off the paper. This is called tonal vision.

You can develop tonal vision for the neck of the guitar with tablature but it can also come from your ears and become a physical memory for players like Jeff Healey and Jose Feliciano.

The terrible trouble of playing an "A" chord in the first position that you describe is nothing new and will disappear quickly once your fingers just go to notes that you hear in your head. AND if they do it on the tip of the fingers without strain.

Work on making clean clear beautiful sounds of single notes in time in songs first: then start to do double stops and triads. Playing the inner second inversion of e,a,c#, which are the stopped notes of an A chord in the first position cleanly is not easy. And only possible when your fingers begin to play off the tips with the relaxed flexion required to play chords well.
If your finger tips seem too wide to play e (4th string 2nd fret) with first finger, a (3rd string second fret) with middle finger and c# (2nd string second fret) with the ring finger... don't sweat it: you will find that it is a lack of the calluses necessary to depress the strings right at the tip of the fingers without strain to be the only real stumbling block. Until you develop the calluses necessary to play off the tips of your fingers it will be a struggle to play chords. That is precisely why it is far better to play melodies first and learn to string cross playing off the finger tips first before struggling away with chord changes.

When I put my guitar down for a period of time and my calluses fade the first thing I do is play melodies for a few days until my fingers relax enough to flex and play without strain. It is always been the case that over pressing to play a "chord" is not a good way to start on the road to becoming a guitarist.

Equally important, a players arms must be relaxed from the bodies shoulder and neck right down to the tips of your fingers while you play. Strain while playing causes most of the problems with new guitarists. Hand and arm movements must become like an athletic relaxed dance not a session of driving nails into a brick wall! Poor posture and tight muscles while playing causes more trouble with strain than any other issue for guitarists, and indeed for musicians in general regardless of instrument. It is as true that you cannot strain to sing with your voice as it is that you cannot strain to play the guitar. Another serious mistake is to forget to breath so that you don't move the guitar while playing it. Learn to practice breathing in rhythm with your music the same way musical phrases must breath to be understood. Do not underestimate the power in music of cadence and rhythm or the importance of phrasing! 

A good musician can indeed act out being strained for musical effect: but it cannot be real strain otherwise the music will not happen and your play will spread the angst to your audience the way some unnamed recently defeated politician does.

Study only with joy in your heart and a sense of what your are trying to accomplish each time you pick it up and you will not want to say to yourself "your fired!" as a guitarist.


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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but maybe try a lighter string gauge and make sure the action and relief on you guitar are set properly, even a little lower than normal is good for a beginner. 

A little loss in volume and tone is fine for a beginner if it makes the instrument easier to play.


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## Damien8 (Jul 22, 2020)

Thank you all for chiming in with advice and support. I knew guitar was going to be tough, but not this tough. I guess anything worthwhile takes time and patience, so I'm sticking with it, but I swear, I've been tempted to snap my guitar over my knee more than a few times.

I feel like my A chord is getting slightly better, but still I miss it quite a bit. I have been following Justin Guitar online and I recently got to the end of his grade 1 lessons. I decided to gift myself a slightly better guitar than my current entry level Epiphone, so I bought a Simon & Patrick Songsmith based on loads of great reviews on L&M. 

I immediately noticed it was harder to play, so I gave it a few days and I think it's broken in a bit better now. However, I feel like the action is higher on the S&P than the Epiphone, so perhaps this is why it feel harder to play?

I also just noticed I might not be playing the D chord properly, as I was playing around and remove my finger that is on the high E, to reveal my index finger is resting on the string. I'm trying to consciously change that, but seems like whatever I do, as I start to move into chord changes, I always go back to the finger touching the chord. It's resting on it ever so slightly.

I guess the frustrating part is that in the Justin Guitar lesson, D chord was the first introduced, and I'm still fumbling it. 

I was thinking maybe I should look into booking a session with a live teacher, that can maybe help me iron out some of these things, and put me on track. Can anyone suggest a teacher? With COVID, I only feel comfortable doing it virtually, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

I am trying to take the advice here, and for the most part, I am enjoying it, even when it feels like it's just not happening for me.

Thank you all again


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## Damien8 (Jul 22, 2020)

Oh, one last thing...

After 4-5 months, should I still be having pains in my finger tips? Even though I have callouses, I feel some tender pain in the tips of my fingers after playing a few minutes.

I also get deep indentations in my fingers from the strings, and feel like it often makes it hard to get the strings down, because when I change a chord, the string sort of sinks into the indentation, and doesn't get the firm pressure it needs.

It sometimes feel like my finger tips is also sliding off the string because of the indentations.

Is this normal?


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Damien8 said:


> Oh, one last thing...
> 
> After 4-5 months, should I still be having pains in my finger tips? Even though I have callouses, I feel some tender pain in the tips of my fingers after playing a few minutes.


That depends--what kind of pain?


