Yeah, I have given thought to going around the 1-year mark to a guitar teacher on feedback for things I need to work on still and a direction to go in. I found myself already not doing the C and D chords with the right grip and the D specially makes playing the sus chords a bit trickier, so I am going back and fixing small issues with each chord to get it right again before going on. Definitely thought about doing a feedback guitar lesson once I learn a few more things to work on and then trying again.
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Oh lord! Sorry to hear all that has happened. Definitely not making things easy for you. I am definitely enjoying it and progressing, just got lofty goals and it takes a ton of time to get everything going in that direction, especially when finding songs to practice things with and you have to go look up tutorials on how to do them first and then put into practice what you are trying to learn. It is a long process for sure, but worth it, I think. Just got to keep giving it time and effort.
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A few comments:
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think of it as great youâre taking your time. Itâs better to only be able to do a few things really well than a lot of things poorly. With just a few chords and a capo you can strum campfire versions of most popular songs.
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you mentioned wanting to play with a church friend. Not sure if you want to do worship music for your church specifically, but if yes youâre pretty much already there. Look for âworship guitarâ tutorials on YouTube. There are plenty of easy versions of common worship songs.
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Hey Rob,
First, deep breath mate. Youâre doing well. If you are learning new concepts AND developing some competency with them, then you are going at the right pace.
Someone else who may appear to be ahead of you and say, âcompletedâ the Beginner course much quicker does not mean anything. Its all about COMPETENCY. I love this word, because it gives the whole picture; solid knowledge + practical skill and application.
Knowledge on its own will result in very little progress. So donât worry about those that go through the lessons quicker, and who may appear to know more. You may very well be much more competent on the guitar than they are.
All the best
Cherrs, Shane
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Hey Josh
There have already been a lot of excellent responses, advice, and encouragement to you that I agree with 
You seem to be very enthusiastic and dedicated and doing well, and you are still young
I also think that itâs better to be able to do a few simpler things really well than being mediocre at a lot of different more complicated things.
Donât put pressure on yourself (or let anyone else pressure you). Take your time and enjoy the ride. Itâs not only more enjoyable to you but I feel that a relaxed vibe will also show through in your playing
(But⌠Iâve been playing a bit longer and still consider myself a beginner)
There are also the JG approved teachers if you are considering getting extra/more personalised tuition at some stage (depending on your goals). Youâd know youâre getting a good teacher and also staying consistent with what youâre already learning.
@LadyOfTheCastle Sorry to hear about everything thatâs happened in your holidays! Ouch! 
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That is wildly optimistic and unrealistic.
See a reply I gave to a similar worry here.
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Short and emphatic answer ⌠No. Never.
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Learn songs, learn songs, learn songs.
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Arenât we ALL taking too long to learn?
I plowed diligently through grades 1-3 and learned the pentatonic and blues scale forms in 12 months. Now Iâm in my fourth month of âconsolidation,â realizing that while I know HOW to do a lot of things, I havenât yet developed COMPETENCY at very much. Thanks for the reminder Shane. You gotta grind out the repetitions. 
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I think this is a very good philosophy.
I played a little back around 1979-80.
I took around the same time for grade 1 as starting almost from the beginning again in 2021.
2 years in and I on module 14, grade 2.
I took 6 months on power chords as loving it so much and nearly as long on the blues.
As above you learn at your own pave and itâs better to take some time and get it right than rush through.
Marathon not a sprint. Enjoy the process, move on when satisfied or needing a new challenge.
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As others have said no such thing. Iâve been doing this guitar playing thing for 4 years nearly and am at the end of grade 2. Have been there for months, and could probably move on, but am happy playing songs at the moment. Mind you have been doing a bit of theory and blues which has diverted attention away from the grades. Iâll probably move on next year but who knows
Playing the F chord is not the problem for me. Itâs changing the F and other chords that is an issue for me. Can probably do 30 OMCâs which works for slower but not much else!
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This is all definitely reenergized the drive. Just got to go get things done and figured out! (Fingerstyle and happy birthday are now kicking my butt like the F-Chord did, so now itâs on to master that) wish me luck!
Hi Josh ,
Luck!
Many have gone before youâŚand many have struggled with it 
Have fun 
Greetings Rogier
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NO, NO,NOâŚâŚâŚâŚ
Thereâs no time limit on how long it takes to learn Guitar, Iâve been playing for nearly 60 years now and still have plenty to learn!
Honestly donât even think about putting a time scale on it because there IS always something new to learn!
If you love playing guitar itâs a lifetime commitment, end of! 
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Excelent answer
R
Hi there, I have been learning for a year now and I am still struggling with things. I am going between Grade 1 &2 I feel like I am not doing as well as I should be but as everybody says itâs a journey not a race. I play most days for 2-3 hours and sometimes longer. I have also started having 1-1 lessons and think that is helping but I have only had 5 so far. Age is also against me as I am 74 but I am positive and will get there so listen to everybody they all make sense there is no rush as long as your are enjoying the journey. Good luck
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I think many of us push through lessons pretty fast only to realize that the lessons are about actually learning the stuff rather than checking off the lesson box. (What? It got me through med school)
I probably am in good company that I have been somewhere near the end of grade 3 for the past two of my 3 year journey, and am staying here for a while.
Soooo much to do and learn here.
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Actually the leeson are about learning to use stuff to make music.
If you learn the G, Em, C and D chord and canât play 5 songs youâre not learning how to play the guitar. Youâre just learning stuff.
So when it comes to learning songs, would you go for something a little challenging like say something with a mix of picking individual strings and strumming mixed together, or stick to songs for chords we already know like on Justinâs app? Maybe branch out a bit and challenge by learning songs that might not be covered in the lessons in that time, or using it to refine the stuff already learned?