hi - j3z here in the uk.
good courses, well laid out and presented. have been playing for a while and have some experience of band / open mic’s, though haven’t done anything for ages. getting old ‘n’ rusty, so decided to start again with the beginners course. i can always find something new to learn here.
Hey j3z, good to year you are at it again. Keep at it, it’s such fun once you get a bit of progress.
Welcome to the forum j3z
thanks tony for your acknowledgement and reply. once i get back in the swing of things i should do some open mic’s again. i get so nervous though.
thanks stich for your acknowledgement and reply. once i get back in the swing of things i hope to do some open mic’s again…if i can overcome the nerves
I hear you loud and clear. I’ve battled those open mic nerves heaps, think I’m over them and then unexpectedly they creep back. For me starting with easier / slower songs has helped and the more I do open mics the better it gets.
my local open mic has its usual performers and it seems a bit of a clique and you tend to get the same songs, but they’re a good bunch. i find the slower tunes harder to do so the easier ones for me are the quicker ones. i don’t have time to shake as much! and you’re absolutely right - the more you do, the more the nerves fade. i find you do have to keep it up though, and it’s a long time since. maybe this weekend is the time i get back on that horse…
Hi! Glad you’ve come back for learning. 
Kudos to you for even trying open mic!
hi suzieq, and thank you for your reply.
i’m a lefty, but play right handed…
it was easier to learn that way rather than keep changing the strings on my sisters guitar and then putting them back again
Another lefty! Yeah I’m just very stubborn which is why I play left handed. I don’t feel it’s right to be forced to play with the opposite hand. Same thing happened to me when I wanted to learn colorguard in school with the flags. All the motions were backwards for me.
Hello and welcome to the community J3z. 
Enjoy your journey.
Hi J3z,
Welcome and see you soon … 
And always good to relearn from a bit back, you will certainly benefit from it…
Greetings,Rogier
Welcome J3z! Great you’ve hit the road again with the course, wishing you all the best
hi Notter,
thank you for your welcoming reply. much appreciated.
i hope you’re doing ok and moving smoothly through the courses 
hi rogier, and thank you for your welcoming reply.
yes, it’s nice to rediscover stuff you’ve forgotten. it reminds me that i have learnt more than i thought and that i taught myself quite well. there was no internet when i started. it was listening to records (no cd’s) and playing along, books of the album ie ‘the wall’ - pink floyd, ‘harvest’ - neil young and sheet music; bob dylan and leonard cohen for example.
i hope you’re moving smoothly through the courses
hi sgtColon, and thank you for your welcome.
it’s nice to rediscover stuff you do so easily now and take for granted that at the time was painfully laborious.
i hope you’re getting along nicely
understanding and agreement here
Hello J3z and welcome to the community. Bravo to you for recognising a need to re-build and going back to learn from the basics again.
I remember reading a sporting story that Jack Nicklaus wohld say to his coach every pre-season, ‘I want you to teach me how to play golf’.
I am a bit kike you, getting older, rusty and seeing the time from when I last played out in publuc receding over the horizon.
Ask any questions and someone will surely come along to encourage and support.
Cheers
Richard
Hi Richard,
Thank you so much for your welcoming and encouraging reply.
It’s a funny thing; I raced through the first 3+ courses and a few other random lessons in probably a bit over a week or so and it was both refreshing and reassuring to confirm to myself that I’m not completely talent free! I’ll never be a lead guitarist though for 2 reasons; 1) I never really wanted that level of attention and 2) if I lived to be million and had eight fingers on each hand, it still ain’t gonna happen! A man has to know his limitations, (Magnum Force) so for now, I stick to what I do best.
I went to a first Sunday in the month open mic tonight with a full intention of playing. I’ve been practicing and psyching myself up for the last few days and have sufficient repertoire. But when it came to it, could I do it? No. And that’s because I don’t think I can sing. However, once the mic’s and p.a. were switched off and before everyone left, I asked if I could borrow a guitar and did a couple of simple tunes (Nanana - Status Quo and Freefalling - Tom Petty). I got such a confidence boost when (and the folks know I suffer terribly from nerves) I was told I can sing and can play and should be up there doing something. So I’ll try again on 1st Sunday in October and see how it goes.
So I think I’m somewhere between ‘teach me how to play again’ and seeing a performance that hasn’t fully disappeared into the sunset yet.
We (I) are (am) our (my) own worst critic(s).
Lovely chatting with you and thank you for your time. Much appreciated.
Best regards,
Jem.
Hi j3z … you went, you held a guitar, you played. Those are big moments. Good vibes to you.
Ain’t it so.