Hey there. Greeting from South Carolina. I bought a cheap acoustic guitar a few years ago thinking I was going to teach myself to play, but life got in the way. I was trying to learn through random YT videos and got frustrated after a few weeks. But, I’ve recently retired so I have no more excuses. I’ve been practicing with Justin’s lessons for a few weeks now and getting into a practice routine. I’m hoping to stick with it this time. It’s been a few weeks now and I’m through the finger pain, but I am struggling to get all my fingers press the strings at once. Hoping that will come in time. Excited to begin my guitar journey… again.
Hi Chris and welcome to this community where you’ll find great instruction and helpful, entertaining fellow students to share your journey with. Just keep in mind that the fun part - playing songs on your guitar - is directly proportional to the amount of finger pain and momotonous practice you endure. Eventually those fingers will “know” where they are supposed to be!
Do you use Justin’s practice assistant? I found it to be incredibly helpful and I utilize it still to this day making custom practice routine to fit my needs. Super easy and has a fair amount of tools to use and Its free and at the end of each section you can port over the recommended items right to it in one click. Super easy and then you can adjust to suit you and its all in one spot.
Hi Chris, welcome to the community forum. I try to get a little practice in first thing in the morning. If I wait until the end of the day, I may be too tired. I find that a little practice each day is what made the difference for me. Also, focusing on songs to keep it fun. I hope you also have fun in your guitar journey.
Good to hear that you’ve added learning guitar to your retirement plans! More free time means more time to practice & play! Good for you!
If you haven’t already, buy yourself a guitar stand or wall hanger. When your guitar is “at hand” instead of in it’s case in a closet, you will find yourself picking it up often when you only have a few minutes! It really makes a difference! I like to get a few minutes of play time in while the coffee’s brewing!
Also, ALWAYS keep it Fun! If practice is feeling like work & that it’s a drag, find something guitar related that’s fun & inspiring! Even if it’s just “mindful listening” to music you like while playing air guitar… it’s going to keep you engaged & gives you a little break!
Keep in mind that this Community is a wonderful resource when you are feeling stuck or have questions about an aspect of learning!
Good luck!
Thanks for the advice. I do have a guitar stand - got it when I started the first time - but I’m feeling more encouraged this time around. Hopefully the extra free time will be all that I need.
Another tip… when you are getting good at the 1 minute changes Justin suggests (not sure where you are in the lessons - but you will encounter 1 minute changes), practice them in either very low light or darkness. Helps you to “feel” your way around the fretboard!
And welcome! I started guitar in my 50s and had the same issue with the fingers. It just takes a bit more time than a younger learner because of the lack of flexibility and finger strength. With time and some patience the fingers come good in the end. The practice routines with the beginner stage lessons are very helpful. All you need is a minimum of 10 minutes a day to make some progress but of course more practice gets quicker results.
Hi Chris
Nice to meet you
you’re in a great place for your guitar journey with Justin’s lessons and this community is very supportive and encouraging too
wishing you a lot of fun with it and look forward to hearing more from you
To answer question dont worry about being perfect. That will come with time and muscle memory.
What I do is The first thing is warm up and then do my “dailys” (thats what i call them) these are the short practices in my practice assisstant. Time guides this next part, I go back and do concentrated practice stuff, watch new videos, work on songs, manage my practice assistant (add/drop/make notes) do theory. This way you cover everything a little bit everyday. You can even add segmented items to the practice assistant for these longer items also by changing times and adding different days in notes. I only use mine for shorter core items. But lots of options.
Muscle memory can assimilate each item each day, the brain will process each item into long term memory each night while sleeping. I think this was especially key for me in grades 1-3
I require a nice regimental study plan because ofy ADHD or I will drift off and wont stay orginized. Its very easy to just doodle around or take too much time on just one thing.
You can still do all the things you want to do, even be a perfectionist after the dailys are done and take as much time playing fun things.
I even still work on one min chord changes. When I get a new tricky chords sequence. Wierd chords I do not encounter much. 9ths or 11ths odd balls, I make a practice item for each of the changes. I make it part of my dailys and it knocks the learning time of the song down significatly. Once I get the basic song down I can add the tricky chord change in and I remove it from my dailys. Its super easy.
Hello Chris.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space. View by Categories.
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a ‘community’. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
Also, please make sure to read the Community Etiquette announcement for some important information and guidance.
If you want to record yourself to show your progress and / or seek feedback there is our ever popular Community Recordings section.
Behind the scenes there is a small and dedicated team who work to make the JustinGuitar experience as good as it can be. Check out the Onboarding sessions provided by Fanny.
Justin also has a small group of Approved Teachers he recommends for people wanting 1-to-1 lessons to supplement his courses - of which I am privileged to be one.
