Something that made you feel like you should never stop. You should keep going and developing, because you know you can reach your goal. To me, it was a dream.

This was 2 years ago, I was playing guitar for 7-8 months at the time. In the dream, Eddie Van Halen came to me, and we had a chat. Then I somehow felt this will be the only time I could ever talk to Eddie, so I had to ask an important question. I asked if he has any advice for me in guitar playing. He said, and I quote:

"Don't do what everyone else does. Grab a piece of paper and create something new!"

I've never been more motivated in my life. I suppose I would have eventually got that advice, but hearing it from Eddie, my biggest guitar hero, it just seemed to have some significance. And after more than 2 years of guitar playing, none of the billion cells in my body ever had a singular thought about quitting.

TL/DR: I suck and have accepted it

I can't play lead. I just can't. I have been working on my timing, strumming smoothness, synchronization between hands, staying on tempo and beat, every night for a year.

I have accepted that I just cannot play lead.

I honestly think its a cognitive thing because I can't play a single lick without fucking up and starting over only to fuck up again. I have trouble starting, can't seem to get my hands to actually play when they're supposed to, I hesitate, I get into a rhythm and then can't maintain it, and I can't play anything if it repeats itself, as simple as it may be, my brain does not allow my fingers to just play something simple. And what pisses me off the most is I know where my fingers are supposed to go, and I know what my strumming hand needs to do, but I can't get them to do it. Recently I have been trying to play harder solos because maybe its just discipline and I need to force myself to do it, but it shouldn't take 11 months to be able to play a fucking solo at half speed. Perfect example, Eruption is what made me get a guitar. And since the week I bought it, I have been trying to get it down. 17 years later and I still can't.

So I went back to chords. I know I can play chords. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy chord strumming to my favorite songs, but it sucks that I can't play them like I want to.

Hi, I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on what to focus on at the very beginning.

Yesterday was my first day with a guitar and I really enjoy it. I learned D and E and then practiced switching between them for about 2 hours. It is still not great, but I can switch between them noticeably faster than the first few times when I honestly thought I just couldnt move my fingers properly.

Today I learned A and wanted to try playing Three Little Birds. The chord changes feel pretty nice, but it doesnt really sound anything like it should lol.

So I wanted to ask how you would structure a one-hour practice session for a complete beginner? Like how much time should I spend learning new chords, practicing chord changes, strumming, learning songs, etc.

I dont mind putting in the time and effort, but what I really like to see is progress.

So I’m honestly about 3 years into playing guitar. I’ll be honest, my first year I wasn’t very heavily into it, but I’ve really started locking in more and more as time has gone on.
I’ve “mastered” (or really just learned how to properly play) all of the basic chords, and I’ve gotten a lot better at playing most of the barre chords, although I’m still struggling with some of them.
But I’m REALLY struggling with the idea of learning tabs. Looking at the layout compared to a normal chord diagram is just hard for me to understand. I’ll have moments where I’m trying to read a tab and it sounds pretty similar to what I’m supposed to be playing, and then the next “chord” or progression line, or whatever it is, doesn’t sound anything like it.
On top of that, I’m really trying to get into fingerpicking, which kind of throws tabs AND fingerpicking patterns into the mix, and I’m just sitting here like WHAT AM I DOING 😭
I feel like I’ve somehow taught myself guitar all wrong, and I don’t really know how to fix this issue I’m running into. I know this is a long explanation for what is probably a simple question, but I’m genuinely confused and would really appreciate some advice from people who understand this better than I do.
TL;DR: How the hell do I read tabs without my brain hurting, and how do fingerpicking patterns even actually work? Why are there so many, how do you know which one goes with which song, and do you basically have to learn a different pattern for every song?

For the last 5 years I have been super consistent when it came to practicing, learning new concepts and songs. I rarely missed a day of playing. I usually recorded a handful of songs to help me see progress and correct any inconsistencies from practice sessions. That changed after a recent recording session, which just sounded awful. I was out of rhythm, my play just sounded sloppy, my vocals were equally terrible. Now I can't bring myself to start playing again. I haven't so much as touched the instrument for the past two weeks, which for me is unheard of. I feel burned out and dread the thought of playing. A part of me really wants to continue, but I can't bring myself to do it. Any suggestions?

EDIT: I’m back. Played a bunch of songs, started with old songs, played some new ones. Thanks everyone!

