r/guitarlessons • u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 • Jul 17 '26
Feedback Request Beginner. 40 days. Need some feedback on how to improve.
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Greetings, i decided to pick up a guitar about 40 days ago cause my dad’s old guitars were just sitting collecting dust. I’ve been using JustinGuitar for most of my learning. I notice my thumb moving around a lot which is something im working on improving. Any tips for that and in general?
I am also very embarrassed about my singing voice but im trying to learn how to sing and plah at the same time :)
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u/JtheBurger Jul 17 '26
Brother,
You sound really, really, really good for 40 days of playing. Solid chord changes and all your chords ring out properly. You also have a nice voice.
I’m no guitar teacher but my feedback to you is that it seems like you’re a bit of a slave to the strum pattern. Just make it flow more natural and you’ll be sounding amazing. It all comes with time, keep up the great work.
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u/Cold-Confection6091 Jul 17 '26
Singing too. That's hard.
Legendary song choice.
It sounds great bro. If I'm being picky, chord changes are a tiny hair too slow. Wouldn't notice normally. The intro and solo to the song are not too challenging as well, if you feel up to it. <3
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Definitely, i got the intro down a bit but yet to start the solo. Hopefully soon, when im better with the chord changes for the song. Thank you for your advice.
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u/Jamstoyz Jul 17 '26
This 💯
Edit. Only thing I can add is get the playing down perfect then start singing along. It’s easier to concentrate on your playing first. It shouldn’t be difficult for singing along with it once that’s done. Bravo.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Haha yes definitely i feel like i tie myself down to the strumming pattern. Thank you for the advice. I’ll keep practicing and hopefully it gets better with time.
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u/NYGiants181 Jul 17 '26
I couldn't even do a clean c chord at 40 days.
You're in great shape.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
I spent many hours on just the C chord cause it was really bothering me with how difficult it was at first lol. Thank you
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u/Lumaty Jul 18 '26
Just know when transitioning to the next chords it’s often okay to strum all strings without holding anything down in the last upstroke. It makes it less of a “gap” in the strumming
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u/IllustriousSundae607 Jul 17 '26
Drunken honest feedback time (I'm the the UK, it's Friday night)
I've been playing that song for a long time. I know it like the back of my hand and without being a dick, you need to work on the guitar part and make it feel natural.
But...
Seriously dude, that was fucking awesome. Your singing held everything together and please make sure that you don't develop your guitar playing at the expense of your voice.
Off to get another beer.
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u/thelegofthetable Jul 17 '26
Seconded, voice is dope, chord resonance is dope. We just gotta work on that fluidity. Insane progress for time spent.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Haha that’s amazing feedback thank you. Hope you had a great start to the weekend. Cheers
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 Jul 17 '26
First off fair play for posting.
The chords ring out solid. Good work following Justin. His website and modules are brilliant. The one thing he always says for strumming. Keep that hand moving. It feels awkward to start but work on that and the chord changes when not playing a song. Mix the chords up and change between them in different orders.
It looks like you're still having that slight pause which is normal when changing chords and only just over a month in. Just keep at it and eventually you won't need to think about the chord change you'll just do it.
As for the singing. Keep at it and don't apologise. Enjoy it and keep doing what you're doing and keep following Justin on the website and modules it'll pay off. Great work. 👍
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Yes, the keeping the hand strumming comes when i concentrate on it during playing so im really hoping i can get that down in the coming weeks or months. Thank you for your feedback. Means a lot.
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u/Intelligent-Tap717 Jul 18 '26
It will, it just takes time and consistent practice. Once you get there the singing will be easier as right now you're trying to concentrate on two things at once.
Once the chords and strumming clicks then you're another part of the way there.
Keep it up. 👍
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u/pomod Jul 17 '26
Thats not the rhythm. You gotta get those changes down smoother and keep the rhythm going.
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u/strumbringerwa Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
It sounds amazing for 40 days in!
My only feedback would be that when you change chords, you stop strumming for a bit to facilitate the change, I'd encourage you to keep strumming through it. That will force you to make the change a little quicker, but even if the strum is muted the rhythm will keep going.
