Hi all. I am David, a Brit living in SW France. I have been learning vua the app for nearly six months and am loving it. I don’t actually visit the website all that often but think i should probably do so.
I read somewhere that 90% of new wannabe guitarists quit during the first six months which shocked me. However i think i understand. The further one progresses without any doubt the harder it gets and there is a tendancy to hit a plateau where remembering and applying new techniques gets more difficult.
I am well into Grade 2 now and sometimes think i may have been moving too fast - albeit i am fortunate enough to be able to do an average of 30 minutes practice each day.
I tried La Bamba this week and that was difficult. I would be grateful for other people’s experience on getting through this. Does it start to get easier anytime? Thanks,
Hi David, welcome to the community!
Justin has specific “when to move on” lessons at the end of modules, and a series of videos of him learning to play left handed. I found them invaluable guides to know when to move and more importantly when not to.
Does it get easier? Some things do, eg after you’ve learnt a couple songs well enough to play them all the way through, the new few songs will take less time. But at some point you will want to learn more challenging songs that need new techniques and the first of them will take longer.
I strongly suggest recording yourself periodically and keeping a practice journal. There will inevitably be days when you hit a plateau or feel you aren’t making enough progress etc and they serve as great reminders of how far you’ve already come, what you learnt along the way, what you found hard or easy etc.
This guitar journey is a long one my friend. Slow down and enjoy the ride. Ask for advice or help here whenever you need it!
You might want to search for similar questions elsewhere in the community. For example theres one where Richard had posted a guide for how long an average beginner might spend on each grade / module.
Hello David & Welcome!!!
Does it get easier? Yes! but also (in a way) No…
Let me explain…
For example, the “Open” or “Cowboy” chords. Difficult at first to get fingers in the right places & to get clear ringing notes without fret buzz. Changing between two different chords? Almost impossible! After a while (hours & hours of practicing) they feel natural & almost too easy! Your OMC numbers are so good! That A to D to C progression is Great!!! 
Then the “F” (aptly named BTW) chord pops up… What happened? I was finally into smooth chords & transitions… back to the practice sessions!!! Next up, “Bm”… etc. etc. etc.
Personally, I love the challenge & getting past the next learning curve, but as I see it, there’s always more to learn & that’s part of the fun!
It’s a good idea to set some short, medium & long term goals AND WRITE THEM DOWN!!!
As you “Check Off” the goals you’ve achieved, your motivation to conquer the next ones soars!!! Most of us here think of the learning path as a Journey… It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon!
Good luck, keep going!!!
Tod from New Mexico USA
Hi David. Welcome to the community. For me what made all the difference was a focus on songs. Once I learned to play my first song all the way through I just kept adding to my repertoire of songs.
It’s a great reward to be able to pull a song out of one’s back pocket at will.
I remember one song that took me a full month to get on top off. It does get a LOT easier as you go along. Now, for me, that sort of song would only take a few days to learn. Even so, back then learning it was a thrill that kept me motivated and going.
Hi David, welcome! Lots of good advice above. I’ll share two comments based on my (ongoing) beginner experiences:
Good instincts there. 
The website is rich with resources, not least of which are the helpful notes accompanying each lesson.
I have this problem as well, and really noticed it in Grade 2. Soooo much to learn, I want it all now! 
The good thing: you can always go back and really learn what you might have rushed through. You’ll know when to do that!
Hey David,
I myself don’t visit enough, but this community as well is especially great. They helped me get through a ton of frustrations that made me want to quit when I first began. I am now going on over 2 years strong and still work on things from grade 2-3. It does get easier based on the question you are asking. Yes, transitioning chords, learning scales, how to play melody lines, music theory all opens up however, and that is where the yes, but no comes in. It never ends. You will always be learning and the saying “The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.” This is true, the more you learn, more and more things open up and you realize there is a ton more to this, but that is the rewarding part.
I recorded myself at the end of grade 1 and looking back now I laugh at where I came from, but then I look ahead and realize I still have a ton I need to work on, even the “beginner things” can still always use more refinement. Best advice though is seriously to give yourself grace. Learning anything new, but especially an instrument is not easy for anyone.
I only say this not to brag, but to prove a point. I am an Engineer with a degree from a 4-year university, and I have a friend who dropped out of high school, who can play guitar better than I ever hope to. It isn’t about how smart you are, or physical differences you may have, it is hard for everyone, but everyone can do it.
For La Bamba in general, I still work on that to this day (1-1.5 years later). It gets better. Take it piece by piece. Do the first 3 notes over and over until you get it to tempo perfectly at least 3 times in a row. Then move on to another section and repeat the process. Do that over and over until you get the whole song done. (This process works for learning any song I have learned). I had to learn a new song I had never played, in a week and a half, for a play I got volunteered for. It had single string note lines, mixed with chords. Same process and I was able to learn it in the short time period.
There is no secret trick, no matter what anyone tells you. Just like the gym, same exact concept. Without time and discipline, it won’t come. Biggest takeaway is it all comes with time, if you use your practice time in the most efficient way possible. Welcome and glad you are part of the community!
Welcome David
You should. The approach I recommend is to use the website to work through the lessons. The app was originally just intended as an aid to elarn songs. Learning content has been added but I consider it supplementary.
Hello David and welcome,
the rut will come sooner or later. It is on you how you will get ready for that or what is your mindset in general in life.
Recommendation about making your own videos of progress is really great preparation for that, I am doing that too. Some guys making practice journals (Joe Robinson) or learning log (the way of Justin Guitar student on this web). Everything measurable or “touchable” can help you in future to stay.
To me it is really important to set your mindset, that guitar journey is life journey and not to starve “learn THE WHOLE guitar in few months”. Also not to eat too much content over YouTube at the time, you can get demotivated and lost really fast.
When you will get to the end of Grade 2, Justin will have some recommendations and the path of your journey can split here, so you can focus more on some genre, technic, etc., but for now following Justins goals via every module consolidation is the great way.
About the La Bamba and push strumming… I am gonna touch that this or next week, so I will see how it goes. 
It is important to not be too tough to yourself, but also not to weak so you tolerate the mistakes and learning bad habits, it is just about finding the balance.
Wishing you all the best on your promising journey - you are learning around 6 months with the app and you are touching the Grade 2. That is great achievement. 
Hi David,
Welcome here and I wish you a lot of fun 
And as others say, I also say, go do the lessons on the website, and look at all the extras in ‘Explore’ in terms of free and paid lessons… look arround and have fun 
Greetings, Rogier
Hi David, welcome to the community. You have gotten a lot of good advice. I would also add to use the song lessons on the website. I have learned a lot from looking at the website song lessons.
Hi David and welcome to a great community cheers Hec
Hello and welcome to our Community David! Does it get any easier? That’s an interesting question. You will build new skills and confidence along the way - consistency is key and 30 minutes a day is really good - but the more you know the more you’ll be able to explore the countless possibilities the world of Music offers that you actually don’t know…so there’s always a challenge to pick up. The good news is it’s you that decide, according to your musical taste and goals, which challenge you really want to pick up. For the moment just work on building solid fundamentals, be realistic on your expectations and indulgent toward your self, have fun along the way and celebrate the well-being the little victories bring to you…that’s how you keep away the risk of quitting 
Please remember we’re here to support eachother in the joirney, do not hesitate to reach out to ask or to share more about yourself.
Welcome Dave …all the best on your journey!
Steve 