The Old Folks' Beginners Thread

Originally Posted by: idadel07

I actually put my guitar down after about twenty minutes because my wrist hurts along with the fustration.

I do feel happy that I've practiced. But I'm j7st not pucking it up as quickly. [br]

I think this is very normal when you are learning. It takes times, lots of time, and your hands/wrists will get stronger.

Hi, trying again and learning so much. As a newbie my finger pads hurt and hopefully callus will form soon. Looking at some folks playing on videos, it seem their fingers look flat on the fretboard. Do callus develop so well that bending the fingers is less?

Hello there,

58 and just started GT last November. Same old story. I played when I was younger, but gave it up for whatever reasons and now trying to get back into it. I'm moving along pretty well. Got some open chords down except that pesky F. A few barre chords and for some reason different strumming patterns don't scare me so I'm pretty comfortable in that department. However, like all of you, I still get hung up on some chord transitions and that just means more practice time. I've gone through Fundamentals 1&2, but I wouldn't say I mastered all the techniques and theory. I play some songs (mostly made easy), but I can't play them flawlessly from start to end without a few flubs. I'm ok with all that. Not going to be performing anytime soon or even at all. This hobby is just for me.

I've also gotten some stuff from Youtube. It can be a good resource but, be forewarned most of the videos give you just enough to get you to subscribe to their channel or paid website. And like GT, unfortunately, printing out or getting a hold of notation is almost impossible so that means follow along with video and hopefully you memorize when the chord changes are coming.

I also enjoy watching some guitar youtube sensations like Paul Davids, Mary Spender and Gabriella Quevedo. Do a search on them especially the latter and you will feel humbled if not more fustrated wondering how somebody so young can be so talented and make it all look so easy. In other words, us old folks got a long way to go.

Which brings me to where I'm at now. Strumming songs is fun, but fingerpicking is where it's at. When you can get your right hand to do more than just go up and down then you've upped your game. So I've started Anders Acoustic Level 1 course and up to his introduction to fingerpicking. Wish me luck.

Like they say everyone learns at their own pace. Don't set too high a goal at first and just enjoy playing what you've learned so far. In three months I feel I've come almost to where I was when I stopped playing back in my twenties. I have enough confidence to walk in to a guitar store and feel like I know what I am doing so much so I bought my first amplifier. It's an Acoustic Brand 15 Watt AV15 model and it is awesome. Such a little amp makes my Ibanez Electric Acoustic sound alive. When the instrument sounds good you want to play it more.

Well anyway that's my update.

Good Luck all.

Moe

58 here. Among other things, I've been a professional drummer and have a lot of formal musical education. Played bass in a couple of bands as well. I've played guitar a little on and off for years, but never took a structured plan like GT. GT has made playing a lot easier. I've started at the fundamentals courses and, even though some of the content was familiar to me, I've gone through it all as both a refresher and a new learning experience. As a drummer, my rhythm playing should be pretty good (or so I think), but soloing is a totally different and difficult story. The guitar is a highly complex instrument and there's so much to know. Being a highly competent guitarist is on my bucket list, and I think that GT is my best shot at that. Even if I suck ultimately, this is a lot of fun.

Hi Rambo61, welcome!

Originally Posted by: john445

Hi, trying again and learning so much. As a newbie my finger pads hurt and hopefully callus will form soon. Looking at some folks playing on videos, it seem their fingers look flat on the fretboard. Do callus develop so well that bending the fingers is less?

Hi John,

I am a little better than a year into it. I made this for another forum member, hopefully it will address some of your questions

https://youtu.be/uyp7Ky2WCKc

Originally Posted by: William MG

Originally Posted by: john445

Hi, trying again and learning so much. As a newbie my finger pads hurt and hopefully callus will form soon. Looking at some folks playing on videos, it seem their fingers look flat on the fretboard. Do callus develop so well that bending the fingers is less?

Hi John,

I am a little better than a year into it. I made this for another forum member, hopefully it will address some of your questions

https://youtu.be/uyp7Ky2WCKc

Thanks for your reply and great information, I will keep going!

62 years old here and no music background ever, just started last week and reading this forum gives me some hope! My main difficulty of course is transitioning from chord to chord, but the more I do the better and easier it gets. Like someone else posted here, purely for my own enjoyment!

I'm 57 years old and 3 months in. Progress is slow but steady. I see improvement almost daily, but it can still get frustrating. Stick with it.

54 years old here, about 5 months into the adventure. Sometimes I feel like I am making good progress and other times I feel like I am kind of stuck and not moving forward. I think this is probably just a normal part of the learning curve but it sure is frustrating. I don't know about you guys but I am finding this to be harder than I thought it would be. Having said that, I am not going to quit. I will keep practicing every day and getting at least a tiny bit better as days and weeks and months of practice go by. [br][br]

Really enjoying the sense of community here on the GT forum.

Originally Posted by: Sburns0057

I'm 57 years old and 3 months in. Progress is slow but steady. I see improvement almost daily, but it can still get frustrating. Stick with it.

