Jim and Ddiddler - you both bring up great points. In my opinion, there is no substitute for putting in the time necessary to practice and drill the basic mechanics of playing guitar. For a beginner player, the emphasis should be on drilling smooth chord changes, clean picking technique, and a solid sense of timing. You need to practice these things over and over to become better at them. Picking up an understanding of the theory along the way is helpful as well, but should not be the primary focus at first IMO.

Mike