My name is Rebecca Duncan and I live in North Carolina. I have had an acoustic guitar since 1979. I’ve attempted in person lessons twice since purchasing the guitar but trying to fit all in with working, family, etc. I just never stuck with it. Then I retired and then camecame the pandemic. I said myself, “Self - get that damned guitar out of the closet! Poked around on the web for resources and found a lot. Finally zeroed in on Sir Justin and here I am. I’m on module 4 and picking up things from the website and YouTube. Enjoying myself but no on needs to worry about competition from me.
Anyone else finding the various finger gyms/exercises/stretching challenging? Man I am! Any tips for me? Thanks
Welcome to the Community, Rebecca. Delighted to hear you are enjoying yourself. And of course learning to play and make music is never a competition. As for the challenges, that’s just how it goes. Keep at it slow and steady and you’ll get there. In my cases some things have taken a long time to get but it’s not a race.
Hey, Rebecca! I lived in Pineville (just outside of Charlotte) when I was a kid… the accent comes back easy when I talk to anyone from the South. Take things slow and do your best not to lose patience. It’s been a rough trip for me. I have good days with the guitar, and then the very next day I suck so bad!!! The one thing that really helps me stay motivated is to always end practice with a song or riff that I can do without many mistakes. That way I end my practices on a positive note. Hope that helps. And God bless Tarheels!
This is just my world view: Focus on musical things and not exercises. Get those chord changes down. Learn progressions/songs. Get the main pentatonic scale down. Work on rhythm.
It’s great to have you in the community - this is the perfect place to visit alongside Justin’s lessons, a friendly, supportive community of people walking the same paths and sharing the same ride.
Now you are in module 4 you have major and minor chords and a vast array of potential songs to learn. Make sure to always learn grade appropriate songs and use the chords you learn as and when you first learn them.
A little cautionary note - youtube guitar videos can be a rabbit hole from which you never emerge. There isn’t much out there that you can’t find by following the JustinGuitar beginner course, so keep a focus.
The finger fyms etc. are challenging for everyone. Just do a little each time - they are designed for long-term gain, not quick fix. Be patient with them.
Cheers
Richard
