I’m Steve and I’ve returned to the guitar after a brief hiatus of almost 30 years. I started playing when I was 16 - no structure, learned a few chords and jammed with friends. Then I went to university, got married , got a job, had kids. Life got in the way of playing and I was always put off because I had no real musical grounding with the instrument. Anyone, I found JustinGuitar a couple of weeks ago and I’ve been working through the beginners grade 2 and having a lot of fun on the way.
I think I’ve always been a bit self-conscious when playing the guitar so being here and hopefully finding some guitar friends will help with that.
Welcome Steve! You’ve found a good place here. There are lots of us with stories similar to yours! In order to know what you’re doing on guitar, most folks here recommend starting at the beginning of Grade 1 and going through each lesson. (Maybe you’ve already decided to do just that, but if not see here, or here.) It’s great - you’ll breeze through the first lessons, while picking up knowledge and tips to fill in those knowledge gaps. You’ll learn good practice habits. And most of us also identify and begin to correct bad habits we picked up in those old days! This community is a wealth of knowledge too. Hope to see you around!
Thanks Judi, I’ve found the structured courses - they’re amazing. I decided to start at the start and I’m currently midway through grade 2. You are right, there are definitely some good practice habits to pick up and I’ve learned some things. Thinking about enrolling on the music theory course as well. Hopefully I catch you around here!
It seems very fast to get through grade 1 and half of grade 2 in a couple of weeks, unless I misunderstood your post.
I would recommend taking your time doing the exercises and consolidating what you have learnt, but everyone has a different spend of learning. Then learn some of the songs for the grade and make sure you can play them (chord changes and the strumming patterns) more or less ok and in time before moving on too fast.
Welcome Steve I have tried a few free websites but nothing compares to Justin Guitar great teacher a good approach to lessons just take it easy and don`t be tempted to jump ahead
Most of the responses above cover it… I will add my best wishes to you along with the string I harp on… KEEP IT FUN!!! As long as you’re having a blast, you’ll pick up the guitar more often & the more you play the better you will get!!! The better you get, the more fun you have!!!
Good luck!!!
Hi Steve, your post really resonated with me (no pun intended) as i had the same transition but with a 40 year hiatus when retirement kicked in! Three years since joining JG, I’m really pleased with the material i can now tackle having completed grade 2 after the first 12 months. I keep meaning to do grade 3 lessons but I’m always getting distracted with songs I’ve always wanted to learn. Loving it. Enjoy your journey. Ian from Canberra, Australia
Hi Steve, you will find that many of us, myself included, have a similar story of starting in our teenage years, setting it mostly down for decades, and rediscovering it. Follow Justin’s course and take your time. It can be easy to rush through it but I think you’ll benefit in the long run by taking your time and making sure you nail the fundamentals he teaches as well as some of the songs along the way.
Hope to see you around!