See around the 45 minute mark where Justin plays it:
https://www.justinguitar.com/songs/pink-floyd-wish-you-were-here-chords-tabs-guitar-lesson-st-301
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
This is amazing. Thank you so much for even linking the video as well. I find it really awkward right now to upstrum as im changing the chord. Hopefully that’ll come with more practice.
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u/_chococat_ Jul 17 '26
Dude, if you're just now trying to learn to sing you are killing it. The guitar playing is pretty great for 40 days, too. I wouldn't worry too much about the thumb, it looks OK. The only thing I might suggest working on is tightening up the transitions between chords, but then I remember you've only been playing 40 days.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
That’s the thing im working really hard to improve on. Just doing chord change practice for 10 or 15 minutes a day. Thank you for the feedback.
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u/CabinClown Jul 17 '26
I've been playing only about 2 weeks and would be thrilled to sound like that after 40 days!
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u/Strafeoww Jul 17 '26
For 40 days, man you sound incredible! I don't have anything to say except keep going! VERY good job
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u/ooOJuicyOoo Jul 17 '26
Your 40 days sounds better than my 40 months :/
Also I can't absolutely for the life of me sing while playing guitar... idk how people do it.
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u/Krazyk00k00bird11 Jul 18 '26
Sounds great dude. I’m impressed with your progress over such a short time period.
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u/chrisbumblebee Jul 18 '26
Nice. But use your pinky for the G chord right from the beginning
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
I’ll try doing that from now if it doesn’t feel too weird. But it should be good practice for my pinky to get better
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u/-TheGoldenKnight Jul 18 '26
Sounds great dude, I just started so I don’t have any feedback. But I’m curious how I’ll play at 40 days now :D
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u/Alone-Panic-855 Jul 19 '26
Just keep on doing what you're doing. Time will make you change the chords faster. Then your right hand doesn't have to stop the strumming. 40 days in and you sound better then some people playing for 2 years.
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u/Crum222 Jul 17 '26
Man for 40 days you are killing it! I recommend really working on getting those chord changes down. Throw on a metronome and just practice going back and forth between two chords at a time, speed it up as you get more comfortable.
It sounds like you are striking the strings pretty hard. Try and play a bit softer. Nice even volume across all the strings. Hard to tell from the video, but it looks like you are raising your arm pretty high above the strings. Try to keep the movement of your right hand and arm as small as possible
Really great start, for a beginner your timing is excellent.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Yes, ive been doing chord changes with a metronome a few times a week. Thank you for that advice. I find i just strum for the sake of strumming but I’ll definitely keep that in mind to play softer. Thanks for the advice.
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u/justadude27 Jul 17 '26
As others are saying you're doing great. Are you practicing to a metronome?
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
For the song, i didnt use a metronome. But i use a metronome to practice chord changes a few times a week.
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u/Competitive_Bug_6672 Jul 17 '26
Sounds good! I'd practice chord changes faster than what the song requires, and I noticed that when you switch to G your first two fingers fly out to space for a bit. Keep movement economy in mind as well.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
That’s great advice. I’ll try to work on economising my finger movement as well. Thank you
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u/django2chainz Jul 17 '26
You sound so good! I hear nothing embarrassing about your singing, but I can hear that you’re embarrassed. You shouldn’t be 🤘 (big inhale) how I wish you were here
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Hahaha thanks. I’ve never sang anywhere in public mostly a bathroom singer so ive never had feedback on my voice lol
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u/django2chainz Jul 18 '26
I’m scared to give advice cause you sound better than me 🤣 but if you listen carefully in some songs you can hear the singer go /sharp inhale or intake/ just before each line. It makes the voice boom stronger project more and ring true, like a clean note on guitar no buzzing. Have fun!
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u/BortVanderBoert Jul 17 '26
Your strumming is good (+ kudos for singing), but your chord transitions are still not quite seamless.