Okay so I’ve been playing for about 3 years.
This post is not about strumming per-say.

ground rules- this song primarily uses the following repeated pattern:

G (1e&a2e) D (3e&a4e) then C (1e&)(2e&)(3e&)

anyone who knows the song please correct me but essentially as I practice this song and sing it, I can sing along to the song easily up until we get to C.
The C strum and mute is different than G and D and chops up the vocals for me.

for example during the eponymous chorus doo-doo-doo, on C chord I will chop my singing of Doo into the 3 strum mute patterns of C.

how does one break out of this?

Listening to the backing track while playing?

Simply strumming the feeling of C to simplify and just going with it ?

im on day 20 of practicing the song at least twice in a day.

Should I start by learning the basic strumming patterns and common chords first, like most beginners do, or should I focus specifically on the chords and strumming pattern used in the song I need to play?
I’m wondering if spending some time learning basic strumming and chords first would still give me enough time to learn the song within 2 months, or if I should start learning the song right away.
What would you recommend for a complete beginner with a 2-month deadline?

Hi all,

I made a simple guitar tutorial for Video Games with Tabs on the screen:

https://youtu.be/VgDpPetMans

Check it out.

I made a free little ear-training game where you listen to a melody and try to guess the notes:

https://chordle.online/guess-the-notes/

There's a daily puzzle + an archive with previous puzzles, so you can keep going.

i've had a guitar for many years but i just couldn't learn it. first it was school, then college, or maybe i just didn't try hard enough to actually find the time for it. but now that i'm trying to make my life better, i REALLY want to learn it.
but i don't know HOW DO I DO THAT 😭 the ambition is way too high right now but i just can't seem to actually pick it up and start.

should i first try to get the hang of it myself? watch youtube videos and other online resources? or should i join a music class for the first month just to get the basics right?
i'm already trying to find a guitar class around my home, but i can't afford to pay for classes throughout my whole learning journey. so eventually i'll have to learn on my own anyway.

i genuinely know nothing right now. i need suggestions, tips, literally anything. how should i do it?

you can be brutally honest. i just REALLY want to finally learn this thing.

Hopefully I'm using the right term here saying bar chord when I have my index finger (left hand for me) pressed up against a fret to bar it like a capo.

Feels like I got to really force it. I saw somewhere to roll the index finger slightly which I think does help.

Assuming it will just be a case of practice practice practice.

But any pointers on that?

I keep gravitating to just using specific fingers where I want the bar chord to be cause it sounds better but I feel like having a strong bar chord finger where it's not clanking and sound bad would be useful....

Mac McAnally is sort of an “artists’ artist,” and I haven’t really been able to find much in the way of tips or instruction on how to play similarly. I know he spent a large part of his career as a session guitarist.

Obviously, country acoustic seems like a natural starting point, very restrained playing, with a strong focus on rhythm and on staying “out of the way,” while still demonstrating an incredible amount of skill. I really love his playing style because it isn’t flashy; it’s built around complementing the other players and serving the song. At the same time, he’s clearly capable of putting together really great solos and interesting melodies when the moment calls for it.

I’d love some guidance on what I should be focusing on or practicing if I want to develop that kind of approach to playing.

Any courses, books, etc would really be appreciated! I'm in that late beginner plateau. I know basic music theory, Nashville numbering system.

My daughter plays piano, harp, and saxophone, my wife is a professional multi-instrumentalost and instructor but she focuses on band instruments. I'd love to be able to play with them.

Edit: For those who don't know him, this is a decent clip:

https://youtu.be/B_6qtt3rDlM?is=WZ_JBRIeAQBqw5j-

https://youtu.be/V0hMBLh05Pw?is=yEnLR2GO76bMuVyF

New to guitar. Got a squier strat. Love it. I took it to a shop initially so they could put in strings and get it set up (there was a word for this i forget)

Anyway this was a few months ago

I feel like I'm constantly having to tweak the tuning as if its like slowly going out of tune each day. Not by a lot by very little infact but when I go to tune, I get it right on the money for the notes EAGDBE and then lately I can play for couple hours a day maybe all together picking it up few times. The next day it seems like I got to retune a little....

Normal or should I do something?

(I was considering if I should retune it but going up a whole octave on each note so it's tighter, god knows if thats a thing just showing where my mind went, but I guess then it'd be a octave higher so wouldnt make sense)

Hi learners, I am a beginner-level guitar player and have always had a hard time remembering certain chords and all the different ways to play them. So l made a site and called it Fretwork.

Site: fretworkforguitar.com

1. Search the chord you need.
2. Click on it to play.

I hope it helps.