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

if i've gone a long time without playing - a month or more - my hands are sore when i play like a new learning kid. muscle cramps in the palm and base of the thumb, sore fingertips, shivering fingers

if i've been playing regularly but not that much - 15-30 min per day a couple times per week - then i get what you describe, harder calluses on the fingertips that get grooves in them while playing and some soreness right at the contact points but not as bad as above. then if i play an hour one day my fingertips hurt like crazy

if i've been play a lot - an hour to several hours per day every day for weeks in a row - my fingers get softer on the end and basically get used to the strings and don't feel like they have hard calluses or get grooves in them or sore any more

you also might be squeezing too hard with your fret hand (and then probably tense on your other hand too) . Maybe from high action on your instrument or habit some people squeeze way harder than they need to which leads to shoulder problems, headache, sore hands, and slower less musical playing. Your shoulder should be relaxed, bicep relaxed, wrist relaxed, just the forearm muscles that tighten your fingers working and just enough pressure right behind the fret to get a clean tone. if you've got a partner get him/her to test your back shoulder arm and wrist for tension while you play and think about relaxing the stuff that's unnecessarily tight so the only work your body is doing is the playing itself and then just enough to get it done not a vise-grip squeeze. it took me a long time to learn that but it was worth it.

j


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Lincoln said:


> A lot of people hold down that "A" chord with only 2 fingers. * If you have big fingers, it is hard to get all three, lined up, side by side, on the same fret*


I have large fingers and that is the only way I can play and "A" chord clean in the first position.



Guitar101 said:


> Is the width of your guitar neck playing a part in having trouble playing an A chord? * Some people like a wider neck.*


When I first started playing, I kept getting the advice to keep at it when I voiced concerns about not being able to play clean. Then, I realized that some guitars had wider necks. The advice that all I needed was more practice may have been well intentioned but it likely came from people with smaller hands and fingers than mine. I need a 1 3/4" nut width on my guitars. Go to a store and check out a guitar with that width neck and see how you get on with it. 

As for finger pain, if you're still experiencing it there is a product that Shoppers Drug Mart sells that helps some with that. Also, try getting your practice time up to 1/2 hour a day broken up into two 15 minute segments. You'll build up callouses on your fingers faster and most of the pain will go away (unless you play for extended periods). 

And, yes, keep at it. Practice does help and maybe the other suggestion will help also.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

For finger pain when starting out, I recommend 6 beers but preferably more. Worked for me as a teen!


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I started on a classical--with wider necks & the 25.75" scale length--and I was a short kid.
Well the body was smaller than a jumbo or dread--so that helped.

When I got an electric my thumb was hanging over the neck most father time as the neck was narrower than what I was sued to.
(Now sometimes it hangs over, sometimes it's firmly in the back--sometimes in between)


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

zontar said:


> When I got an electric my thumb was hanging over the neck most father time as the neck was narrower than what I was sued to.
> (Now sometimes it hangs over, sometimes it's firmly in the back--sometimes in between)


You have a very unruly thumb! You need to get it under control and tell it to stay where it belongs.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> You have a very unruly thumb! You need to get it under control and tell it to stay where it belongs.


It is precisely where it means to be.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Did the OP ever actually reply?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Budda said:


> Did the OP ever actually reply?


See posts #57 and #58


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

greco said:


> See posts #57 and #58


Thanks.

As to struggling with chords, I dont understand why anyone introduces those early. Crawl before you run lol.


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## Jim Wellington (Sep 3, 2017)

Damien8 said:


> Oh, one last thing...
> 
> After 4-5 months, should I still be having pains in my finger tips? Even though I have callouses, I feel some tender pain in the tips of my fingers after playing a few minutes.


I`m late to this thread but after reading this post I may have something to offer.

i`ve been playing for 4years ,3 months and have transitioned through some of what you are mentioning.

Things I ran into in the beginning...Pressing too hard on the strings: Wears down frets and punishes your fretting hand.

It takes time to develope an educated feel for the neck and strings while playing. I think it`s as much to do with the brain as the hands...For the first couple of years i was pressing to hard. Recently for whatever reason I have more awareness with my finger pressure in regard to fretting. Also, when you get to the point where you are more relaxed, some of this will go away and your hands will be happier, but it may take some time. Try and stay relaxed as much as possible.
I lowered the string height on my first 2 acoustics, then raised it back to factory height when my hands got stronger...that took some of the pain away. Playing really loud/hard isnt anything I felt the need to do at first so who cares if the strings are a little lower.

My hands always hurt for the first 20 minutes, but I`m in my fifties and my hands have seen considerable abuse as a tradesman.



Damien8 said:


> I also get deep indentations in my fingers from the strings, and feel like it often makes it hard to get the strings down, because when I change a chord, the string sort of sinks into the indentation, and doesn't get the firm pressure it needs.
> 
> It sometimes feel like my finger tips is also sliding off the string because of the indentations.
> 
> Is this normal?


Mine do the same thing, and all this will become less apparent if you stick with practicing.

One thing that helps for sure is to be realistic with expectations of progress, there are dips and plateaus, and one needs to be patient with self.


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