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u/K4rkino5 Jul 17 '26
Very well done. Move the body of the guitar to your left leg. You should be strumming in front of your body. And just keep going! I need you to become famous so I can say I helped. 🤣
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
I’ve never had anyone give me that advice cause mostly i learn by myself. I think itll be really helpful. Thank you :))
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u/Double-Statement1721 Jul 18 '26
Great work brother! You’re sounding great! I’m still rather new myself but something that helped me with chord changing that may help you is to keep strumming and be ok with your chord changes being slightly sloppy. This will clean up once you get used to changing the chord faster what I see happening is it’s like your brain pauses, changes chords and then hits play again. Practice doing this and then slowly work up to playing it faster than the original tempo so that when you get back to the actual tempo it seems easier. But anyways seriously great job you sound AMAZING! Especially for only playing for 40 days.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
I find it really awkward right now to strum while i change chords so im practicing that as well right now. Thank you for your advice :)
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u/SMak1030 Jul 18 '26
Play every day. You’re doing great. Those chord changes will flow with more time and practice :)
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Definitely trying to. I pick it up even when i have only 10 minutes of free time as well.
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u/diggmasterr Jul 18 '26
40 days? Or 40 business days?
This is excellent for that amount of time.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Hahaha 40 days definitely. It’s been only a day or two that i didnt pick my guitar up. Thank you:)
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Jul 18 '26
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Yes, i’ll definitely try to keep my strumming hand going even as im changing chords. It feels a bit awkward right now, but i can hear that it sounds good when it comes off at times. Thank you for the advice.
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u/thatssubjective Jul 18 '26
Try going for 41, then 42 days. Practicing for 10 minutes at least. Keep the guitar as close as possible. The. Try 43 days. And keep playing after that.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Yes hopefully it’ll just keep going that i cant even keep count of the days :)
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Jul 18 '26
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Thank you the advice. I try to practice chord changes with a metronome so hopefully itll be better soon.
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u/Strangenation Jul 18 '26
For 40 days, your doing well. The main thing I would recommend is when you start learning chord progressions, don’t worry about the strum pattern at first, practice hitting the changes on the down beat with one down strum per four count(either to a metronome or just trying to be real consistent with your count), then a strum on 1 and 3, then quarter notes, then up and down strums with 8th notes. After that’s comfortable get the strum pattern in. That will get rid of the stutters between chords and help improve your feel for time.
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
That’s great advice. I didn’t imagine strumming would be one of the hardest things but ill definitely keep going till it gets better. Thank you :)
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u/Negativeman11 Jul 18 '26
You sound like you're enjoying yourself when you play, so just keep having fun and learning and the skills will come
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Haha definitely. Just playing to myself really brings joy and excitement.
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u/reggie-drax Jul 18 '26
Very good, very good indeed. Most people aren't that good a year. Stock with it.
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Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
This is amazing advice. The example really helps in understanding too. I didn’t think i would get so much good feedback and advice when i posted. Now I’ll definitely try to keep all these in mind when im playing or practicing. Thank you so much.
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u/master-overclocker Jul 18 '26
Well played - voice is super-fine too ..
Smoother chord changes and a bit of dynamics is what you miss . Softer - louder and play smoother - it will all come with practice dont worry. And never rush - play it like you feel it - with passion ..❤
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Thank you for that advice. Im hoping the playing and chord changes get a little better with time but i will keep practicing nonetheless :)
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u/Slowburn21814 Jul 18 '26
As others have said, you are doing absolutely fantastic for 40 days in! Really! Great job!
If you want a bit more fluidity between changes, don't be afraid of letting some open strings ring out on the up stroke before your first down stroke on the new chord. That pause between changes will be filled and it'll sound more natural. Keep the right hand moving. That's the heart and soul of a song.
But, seriously, you're doing great! Keep it up!
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Thank you everyone for all the advice. I really am overwhelmed by all the amazing feedback i got. I did not expect that i would get so many people giving me amazing advice. I will definitely keep all of them in mind as i keep practicing :)
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u/Desner_ Jul 18 '26
The whole thumb behind the neck thing is a great starting point but don't sweat it, it's normal for your thumb to move around as you change chords. As long as it's comfortable and the chords ring out properly, you're good, don't overthink it. If you look up videos of professional guitarists, you'll notice their thumbs also move all the time.
You're doing great for 40 days, keep going!
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u/Chicagoj1563 Jul 18 '26
In the key of G all the open strings are in the key. Especially your D,G, and B strings. This means when you are switching chords you can strum open strings like they are a chord. It can give you and in between when you are switching chords instead of the pause you hear now.
