I feel disheartened at my own progress having watched Livestream #3

Having a go at that one as well!!

I will, at some point down the line.

1 Like

I did look at that but if you have read my comments here you will see that I didnā€™t get on very well - https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/play-what-you-hear-exercise-et-002#discussion, mind you that was nearly 18months ago. May need to have another go.

I am with you on that one Stuart. I need to drop back a ways and pay attention to ear training as well!

Hi Stuart.
I have only just read your original post .
I read, many years ago now, thisā€¦ Desiderata.
It takes just a few moments to read but really puts everything into perspective.
It really helped me all my life.
I,m old now and first read it way back in the 60s as a teen.
Try it and see if you gain from it.
Iā€™m not sure about posting links in forums ( copyright or whatever? ) but a quick Google search will bring it up. ( other search engines are available :slightly_smiling_face: )
Would be interested in seeing if it helps.

Mike

P.S. Edited for spelling mistakes.

5 Likes

@oldhippy Thanks for sharing, Mike. Iā€™ve not encountered that before and love the wisdom in such ā€˜philosophy of lifeā€™ writings.

I donā€™t think thereā€™s an issue in sharing a link to a site thrown up by a search engine, so ā€¦ Desiderata

And my usual curiosity led me to:

What is the true meaning of Desiderata?

The word desiderata means ā€œthings that are desired.ā€ Ehrmann said he wrote it for himself, ā€œbecause it counsels those virtues I felt most in need of.ā€ These virtues have been valued by countless others as Desiderata rose in popularity in the late '60s and early '70s.

2 Likes

ā€œAvoid loudā€¦ persons; they are vexatious to the spiritā€
Oh dear :flushed: :rofl:

4 Likes

Thanks and I know what you mean.

1 Like

Hi DavidP

Late 60s early 70sā€¦ many happy memories of them.
Amid all the Teds, Mods, Rockers et all, and the ā€œnonsenseā€ that happened when they came together, being a ā€œhippyā€ was a life changing event for me.
I met a lot of varied people and ideals in the communes I lived in.
Of course there weā€™re fall outs and arguments about all sorts of things but only sorted by words, rarely setteled with fists.
Never made it to SF but the ideas stuck.
I read it maybe 2 - 3 times a month reg or whenever life is going bit wobbley.
Glad you enjoyed it
Cheers
Mike

1 Like

Lots of agreement with this whole statement, I have to remind myself, (when I get too self critical) that I am playing/noodling on the guitar for my own pleasure. I keep my guitars out, mounted on the wall and whenever I feel the urge I can reach back grab a guitar and have fun. When you are on your own at home no one is judging, and though my progress feels slow to me, it is there and I love it! PS almost 3 years in to my journey, and there is progress however slow! :slight_smile:

1 Like

I love your team name. It made me LOL!

Hi Stuart,

I hope by the time this posts, you will have broken through the pain barrier, however, There are likely to be more ahead.
Iā€™m 71. Iā€™ve been playing for about 5 years and JustinGuitar has been my number one go-to site. At first, I never thought that my stiff, stubby and shriveled fingers, limited attention span, bad vision & hearing- you name it - would get me very far. They didnā€™t- but perseverance did, and soon those fingers, while still stubby, loosened up and toughened. I also got my ears cleaned (something not often thought of) - and I can tell you that alone made a huge improvement in hearing a more dynamic sound range. Iā€™m posting this because, while perusing Justinā€™s ā€œFood for Thoughtā€ category, I came across a video he did (https://www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/neuroplasticity-to-learn-guitar-faster-bg-1806 )in which he discussed learning limitations in older people and, how by stimulating the chemicals related to brain neuroplasticity, we can prime our brains to be more receptive to learning capacity and retention. If you think it sounds fringe, I donā€™t blame you, but it is science and after incorporating the exercises (mental & physical) into my practice sessions, I can vouch that it does work. One take away, is to work through the frustration and despondency, however debilitating- and it most certainly can be. Itā€™s a crucial ā€˜pain thresholdā€™ step in the process that once crossed, releases chemicals in the brain that set the stage for optimum learning. Justin references the Huberman Lab (Using Failures, Movement & Balance to Learn Faster - Huberman Lab ) as his source which discusses the research and results behind it in great length and from a laymanā€™s perspective. I cannot recommend this highly enough and encourage you to give it a view. Itā€™s long, but priceless will serve you well in more ways than learning guitar. Learning an instrument is a beautiful gift you give yourself and much of the joy in is in the journey. It cannot be rushed. Keep expectations reasonable. Take baby steps. I truly believe there is not one person on this site who hasnā€™t wanted to pull their hair out at any given moment. You are not alone. Best of luck to you. :v:

6 Likes

I have and you are right. Ongoing pain & frustration which is basically OK (it comes and goes) and which I realise is part of this very long journey. A marathon some have called it!

Agreed. I practice something everyday even if it is just for 15mins.

Not seen that yet as thatā€™s well into grade 3! Iā€™ll have a watch but shouldnā€™t this be in an earlier grade lesson?

Agreed. Just wish I had started 50 years ago.

Thank you.

Hi Donā€™t get down hearted Iā€™m the same been trying to play for ages and seemingly getting nowhere but if you look back at what you were like when you first started compared to now i`m sure you have made progress i will never make a good player but who cares i can play some campfire songs some easy rock and roll type stuff i am also old 69, the trick is to play music you like start easy and work your way through when i started i could not play power chords or the rock and roll shuffle i can now at the moment i am learning merry xmas everybody by slade and determined to learn it even if its one bar at a time! so keep on plucking

1 Like

Stuart learning from memory try Eleanor rigby 2 chords Em and C just practice it or you could try writing it out that helps also.

1 Like

I have indeed. I knew nothing when I started but know a bit more now.

Well there you go making progress you could go back to beginners 1 and really consolidate before you move on i am just starting mod 9 beginners 2 and finding it a bit hard but if you donā€™t try the harder stuff improvement will not happen.keep at it donā€™t look at it as a chore.

1 Like

That took me awhile but finally he stuck around on the couch. Lol

1 Like