As your post indicates, you’ve already found that Justin’s teaching methods are pretty amazing… as a guy who’s had a guitar(s) for a long, long time but only really started learning since discovering Justin, I can’t sing his praises enough!
I hadn’t encountered the word “transformational” before here in the Community but it’s been transformational to me as well! It’s very fortunate for us 62 year olds (yes, me too) to have such a great resource available as long as we have internet access!
If in using the word comfortable, you’re talking about finger pain, there’s a lot of ideas out there in the Community, just use the search function. If, however, you’re talking about progressing faster or easier… I’ll pay attention to the responses you get… and follow you down that path!!! It’s just time, practice, repetitiveness & paying attention when attempting new skills… have you watched any of the Nitsuj videos? Here’s this Guitar Guru trying to learn to play leftie & even though he already has all of the mental stuff down, he’s really, really struggling to make anything even close to music! It’s cool to see that we all go through the same stages in this Journey called “guitar”!
Anyway, good luck with YOUR Journey… the MOST IMPORTANT thing is to keep it FUN!!! As long as it’s FUN, you’ll want to pick up the guitar & play. As long as you pick it up, that’s half the battle… you will keep learning!!!
About 35 years ago, we had a Scottish family that had just come to the US from Glasgow move in across the street from us in our old neighborhood. The father of the brood called me over one day & was obviously asking me… something.
I asked him numerous times what he was saying… and as time went on, he was getting obviously frustrated. His volume kept increasing… he was getting red in the face… yet I couldn’t understand anything he was saying…
About that time, his teenage daughter came out - she looked angry too… “What ye be doin’ ta piss off me Da!” she yelled!
I told her that he was asking me something but that I couldn’t understand him… when they talked to each other literally the only word I could make out was "cat ".
It turned out that he hated cats & we had quite a few that roamed around - he was asking me if it was against the law in the US to “Shoot the Fooookin’ Cats”!!!
I guess I just wasn’t expecting that question the very first time I met the guy!
They did turn out to be good neighbors… we gave them a bottle of Scotch every Christmas & they gave us a bottle of Tennessee Bourbon… worked out pretty well!!!
Ochyerbumsootthawindae, it don’t get more ‘English’ than ‘many a mickle makes a muckle’. It’s an old Northern English, Scottish colloquialism
I’ll let you work out for yourself what the Scottish saying I started with means. You’d would have got it if you’d listened to you Glaswegian neighbour
Thanks for the thoughtful response. The comfort was more about not feeling I’m starting all over again!
To be honest though I spent 45 minutes today working through the 8th module practice & found that the foundations from level 1 have kicked in & helped no end. I’m feeling good about things again!
Kevin…
OH, believe me… I LISTENED… and Nodded… & Smiled… & had NO CLUE!!!
Well, except for that word that Brian @brianlarsen pointed out… heard that one A LOT!!!
Oh, also “groot”. It turned out that he was a tile installer… worked for a company that installed tile for big corporations & he talked about how the consistency of the “groot” here was so inferior to the “groot” he used to work with in the “Ould… umm… something or other”!!! Most of the time though, his kids or wife had to translate for us!
Tod
P.S.
I’m getting - Och, ye’re bum’s so windy. How did you know that I ate a big plate full of beans last night???
Good to hear! There’s so many peaks, valleys & plateaus along this Journey… just keep it FUN & it will happen!!!
Thanks Judi a great response & I’ll certainly put some into practice. Today I found it really useful to go over some of the songs that make me feel good before coming back to the new practice. It worked wonders!
Close! Literally "Oh, your bum’s out of the window. Figuratively ‘You’re talking nonsense’, but please don’t take me seriously
I’m English though living in Scotland. For the first year or so after our move north I needed my Scottish born wife to translate! It felt like a whole new language
I was once attending a Masonic Lodge meeting in Edinburgh. An older brother came up to me and was talking to me. After he walked away, I confessed to some of the others that I hadn’t understood anything he said. One said “don’t feel bad, sometimes even we need a translator for some of these brothers.”
Hi Kevin ,
It’s good to see that you like some chit chat, otherwise it wouldn’t be entirely appropriate that all that stuff is written here in your introduction
you disappoint me… you don’t know yet after I have said it so many times that I have been drinking tea in the morning for at least 5 years… before that I drank ‘English tea’ or as we say in the Netherlands 'children’s tea ’
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.
It’s just time, practice, repetitiveness & paying attention when attempting new skills… have you watched any of the Nitsuj videos? Here’s this Guitar Guru trying to learn to play leftie & even though he already has all of the mental stuff down, he’s really, really struggling to make anything even close to music! It’s cool to see that we all go through the same stages in this Journey called “guitar”!
and as time went on, he was getting obviously frustrated. 
His volume kept increasing… he was getting red in the face… 
yet I couldn’t understand anything he was saying… 
heard that one A LOT!!! 
