Hello! This is John from Batavia, Illinois, USA

I started playing back in the mid eighties, but never really got too far before letting the guitar fall by the wayside. Like many others, I started playing again in earnest in early 2020 and I am taking it much more seriously!

I have started in the beginner section, and I am trying to get a feel for the things I should be concentrating on. On some skills I feel accomplished, yet on others I struggle a little more. I wish there was a placement test I could take… :grimacing:

See you around!

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Welcome to the community John. You can share your story here #https://community.justinguitar.com/t/older-guitar-students-can-old-dogs-learn-new-tricks/ and get a lot of support there

Hi John!

Dont stress the learning thing, it all takes time, work on the things that matter to the stuff you want to do/songs you want to play.

Hi John! Good to see you here. As you said, picking up the guitar to learn and putting it down quickly for spans of time is a very common occurrence for many people, myself included. I think that mostly it comes down to a matter of timing and tools when the desire to learn finally takes hold of the soul. For those who respond to a self learning/self governing style, Justin’s lessons are phenomenal, and you’ve discovered an excellent tool in that regard, IMO.

Boy do I identify with that! :sweat_smile: But I’m super hopeful and confident this time. I’m really new here and to the lessons, but I’ve found it has spoken to me more than anything I’ve tried in the past. Timing in life seems to be crucial and personal too.

Enjoy the adventure!

Welcome to the Community, John.

I suggest you work through the Grade 1, 2 and 3 modules from start to finish. That way you will refresh quickly on knowledge and skills that you’ve already got down and have the opportunity to spend more focused time on the things that you struggle with.

The end result of that will be a solid foundation upon which to continue the adventure.

From Grade 4 onwards there is a lot more flexibility in choosing your focus. But all builds on that solid foundation laid in the first three grades.

You could also make some recordings of you playing, share here, and get some feedback which may help.

Hello John and welcome to the community. :slight_smile:

There is some great advice there from people.

Hi John and welcome. I can empathise with your feelings and struggles. I’ve been learning for a year and along the way i’ve always felt like i needed feedback on various aspects of my playing. The journey so far has been amazing but there has been lots of second guessing and overthinking things, but i’m learning now that these feelings are actually detrimental to my learning. I’ve only just become involved in this community, but have found here that there is all of the encouragement and feedback you could ever want. When you are ready you can post a vid of yourself playing in the AVOYP area with any technique worries you may have. I have fairly limited experience but my advice would be to take things at a steady pace, make sure you’re relaxed when you’re playing and enjoy yourself. And play songs…lots, I spent too much of my time doing ‘drills’ over the last year and not enough playing the songs that I enjoy. Good luck on your journey :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hi John, good to see you here. Advice ? Do what Mr Preece suggests and you will be just fine. There are consolidation points throughout the courses, that will highlight what you may need to spend more time on and also show you when you are ready to move on to the next stage.

The only thing missing here, is the Mantra De M. Close2U
Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs, Learn songs,

Apply what you are learning to songs.

Simples

Hello, John and welcome to the community! As you can see from all the wonderful replies above, this is a very welcoming bunch who are more than willing to lend support and advice. Keep up a practice schedule and ask questions when you need to. You will soon be on an amazing journey.

Hi John, great to have you here!
As the guy’s and gal’s above already gave you great advice I just say: Using this community to keep you onboard, stay motivated by reading the success story and lessons learned from others and get feedback on your playing is a great thing too.
Cheers,
Martin

Hello and welcome John. My wife grew up in Batavia - Ohio vs. Illinois. :wink:

Welcome John, I’m glad you’re here and that you’ve picked up your guitar again. As you progress you’ll get an idea of your strengths and areas yet to be developed.