Originally Posted by: p_p_sI'm currently learning first few melodies (first 3 strings so far), with Ode To Joy, etc., and struggling to pay attention to too many things at the same time - i.e. fretting hand, strumming hand, and the tablature.

It can be overhwleming for a beginner!

Individuals learn at different rates. And with guitar, it depends on how much raw manual dexterity you bring to the task.

In general, you need to focus on one thing at a time. Go very slowly & work on memorizing the fretboard location of the notes. Take time to look at both the notation & your hand to make sure you've got everything right. It won't help to practice the wrong thing! Then make time to pick them out very slowly in order. If you having trouble playing them quickly in time, then slow down & simply play the right notes in the right order until you can do them all cleanly & clearly.

After you've automated this much, then you can start to try to play it as a piece of music. You can still look back & forth between your hands & the notation. But as you practice more, you will develop "muscle memory". This means that your brain & hands need time to learn these new skills.

Playing music in real time requires that you have completely automated the physical motions.

And the only way to make that happen is repetitious practice. It takes different individuals different amounts of time. But everyone has to go through the same process: you have to repeat those motions enough for them to become second nature to your hands & brain.

This is because there is no time to think of every single motion or note when you are playing in real time. There is only time to think in larger units or sections of the music.

Compare walking or driving a car. If you had to think of every single motion & aspect to consider while doing these everyday, mundane tasks you would never get them done!

Slow down. Be patient with yourself. Take it a step at a time. Enjoy the process!