Complete Beginner


stees777
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Joined: 02/09/21
Posts: 10
stees777
Registered User
Joined: 02/09/21
Posts: 10
06/24/2021 8:03 pm

Hello everyone!

I'm a complete beginner and trying so hard to learn guitar! I have been practicing everyday and it's been 4 months, but I'm still uncomfortable with strumming and changing the chords :( Especially when I use guitar picks either some strings sound so much louder than the others or it just doesn't sound good. I find these lessons are very helpful but I with I can get a real time feedback from others.

How is everyone doing and what's your best way to practice?


# 1
LynnS1951
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Joined: 04/03/21
Posts: 34
LynnS1951
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Joined: 04/03/21
Posts: 34
06/25/2021 12:05 am

I'm also a complete beginner. Started here three months ago. At the beginning the songs with simplified chords were fun, but then it seemed time to start really working. My 15-25 minutes of daily practice for quite a few weeks has been: the spider legs exercise (I can now keep four fingers down on the first four strings, but not many plucks sound good) and strumming the five chords from Lisa's lesson, making the three changes back and forth. In the last few days my Em/Am change got quick enough for me to go back to the song "Cross the Line". But only yesterday and at 75% speed was I able to make those changes at the end of the verse. So, mostly what I'm achieving is calluses, slower than I would like. I accept this is how it goes.


# 2
wkilleffer
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Joined: 01/23/19
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wkilleffer
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06/25/2021 1:50 am

I've been at this off and on for a couple of years, at least. Lisa has some great tips in her lessons, and I'll be picking up where I left off at maybe "Cross That Line." Sorry if I didn't get the title right.

Seems like one way to make sure a practice is constructive is to put a time limit of no more than 30 minutes on it, especially when you're first learning. If you're going to have some sort of technique breakdown, it's going to happen when you try to practice too long, and then you run the risk that whatever wrong thing you might start doing becomes a bad habit that you have to overcome.


# 3
martiniconqueso
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Joined: 05/25/21
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martiniconqueso
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06/25/2021 11:09 am

Hey everyone,

Put me down in the "Absolute Beginners" group as well. I'm lucky enough to be working from home these days, as are many I know, so I try for a post-coffee, pre-Zoom practice session of about 30 minutes or so, then a longer evening session after dinner.

I find that ~ 30 minutes is the upper limit right now on how long I can go before my fingertips and/or arm muscles just let me know it's time to stop. But that seems like progress to me - a month ago it was more like ten minutes. But when my fingers are hurting or I get a little muslce cramp I stop and watch some videos for maybe ten minuutes then pick the gitar back up.

I got the guitar as a late birthday present a month ago; my deal with myself is that if I can keep up a daily practice schedule until my next birthday, I can buy another one . . .


=Keith

# 4
RonaldR
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Joined: 09/02/19
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RonaldR
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06/25/2021 1:44 pm

Hi stees777, I can totally relate, on seemingly-simple things like a consistent strum and changing chords. You're not expecting to be Eric Clapton but these seem reasonable things to expect after a few months of effort, right?

What I find with guitar, compared to something like piano, is that there's just so many ways you can mess up the sound. It's a really subtle instrument! Put another way, we take a lot of responsibility for each note. Which makes it difficult but ultimately is also what makes the instrument so versatile and expressive.

I say this not to be discouraging, but to suggest it's OK that it takes a long time to master even the basic things. We can take satisfaction from simply being a little bit better today than we were yesterday.

My suggestion is to take something you want to improve, like a chord change, and slow it WAY DOWN with a metronome. Keep slowing it down until you can do it without many mistakes, and hold yourself to being accurate with the timing. Then nudge the speed up slightly (say, +5 bpm) and practice more. The metronome also gives us a way to measure our progress with a tangible measurement, besides just "how we feel".

Best of luck! I've been at this about 6 months, and truly enjoy the journey.


# 5
stees777
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Joined: 02/09/21
Posts: 10
stees777
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Joined: 02/09/21
Posts: 10
06/25/2021 6:04 pm

Thanks everyone!

What a wonderful insights and tips! I really feel like I'm a member of very supportive group.

I totally agree with consistently practicing everyday no more than 30 minutes per day, because some days I was practicing more than an hour and ended up pain in my arms and a little sore feeling of am I really able to learn guitar? I learned overpracticing without really understanding my skill level can actually discourage me.

The second thing I learned was using the metronome consistently. RonaldR's point was so on point, I have to master the basics and move on to the next level. I thought I was already comfortable with changing C and Am, Em and A quickly, but when I used metronome, I realized I actually need to practice on these chords a lot.

I'll be keep practicing and sharing my journey.

And thanks for all the instructores as well!


# 6

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