Hi Michael, the other members already gave you a lot of positive input. I’m with @roger_holland, you’re loving the lessons, you’re on the right track 
Enjoy your daily time with your guitar and Music! I had been for a long time thinking that learning to play the guitar was too difficult and that I wouldn’t be able to learn…but then with Justin’s guidance with time and practice and dedication things are turning out fine. Take your time, trust the process and enjoy the journey 
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I wonder if a common issue is that in deciding to start playing guitar we have some idea that we will learn for a bit and then “be able to play guitar”.
Clearly, for those of us still here, this is not how it works. What does “be able to play guitar” mean?
Justin can “play guitar”, Mark Knophler can “play guitar”, Jamolay can “play guitar” but one of these three does not match the others.
If we are thinking “when will I be able to play guitar”, we also think “how long should I spend on” this or that aspect of playing. Or “how long should this take?”
Questions that belie our misunderstanding of the process and the end goals.
There is a reason we call it a journey here, and it is about the process. My journey has features unique to me, and my goals have to be modulated to keep me motivated.
I am sure both Justin Sandercoe and Mark Knophler both would think they are still very much on the journey.
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Michael lots of good advice here, so all I can do is add my often repeated mantar
“It is a marathon, not a sprint”.
Takes as long as it takes. Enjoy the ride and have fun.
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If you can play songs from memory all that means you can play a songs from memory.
If you can sit down with someone you’ve never met before and jam in a style you’ve never played before with just a few minute of instruction then you can play the guitar.
The Journey never ends. You’re always a beginner at one style or another. The best way to become good at guitar or any instrument is to pick a style you love and learn it very well. The rest will fall into place.
Then there’s the aspect of do you want to be Johnny Cash good or Eddie Van Halen.
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It was meant as a rhetorical question…
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But it’s a question that comes up all the time. I know so many people who know dozens of songs, they even play open mics but still can’t play the guitar. They get up play the same 3 to 5 songs and sit back down. they never participate in Jams unless you play the songs they know. To me that’s not playing the guitar, that’s playing songs. Which is perfectly fine if that’s the direction you want to go but most of them always comment “I wish I could do what you guys do.” and the answer is “Learn to Play the Guitar.”
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then you can play any song you want. On your own or with others. Simples.
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Thank you…love this
That’s just being elitist. If you’re playing songs, you’re playing guitar
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Good, needed rant. Thank you
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Sorry you’re playing guitar but not learning to play guitar in its entirety. That is not elitist, its the whole object of learning. Otherwise you are just learning songs. Big difference. Simples.
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We’re going to have to disagree on this. All I’m doing is learning songs right now but I am learning to play guitar. It’s part of a long game. Each song I learn has something new about it, a new chord, a new technique, a new strumming pattern. I’m training my brain and fingers to work together and training them to play in time with other music. I see this as foundational. If I learn a bunch of theory now I don’t have the playing skills to do anything with it. My path is just different to yours. I’m only learning songs but I am learning play guitar
You’re being short sighted. If you know 4 chords (1 4 5 6) in any key I could teach you how to play 100’d of songs. If you know the 1 4 5 6 in the 5 main guitar keys You could teach yourself thousands of songs. You don’t need to be a elitist or even a great guitar player. With this knowledge you could jam with almost anyone.
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You are correct. You are Learning to Play the Guitar.
Have you noticed any patterns in those songs. Like the ones that use the same chords still sound different.
You don’t need a bunch of theory to play the guitar. Just simple chord progression knowledge and it will open up a whole new world of songs to you.
A lot of classic guitar involves playing songs with interpretation but not improvisation so much. Are these not guitar players? I think we can be flexible in our definitions so as not to pressure anyone into thinking that what they choose to do with their guitar playing is “not good enough”.
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Who said anything about being good enough? If you can play A D and E you can jam with other people. Nobody said you need to improvise and every classical guitar player I know can play multiple styles of guitar because they are very good guitar player. Mainly because they study music and not just guitar.
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We have entirely uprooted this thread. Apologies for that. I will step out after this.
Not everyone wants to jam or play with others. You play guitar your way and I will play my way and let’s just enjoy our own journeys.
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Hi Hec here I’m glad to come back to the community and read some honest people’s thoughts, I would like to add Michael, I have played a Dm for years and I still miss it at times in fact when I first started Justin guitar and was invited to learn it using my little finger I was like wow man, so I’m back to the beginning so you probably play it better than me cheers Hec
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Thanks for the encouragement 
cheers
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Woodstock you are doing fine. Just keep doing the one minute cord changes drill and it will come. Just keep at it every day. It’s like it happens suddenly.
One day you can’t and if you do “perfect practice” the next day you can.
Have fun and enjoy the music.
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