Frustration Levels Rising!

Hi everyone! I'm hoping you can provide some advice (and hopefully encouragement :) from your experience in learning.

I just started trying to learn the guitar about 4 weeks ago and have progressed to the 5 chord power pack lessons. I'm struggling quite a bit lately, particularly with switching chords (have tried A to E and D to E). In the last week or so it seems like my baby steps progress has almost halted entirely. I feel like I'm going backwards!

Anyway, it's gotten to the point where I'm really not enjoying the learning experience at all and dread the time in each day when I force myself to practice. I'm considering quitting.

Have you gone through a similar experience? if so, how did you get through it? Is the guitar just not for everyone?

Very much appreciate all your help, advice, and insight. Have a great day and be well.

Hello[br]Another beginner opinion here... Experts and instructors may differ completly of what im saying

For good or worst i fooled around with my guitar for months before taking a serious course (this one) so i have already found ways to just "have fun" with it, I mean, if you spend all your practice time switching from one chord to another, ofcourse you are gonna get bored and unmotivated... specially if you struggle on it

What i have done when feel i hit a wall is leave the lessons for a couple of days and look for simple tabs on other sites or apps, i usually take movies or cartoon intro songs that are way simplier and usually dont use chords nor have a solo. the satisfaction you get when you play a tune has always been enough motivation for me to go back to the lessons, and sometimes just by doing something else for a while your hand just learn new things that help go back to what you were struggling

Again this is just my way to do the things... keep it fun, and remeber your hand muscles DO get tired and.... is not a race, go at your own pace dont rush it

Hi

fellow beginner of sorts myself, I am not sure how you are forming your A chord but to me that is a unifier of the E and D so hopefully this help.

Best of luck

https://youtu.be/PXhWfE6UcBI

I used a metronome, set to beat=2 (so alternating tones each tone being one of the 2 chords) , initially at its lowest speed (30bpm) increasing by 5bpm up to a target of 60bpm. When I felt like it I tried 70 or 80 bpm.

Usually ran for 2 minutes before upping by the 5bpm. Didnt increase unless felt reasonably ok

before going faster. Unless finding really easy resist temptation to increase by 10bpm, stick with 5.

Kept a log (spreadsheet) noting things , esp where it was wrong (eg "sometines muting x string on d chord" or whatever). Or any insights (e.g. "getting to A chord with time to spare but not E chord" )

A session of that maybe 15 miins allowing for making notes etc.

Experiment. One time I tried 8 minutes insted of the usual 2 & found got better after the 4th minute.

Hope that helps

Mike

Don't give up. One day in the future when your good you'll look back on this day with amusement. If you get frustrated take a break, come back to it later and trust me it will feel a lot better. And obviously just repeating the chords isn't fun, so try to find a particular song you like that has that switch in it, and practice it that way, trust me its a lot more fun. But whatever you do, don't give up, one day it'l just click and you'll be able to do it.

Originally Posted by: guerrabmI'm struggling quite a bit lately, particularly with switching chords (have tried A to E and D to E).

Try this A D E method using an alternate A finger formation to establish an anchor finger facilitating fast easy chord changes between those three chords specifically, regardless of order.

Later you'll be able to do conventional open three finger A so as to have both finger formations in your growing chord inventory.

Originally Posted by: manXcat

Originally Posted by: guerrabmI'm struggling quite a bit lately, particularly with switching chords (have tried A to E and D to E).

Try this A D E method using an alternate A finger formation to establish an anchor finger facilitating fast easy chord changes between those three chords specifically, regardless of order.

Later you'll be able to do conventional open three finger A so as to have both finger formations in your growing chord inventory.

Yep, I agree 100%. Sometimes I use Justin's alternate A fingering and sometimes I use traditional. I think I find the alternate method more comfortable and definitely works great for A D E. The only problem I have noticed is that with my index finger being pushed so far back in the fret I have to press quite a bit harder on the G string or I end up with a bit of a clunker. [br][br]

YMMV, but I agree with manXcat that you should take a look at the alternate style. [br][br]

Good luck and stick with it![br][br]

Dave...