Amen to that - gots ta stick with it!

Wow,

I am 73 years old. I have been learning how to play the guitar for about four years, using both instructors and on-line sites.

I agree with everyone's comments, you have to set realistic goals, start slow and celebrate every success.

Guitar Tricks has been very helpful.

GSM

58 here. We started a 4 week lockdown here in New Zealand, so I just decided the night before to grab my daughter's old Fender and use the 4 weeks to learn from a zero base. Been at it for a week now, and plodding through the intro course. So far, so good. Getting those hard finger tips now.

I'm not one to post my personal struggles with the guitar, in fact I rarely post anything other than giving folks a warm greeting. But I have hit a wall recently and my frustration is at an all time high. In fact, I'm so frustrated I'm considering throwing in the towel. When I began this adventure last April I had not picked up a guitar since I was 12, I'm now 63. I expected learning a new skill at my age to be a challenge but for the most part I worked hard to gain some competence on the guitar. I looked forward to practicing and the only time I didn't practice was when I was out of town or away from home. I struggled but I made progress. I began learning songs about seven months ago based on the misguided notion that I had to be able to make perfect chord transisitons and be able to seamlessly play the song. Yet I made some progress that is until recently. About a month ago I noticed that playing was no longer fun even when I was practicing songs and riffs. Things that I had mastered suddenly became struggles; it was like I had not learned a thing, which of course added to my growing frustration. I convinced myself that more practice was the medicine and so my practice sessions went from an hour to almost three hours, some times longer. I even bought a new electric guitar to motivate me to continue on the journey. That apparently was not the correct remedy. Things have spiraled downward. I am now struggling with basic skills that I felt I had a good grip on. Anyway, I am not one to quit a project once I get invested but I'm now just going through the motions.

Have any of you experienced this?

Hello, Old Folks' I'm 52, picked up the guitar about 9 years ago, and set in down about 8 1/2 years ago never to be picked up until today. I do not remember why I put it down and didn't pick it back up but this time I am going to conquer overcome and learn how to play the guitar.

In order for me not to get frustrated, do any of you on here who maybe have been using GT for a little bit now, do any of you have any advice, what is the one thing you think I should know about this course, learning, and practicing. Speaking of practice, when do you practice? Do you practice after a lesson, for instance, Lisa's lesson on Simple C, did you find practicing what she taught after the lesson was more helpful? How often and how long did you practice before going to the next lesson, the Simple G?

I appreciate any advice you can provide. I look forward to your responses.

Thanks,

Although I just turned 70 (love my life, but HATE that number), as a part of my "shelter in place" regimen I have picked up my Breedlove acoustic Lefty that has been in a case in the closet for 10 years. Didn't even get to basic cords back then as life seemed to get in the way (more likely an excuse than a reaon). Since then I have retired (failed at that too as I am working full time for a friend who is general manager of an aerosapce firm here in Wichita), gotten a pacemaker after no surgeries or health problems since I was 8, was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and learned to love bicycling and rode 512 miles in the Bike across Kansas last year. I am a "slay the dragon" type of guy and love reaching goals - but the guitar is a big one. I was a drummer in my youth and was quite good- I can relate to that as requiring a lot of practice to master the rudiments, then it all comes together. Or, when I first learned to snow ski - fought it, fought it, fought it - then a little light came on, [u]relaxed[/u] and it was fun from then on.

This course is perfect for me - I am not in a hurry to get to the end and am willing so far to practice what Lisa is peraching until I can get a "little" comfort zone before moving forward. Coincidentally, I am watching the "Sopranos" seasons during my time at home, one episode per day. This is crazy (as am I), but Lisa has a very similar voice, pace and dialect to Dr. Melfi, Tony's psychiatrist in the show. I somehow find that reassuring in her simple, measured approach and for me it is helpful. Go figure. ("Bada-bing")

In my work I often talk about people putting the pieces of a watch on the table when discussing a problem, but never get around to telling me "what time it is". The approach used in GT absolutely shows you the pieces of the watch in detail, but always put them together to tell you the time. I find the encouragement on this board compelling. Thanks for that.

Originally Posted by: Keith Altazin

I'm not one to post my personal struggles with the guitar, in fact I rarely post anything other than giving folks a warm greeting. But I have hit a wall recently and my frustration is at an all time high. In fact, I'm so frustrated I'm considering throwing in the towel. When I began this adventure last April I had not picked up a guitar since I was 12, I'm now 63. I expected learning a new skill at my age to be a challenge but for the most part I worked hard to gain some competence on the guitar. I looked forward to practicing and the only time I didn't practice was when I was out of town or away from home. I struggled but I made progress. I began learning songs about seven months ago based on the misguided notion that I had to be able to make perfect chord transisitons and be able to seamlessly play the song. Yet I made some progress that is until recently. About a month ago I noticed that playing was no longer fun even when I was practicing songs and riffs. Things that I had mastered suddenly became struggles; it was like I had not learned a thing, which of course added to my growing frustration. I convinced myself that more practice was the medicine and so my practice sessions went from an hour to almost three hours, some times longer. I even bought a new electric guitar to motivate me to continue on the journey. That apparently was not the correct remedy. Things have spiraled downward. I am now struggling with basic skills that I felt I had a good grip on. Anyway, I am not one to quit a project once I get invested but I'm now just going through the motions.