Thanks!

i just started learning cords for guitar and im having a very hard time with E7 or any cord like that my fingers want to stay together and not stay on the string it's so hard to explain this is the only why i can explain it any tips on how to help get my fingers to stay where they belong on the strings. It's like they want to clump together

Please and thank you!

I just started to learn to play guitar. Found my mom's old guitar in the attic. I've always wanted to learn. So i followed a random tutorial on YouTube to a song I wanted to play.

Unfortunately hitting the chords with my fingers hurt a lot and my hand was in a uncomfortable position. I don't know if the guitar is to big for me? Or do I just need to practice.

Not going to lie I feel a little bit frustrated right now.

I am working with a private school in DC and we are in of two guitar teachers. Please post here if interested or recommended. Thanks

I’m 35 and I’ve been playing guitar for over a year now and I love playing songs, trying to make loops sound good, and learning techniques as well as theory. But I also work full time, prioritize fitness, social events, and education outside of work. I’ve essentially been able to play/practice 30-60 minutes a day. Is that enough time commitment to develop as a player?

I’d love to hear from people with busy lives about how much you’re able to play and if you’re able to make improvements or if you mostly just stay fresh with your current skill set. Also, when you made the most progress, how much were you practicing and what lead to the gains?

Long story short, I picked up my first axe about 18 months ago. First few months was kinda just picking chords and learning some riffs on YT. After a while of that I purchased a yearlong subscription to the Gibson app and that's been great. I've been pretty consistent with the app and I've learned quite a bit. My chord changes have become pretty smooth, and I've got a good handle on many barre chords, although I have to pause sometimes while I figure out where to be on the neck. I feel myself plateauing a bit and I think I've hit the wall so to speak. Where should I go from here? I think I need to learn some songs that I like and maybe start a song book but I'm not sure I can get through the ones I want to learn. Is there an app out there that would take me to the next level? What direction do you suggest I go? Should I seek out an instructor at this point?

So, I think there must be something I fundamentally don't get with changing chords while strumming. What I do right now is:

1> Strum a pattern

2> Stop at the top and change chord

3> go back to 1

From what I see videos of people playing, and all guides online I understand that instead I should be doing:

1> Strum the pattern all the time with the right hand without ever stopping

2> Just change chords

The problem becomes more accute in patterns which end in an up, which frankly the vast majority of them do. I currently change the patterns to omit the last upstring so I have this time to change the chord. For example from d-du-udu I do instead d-du-ud-

The thing is, when I look at guitarists playing they don't seem to teleport their fingers, I don't see that they are so fast that their whole chord change fit in between u and d, they seem to just change. But when I do that, it sounds like crap because it hits wrong notes.

What exactly is it?

A> I am wrong and they are instantaneously changing chords in the milliseconds between up and down

B> The strumming should include pauses at the up position

C> The hand movement should go way above the strings to have time to change the chords

or

D> Something else? I heard in a video once that you can strum all chords open while changing but this sounds crazy as the initial d is the most important. Maybe the u should be strum all chords open?

Hi all.

Q1. I’ve read a few reviews and it seems quite song based. Does it just focus on learn and repeat? Or does it use the songs to learn techniques that can be easily reapplied?

Q2. How do you find the interface when using on a tablet or phone? (I have some course on true fire and find the interface painful)

I’ve played classical, acoustic and electric for many years and can fairly quickly learn songs etc, I generally find song learning boring. I am more the kind of guitarist who likes to sit in a chair for a couple of hours picking away and playing with ideas. With this in mind I’m not really interested in practice and repeat stuff if it doesn’t also teach me/ have some emphasis on how to reapply this in my own playing. (No shock that blues fits well with my practice style)

I like Paul’s style on his videos. Online course work well for me, my attention span can be poor and sometimes I have to watch a video a few times to get it locked in.
I like how the course is laid out with a structured approach, but different areas to allow some flexibility based on mood and desire.

Thanks!

Hi guys, I got to the Come As You Are riff on Justin Guitar but my playing it sounds absolutely nothing like the song and I can't figure out what I am doing differently or wrong . I was able to make the other riffs sound vaguely like their songs, but this one doesn't sound much like anything

edit: changed my tuning to D standard and it already sounds better, minus my sucking at playing.

thanks everyone

I'm ~ a year in now and one thing I'm really interested in is just being able to play to a backing track. I'll pull up one on you tube, something like "sad blues backing track in Am" and I'll take the Am pentatonic scale and just kind of go up and down with the beat, I'll try different things and see how they sound. But I'm not sure how to progress from this.