Beginner frustrations

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Hi everyone,
Iā€™ve got to the end of week 3 and my fingers are much better and have plenty to practice. Just done the next module videos and everything makes sense, I think. Will start practicing that tomorrow.
I guess Iā€™m a bit worried about my accuracy. Having trouble with D but have picked up a tip from one of the community so will give that a try. I donā€™t know how accurate my changes should be at this stage, they are certainly not great. Iā€™m doing between 35 and 45 per minute depending on the change. I sometimes find that ignoring my chord hand allows for a tiny bit of unconscious competence but then it all falls apart again. Am I beating myself up too soon and expecting too much for a ā€œmaturešŸ˜Šā€ student? Thanks for reading. Have a great day wherever you are.

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Hi Angie, are you able to share a recording either audio or better yet, a video one with focus on the sound and your fretting hand? It all depends how much inaccuracy is hiding behind your chord and how it sound. I would say without a recording that you should not rush changes, focus on quality not quantity. Other thing to say is if you play a song and any muted strings are not that easily detectable you are fine, however if itā€™s hurting your or others years you might need to focus a bit more on that.

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This might sound weird and me and the metronome actually have a love hate relationship but i did find practicing my changes with a metronome kinda helped me some. Itā€™s like my fingers needed a beat to move too.

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Thanks adi, Iā€™m a bit too embarrassed to make/share a video but will take on board the slow it down and go for quality over quantity. Appreciate your help

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Thanks for your input. Not thought of this one so will give it a go. Much appreciated.

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Hi there, just want to say many of us know what youā€™re going through because weā€™ve had the exact same thoughts either at the same stage as you or weā€™re still having them further in the course. Donā€™t be embarrassed to film yourself for 15 or 20 seconds and posting it here, itā€™s actually extremely, no really, itā€™s superbly helpful, and this community is kind and understanding and encouraging.

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Iā€™d say you are a little bit. it does truly get easier and yet so frustrating at the start. Be kind to yourself and hang in there. :slight_smile:

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I had exactly the same thing early on, as Iā€™m sure the vast majority of new players did at some point in time. Even now if I think about an upcoming F chord, chances are Iā€™ll bugger it up. If I let my mind wander of focus on strumming, I nail it nearly every time.

Try not to think of things in terms of where you should beā€¦ there is no should. Weā€™re all different so will pick things up at different rates. Your guitar journey is your own, not somebody elseā€™s. Remember that youā€™re training your fingers to do a very, very precise task at a relatively high speed with a minimum of thought. Itā€™s going to take more than three weeks in total for that kind of thing to become fully accurate and second nature. But it will happen with enough time and practice. Donā€™t put too much pressure on yourself, and keep things fun.

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I also think you need to cut yourself some slack. 5 months in and I still donā€™t nail D every time. Progress isnā€™t a straight lineā€¦ thereā€™s some days when I think Iā€™ve made a major breakthrough and the next day can be like Iā€™ve got 5 thumbs on my left hand!
The thing is, as a beginner thereā€™s always something else you can work on. If you pick up the guitar and the chord shapes arenā€™t working well, practice some strumming with muted strings and return to the chord shapes in a little while. Donā€™t let frustration get the better of you and youā€™ll get there

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3 weeks in is nothing, donā€™t sweat it just keep practicing

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Thanks Tony, was starting to get a bit demotivated. I love playing though

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Thanks Rob, they are the words I needed to hear. Much appreciated.

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Bless you, much appreciated. Itā€™s feels like a brick wall some days but I really want to crack this. Thank you Matt

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Thank you Goffik, I can be quite hard on myself so will try to

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Thanks Artax, it can sometimes feel a bit lonely on my guitar journey. much appreciated.

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Thanks Stacey

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Iā€™ve been practicing the A and D chords since December (with a 2-week hiatus due to covid) and youā€™re doing more changes than me! Iā€™m barely able to hit 30 most times and then when I go above that my Dā€™s sound like crap. Those Dā€™s are pretty bad in that last song on Module 1, too. ā€œDance the Night Away.ā€

So as another, cough, cough, mature beginner, cut yourself some slack. I bet Claptonā€™s first Dā€™s werenā€™t much prettier either. (well, maybe a little):sweat_smile:

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Bless you Rebecca, hope youā€™re feeling better now. I might be doing more changes but they really arenā€™t great. Need to slow down a bit I think. Thanks for the encouragement.

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At the start the changes per min fast change thing is all about speed not accuracy, do that in a separate exercise as described

At some point the 2 will merge, just takes time for it to bed in and your hand to develop etc

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Thatā€™s great, thanks Rob