Have any of you experienced this?

Hi Keith

It sounds like you have lost your mojo. I'm not sure how you can get it back but for me, I need the instrument to "pull me along". There is so much to learn. I am captivated by it.. if this does stop, so will my practice. This is just fun and relaxation for me.

I believe I read you were a teacher. If so you can probably think of those kids who couldn't wait to get to class and those who couldn't wait to get out of class. For the former there was clearly something pulling them in. They had a need to be there.

Hopefully you can find this. Maybe step back and relax. Review what this is really all about for you.

An interesting player I came across just last night was Albert Collins. Clearly he was very talented and by no means a conventional player, but at one point in his career he put it all aside and went to work construction!

Hi Keith and LawDog,

I think we've all been there. It's easy to learn new things at a basic level, but it's getting to the next levels that presents the most challenge. You may have answered your own question. You upped your practice time to 3 hrs a day. That's a lot. I might do that on weekends, but I pay for it afterwards with fingers that feel like they've been in a vice. You might be burning yourself out. I agree with what Bill said. Step back, maybe take a little time off from it. Use the time to remember why you took this hobby up. It'll come back to ya. If it doesn't then maybe you've come full circle with it and there is no shame in that. I know we all want to conquer our battles and never give up on things we started, but if something is not fun why do it. Whenever I have a bad practice session (which happens a lot) and feel like I wanna give up I just put it away for another day. When I pick it back up it's a different feeling altogether. Fingers go where they need to go and the guitar sounds great and then the joy comes back to me.

I would suggest however, if you get to that point and ready to put those instruments on craigslist go back to some of the earlier lessons you were taught in Fundamentals 1 &2.

When your now able to play the songs and melodies with so much more ease then when you first learned them it might rekindle some of that fun again. It's worth a shot. Also try new songs. Not just songs that are in your comfort zone, but songs you really want to play. In the end this journey is different for everyone. This site has been around for quite some time and I'm sure there have been thousands of users by then. Some have stayed, others moved on. Maybe there journey ended quickly or they just continued it somewhere else. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

As for LawDog I would post your question directly to Lisa in her forum thread. She can give you the best advice as to pace of lessons and when it's time to move on. I myself just play the songs she teaches afterwards because they incorporate the lessons into the song. That's how you get good at playing the chords. Just play the songs after and there is your practice session. Also check the songs in the library. Look for ones that say Made Easy afterward. Some of them have only two or three chords in them and they repeat throughout the song. Lynrd Skynrd (sp) Simple Man made Easy is a perfect example. It's four minutes of C,G, and Am with a little bit of Am7 optional thrown in. Even if you hate this song after four minutes of switching between those chords you'll have it down trust me. This is how I practice. I hate doing scales and drills but I understand their importance.

Moe

Originally Posted by: mjgodin

I would suggest however, if you get to that point and ready to put those instruments on craigslist go back to some of the earlier lessons you were taught in Fundamentals 1 &2.

When your now able to play the songs and melodies with so much more ease then when you first learned them it might rekindle some of that fun again. It's worth a shot.

I do this when I start to feel frustrated and start questioning whether I am ever going to get better at this. I go back to something I worked on weeks ago and see if I can do some things better than before. Usually I can do quite a bit better and things that seemed really hard before now feel a lot easier. That gives me a little spark of enthusiasm again.

It sounds like you are being pretty tough on yourself, Keith. You seem to be putting pressure on yourself as if there was a deadline by which you have to achieve some level of proficiency. If you're feeling like you have hit a plateau and are not getting better, that is actually a normal part of learning a complex skill - especially something like guitar that requires very high precision and dexterity both physically and mentally. It's not unusual to get stuck at a certain level or even to regress a bit and then one day you make a big step forward. Your brain is working to assimilate and consolidate a whole bunch of stuff. Sometimes while that is happening you really will regress until the pieces suddenly fall into place.

I agree with these guys though - if it's not fun for a prolonged period of time, take a break. [br][br]

Good luck, I hope this works out for you and you find your way back to enjoying yourself with the guitar.

Originally Posted by: Keith Altazin

I'm not one to post my personal struggles with the guitar, in fact I rarely post anything other than giving folks a warm greeting. But I have hit a wall recently and my frustration is at an all time high.

I would put the guitar down for a week or so or long enough for you to start to get an appetite back for what you like about playing. When duty or a striving for perfection takes over it steals all the fun. I get frustrated with practice easily but I love it when I can make a bit of music. I'm starting to learn some songs by Radiohead - these aren't too difficult and I love the sound so alongside the horrible practice I can indulge in enjoying playing something that sounds like music and doesn't have to be perfect in any way. I think practicing with a friend would be good too, I don't yet have a friend with the interest but you might!