At a loss

Hi to all. I am new to Guitar Tricks so thought I would say Hello. My name is Lyn (male) I have been playing guitar for about 18 months or so (I have a Taylor 812ce acoustic guitar). Problem I have and I guess many of you at some point have had the same problem. I am self taught mainly from You Tube etc. As a result I try to learn songs I like and picked up bad habits from the very start. I joined GT to get back to a solid grounding as I am at a crossroads. I feel I am getting nowhere. I seem to be stuck in the same old place and never seem to improve. I see people who have been playing far less time and seem to be streets ahead of me. I am disabled so have plenty of time to practice. I normally spend an hour or so every day on the guitar far longer some days. So, please can you give me your feedback on where I am going wrong and what should I do to improve things? For a start one problem I have is I am 53. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I am to old to learn. My problem is I learn a song or a scale and within a day or so I forget it.
So fellow guitar players I welcome your advice and experience on this matter. Where do I start? I have a good grounding of chords and barre chords but I don't feel I am progressing. I hope that GT will be an inspiration for me and help kick start my playing to a new level. Any advice you have I would gladly welcome.

Thank you all for your time on this,
ETF

Hey etf,

Thanks for posting such an honest question.

You say that you are forgetting the things you learn.

I remember the moment I became a guitar player. I happened to buy the tablature for "Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns & Roses" and my friend happened to have a cheap old acoustic guitar. I figured out that the 6 lines were the strings and the numbers were the frets, and I plunked out the first 8 notes, wobbly and slowly, out of tune and awful. But I HEARD the guitar lead, as bad as it sounded, coming out of that guitar fretted with one finger.

I was AMAZED! I probably played it a million times before ever moving onto the next 8 notes. In fact, I never learned much more of the song beyond the main lead, because I loved it so much and was proud to play it all day long.

So I wonder if you are learning little bits of music that you love -- maybe that would help you remember them? What is your favorite song? Do you have a favorite musician?

-Carl.

Hi ETF ;)

I would initially recommend the Core Learning System, which is the Guitar Trick's Fundamentals' tutorials.

There's many tips and guides on how to master the fretboard, but that seems a little basic for your level of experience.

So alternatively, I'd suggest clicking the Instructor's tab at the top of main-page, spend a little time getting to know them and which one matches your style then writing to them on forums here :)

Each tutor has their own thread and they're really helpful and friendly. They've been really patient with me so far :D

Good luck and welcome to Guitar Tricks!

Michael.

Maybe your muscle memory is not as fast as your brain memory..
Try saying the note or chord as you play them.. Hum or sing along..

Hi etf, I'm 52 and know what you mean about forgetting. I think its just a matter or repetition to master and remember the things that are important to you. As far as learning goes, start with the basics and anything you already know will go very quickly. Hang in, good luck

Thank you for your replies. I can see by this site that things are going to change for me here. I have picked up a few things already and it has also spured me on to push forward and get to grips with my learning this fantastic instrument. I have been through the 2 Cat Stevens songs and been practicing them over and over again. He was and still is my favourite singer/guitarist. I know the songs so well I thought where better to start. I have also started going over the core system. So, heres to the future and progress on Guitar Tricks. Thank you all again for your replies, I will keep you up to date on how things go.

ETF

its taken me 2 1/2 years to get through the fundamentals and Lisa's fingerpicking series!! and I'm still not great at them. But I just keep plugging along and just want to play for grandkids in 10 years. :)

I'm forgetful like that as well. I'm going through the CORE instuctions(they're great) and while trying to practice the "walking up/down" parts of SCALES / CHORDS sections it seems so easy but the next time I pick up a guitar I can't remember how it went(if that makes any sense). I know it's because I'm not spending enough time on each scale. I highly recommend the CORE system though.

Hi ETF,

My 2 cents worth of advice, take it or leave it --

1) If you find yourself forgetting something, then you didn't really learn it; you only committed it to short term memory. It takes a while for muscle memory to set. That's very different from memorization.
2) Frequently (several times a day) practice what you want to learn. Practice it over many weeks.
3) Practice the hard stuff until it is easy.

Tom