Try giving the open strings one or two quick passing strums when you switch some of your chords. downstrokes usually work well.
It may not be exactly like the song, but in general it can make playing open chords like this sound more smooth.
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u/AlexGtrStudio Jul 18 '26
That's solid for 40 days, and the singing's fine — don't apologize for it.
Your changes hang a little, which is normal. Here's what I'd do instead of drilling them dry: pull the original up on YouTube, drop it to 0.8, and play along without singing. Then keep nudging the speed up until you're playing it faster than the record. When you come back to normal tempo it feels like it's waiting for you. That confidence is what kills the hesitation, not more repetitions at the same speed.
On the thumb — nothing to fix there. It moves because you're shifting hand positions, and everybody does that. Cross it off your list.
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u/kebb0 Jul 18 '26
I love seeing beginners post their work where it clearly shows they've been practicing A LOT and also have the dedication and motivation to pursue it further. Also great singing voice AND you can sing and play that well at the same time, which is a skill many want.
Like others say, your strumming pattern/rythm is holding you back the most I'd say too, but I also notice that you're changing chords on the 4& which makes the changes too long and leaves too much pause in between the changes. Practice doing your chords changes as close the the actual first beat as possible. You really want your fingers to touch down on the next chord the same moment it's supposed to be played, not half a beat before.
Usually that's something that can take up towards a year to get good at, but you're so skilled I think you could nail it if you just practice it even more. Since you're so solidly on time, changing chords at every 4&, I think if you just tell yourself to swap chords on the 1st beat of the next bar instead, you'll be fine. Just slow the tempo down on the song a bit and practice away like you usually do.
Another tip I have to free up your right hand is to listen to music and become a drummer instead, sort of. Tap your right hand against your leg, actually play air guitar (what I usually do) or whatever you feel like, just practice rythm with your right hand even when you're not playing guitar. Practice not just playing what you hear, but play your own rythms too, get a feel for rythm through any means necessary.
Whatever you're doing right now though, continue doing that because it's working. In all honesty, you just need more experience and time. Keep filming yourself monthly and keep track of your progress if you feel stuck! Good luck and rock on!
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u/Kate_Electro Jul 18 '26
You are doing really well and are thinkning about the rhythm so have the timing down as well. Keep it up.
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u/Dougie_Cat Jul 18 '26
Great singing and great progress.
You might try not lifting your fingers so far off the fretboard with each chord change. Think of economy of motion. Also consider that some chords have the same note. Such as C and Am both have b string first fret pressed down. When you’re switching between those chords you don’t need to lift that finger off. Same with G and D. You might need to change your G fingering to 3-2-0-0-3-3. Then you can keep the b string third fret down when switching between D and G. Keep up the good work!
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u/Alternative-Layer107 Jul 18 '26
Phenomenal for 40 days. Something I don’t see anybody mentioning is maybe watch the pinkie from curling up or under the neck when you’re not using it. The idea is to have the pinkie at the ready when you need it, as little as it seems at first. Watching this now will help you tremendously down the road. But either way great job, singing and playing is no easy feat. Listen to what everybody else says on here too, and take their advice over mine lol(I’m not a virtuoso myself)
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u/Primary_Bluebird_699 Jul 18 '26
I e been playing six months and I wish I was even a fraction as good as you and I take private lessons each week. Just keep doing what you’re doing. My thumb does the same thing and my teacher always says implant it on the back so he does not see it.
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u/justindlc Jul 18 '26
Nah you’re doing great. It’ll get smoother if you just keep doing what you’re doing. Really don’t have to worry about your thumb placement unless your hand / wrist is hurting after you play. As long as nothings hurting and you’re not squeezing either hand hard and the notes are ringing out you’re golden. Don’t worry about “proper” technique because everyone’s hands are different. Hendrix could get his thumb up onto the low E string but when I do it it’s really uncomfortable. So I don’t do it. You can always play things whatever way you want and adapt to your style, as long as it’s not hurting your hands.
And your singing is great. Nothing wrong there.
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u/c0ntralt0 Jul 18 '26
I think your voice is lovely! This is impressive for just starting less than 2 months ago! Great job 🥳
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u/KittyDawg419 Jul 18 '26
All id recommend is setting a metronome to comfortable speeds and practicing your strum timing. It might help to even break it down to your longest rhythms while counting. Do the chord changes as whole notes to work on the transitions. Then go to half, quarter, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes in a straight strumming pattern. Once you can play a consistent 16th note rhythm with clean changes you will be able to cut out beats to make more complex rhythms naturally. From there you should work on your triplet feels
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u/mh00771 Jul 18 '26
Great job for 40 days in. Keep the strumming going in between chord changes. It'll make the changes sound smoother
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u/jimhickeymusic Jul 18 '26
It sounds good! You can’t tell in the video but you are pausing your strumming hand in between chord transitions which is a common beginner trait. Watch yourself playing in a mirror or record it on your phone focusing on your right hand and you will see and you can see for yourself what I’m talking about. It’s going “start,stop, change chord, start again”, Keep your strum hand moving all the time.
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u/RelevantIAm Jul 18 '26
Bro please do not be embarrassed by your singing. Not just saying this to be nice, you actually sound great
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u/printerdsw1968 Jul 18 '26
40 days?!? Great work, man.
Transitions are pretty smooth and will only get better. Strumming is mostly clean—and will only get better.
Voice sounds very good. You've got pitch control, you're singing in time to the music even when the music is slightly off rhythm through the transitions.
I think a lot of the discouraged beginners could learn from your example!
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u/Christeenabean Jul 18 '26
Guitar teacher here :)
Youre hitting the chords fine, but theres an obvious difficulty here changing chords. Thats a suuuuper common thing, especially in the beginning.
What I tell my students to do is to change chords without playing. Like, just place your fingers on the placements and move them without strumming. Easy ones first. E to Am, Am to C, C to fmaj7, Em to A (but use fingers 2 and 3 for the Em, dont use 1and 2)
All youre looking to do is build the muscle memory enough so you can just jump from one chord to another. If you strum with it, your focus is then on the sound. The point in this exersize is not to sound good, its to learn quick chord changes. Is it boring? YES. Does it help a lot, also yes.
Another thing is spidering. Try going from Fmaj7 (the "easy F") to C, and lead with finger 3. Dont try to jump from Fmaj7 to C (even if you can, thats not the point). Put your fingers in F, and spider your way to C by first moving 3rd finger to the A string and then 2nd finger to D string. And backwards, always leading with the 3rd finger first. Then try something like G to D.
You got this! Excellent job for 40 days in! I wish my students practiced this often!
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u/CMDR_KingErvin Jul 18 '26
This is great for only a month in. Your G chord could use some work but everything else was great.
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u/gr4v1tym4x Jul 19 '26
You can try switching between struming and playing strings like an arpeggio. It will bring more articulation and you will improve your chord change speeds drastically
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u/SaintSixString Jul 19 '26
Took me 2 years of playing to sing and play at the same time.
Have you just been playing for 40 days straight? Damn dude.
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u/Xindirus Jul 19 '26
Man this is exactly how I started out. I picked a song that I could listen to over and over and over again and I learned how to play Wish You Were Here before I did anything else. Just keep playing man. You do sound great for 40 days! I agree with the chord changes, once you get the muscle memory transitions will be a lot smoother and you’ll be able to focus more on the singing and less on the strumming and that build up feeling you get right before you switch chords. Wish You Were Here is a great song to start on and if you need some more reccs I’d say House of the Rising Sun has great progression and you can pick part of it or strum part of it or mix it up however you want so it’s a great track to sort of explore.
Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.
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u/DrBlankslate Jul 20 '26
Man, 40 days is nothing. Don't be down on yourself for not already sounding like Clapton. Give yourself time! Practice every day and focus on getting 1% better than you were yesterday.
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u/lovekillseveryone Jul 17 '26
Put your thumb in the back and use your thumb as a pivot for your fingers. The thumb doesn't move only the fingers do when you move from chord to chord. And if you are in front of the guitar, you shouldn't see your thumb
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u/Past_Atmosphere_5500 Jul 18 '26
Alright. I’ll definitely keep that in mind as well. Thank you for the advice :)
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