@northspoon1 welcome to the canine jungle Ralph!
woof woof
Thanks - I’m really hoping my background in (basic) music theory and playing saxophone will give me a head start. I have my OPEN chords down now, and can play thru all Major and minor scales, using finger-style. So, now pushing hard (literally) on BARRE chords. It’s good to be retired with lots of time available too 
.
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I’m 65. I took up guitar 10 years ago, and discovered Justin’s site, got really into it for about five years, buying Justin’s Beginning Guitar workbook, and then just dropped it in 2020. I was super frustrated and felt like I just hit a plateau of mediocrity. Then last September I joined a 12-week Artist’s Way group, and in the process rekindled my interest in the guitar. I took it up again last November-December. I think what discouraged me was (1) a tendency to try to play songs that were beyond my level; and (2) lacking any community support, i.e., groups, open mics, etc. The whole Covid insanity with the lockdowns and everything was not a help, either. I still am a slow learner and plagued by doubt but persisting in the process. This time I’m working through Justin’s app, which is really helpful, and still using the guitar workbook, and YouTube videos. I’m hoping gather the courage to play a cover in an open mic soon. Played Whats Up for my Artist’s Way group and it was a hit.
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Welcome (back) Heather! Those plateaus frustrate me, too, and I hit them frequently. I’ve learned to accept them as part of the journey - indeed, I think my learning has increased since doing that. I think you’ll find many here who share your struggles, so don’t be a stranger!
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Hi Heather, welcome back. I started back with Justin again two years ago at the age of 67. I only practice about 30 min./day, but decided that it doesn’t matter how slow I learn as long as I make some progress and have fun. I have gotten some feedback from the community by recording songs occasionally in the Community recordings (AVOYP) and setting up a learning log and putting shorter recordings in the learning log to record my progress. I like learning songs from Justin’s graded song lessons in the website as well as in the app. I hope you have a lot of fun this time around.
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Hello Heather! @BigSkyMind
What part of the world is home? Maybe Montana… the Big Sky state in the US?
Learning plateaus are tough… I’ve been in “Endless Beginner Syndrome” for many years because I hit plateaus & stopped playing for months/years at a time. Justin has got me pushing myself though, I hope that you’ll experience the same!
Good luck with your Journey!!!
Tod from New Mexico
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Hello Heather.
Welcome back to JG and I hope you feel at home in our warm and cosy kennel. Yours is a familiar tale. We have many folk who started, stopped, started, hit a brick wall, stated again etc.
We have online open mics organised through the Community. Why not check it out, sit in the audience and pick up on the vibe. JGC Open Mic XXVIII / 28 Call For Interest (event date Sat 22nd February 2025
Richard 
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Hi Ralph @northspoon1
Welcome here and i wish you a lot of fun 
And with some background in music you will go nice and fast in the beginning…enjoy it 
Hi Heather @BigSkyMind
For once I wish you perseverance and fun , find a way to stay connected to your guitar, and this now very active community can certainly be of help…
Greetings,Rogier
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Its a shame you did not find the old version of the forum back then, its been going nearly 2 decades, I’ve been here and on the old infrastructure for over a decade and it was already going strong back then. And I would not have stayed the course without the support I received in the early days. There was always a link from Justin’s original website.
Hopefully now you are here, you will hang on in there this time.
Welcome to the pound.
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Hi All, First attempt at an introduction. I’m passed 65 and retired 18 months ago. Bought an acoustic guitar in the pandemic but never did much due to work etc. Going to give it a good try this time. I live in South Wales (UK) and started about 3 weeks ago - Still wondering when the fingers will be less sore, is it even possible to stretch my fingers into the different chord positions and when will my wrist stop aching - not even broached strumming yet!!! - ah well onward and upward!!
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“ started about 3 weeks ago - Still wondering when the fingers will be less sore ”
Hi Paul, welcome from another old dog (69). At 3 weeks you are still in the sore fingers part of your guitar journey. You can give your sore fretting fingers a break from playing chords by working more with the strumming hand. Justin shows that you can practice strumming by just wrapping your fingers around the strings with your fretting hand and strum the muted guitar. I do that a lot when I am learning new strums. Be sure to use a thin pick, like Justin recommends and have fun.
“is it even possible to stretch my fingers into the different chord positions”.
“ when will my wrist stop aching”
I have very short fingers and still have no trouble forming the chords. Your wrists should not hurt, so you might be doing something wrong. Be sure to check with the community comments with each of the lessons on the website. There is a lot of discussion on the best way to play the chords and how to position your hand when playing. You can even post a picture of you playing the chord and get feedback. Be patient and you will get past the sore fingers part of the guitar journey (until you get to module 8 and give your pinky finger a workout 
)
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Love this! As an old dog myself learning some new tricks, it’s great to know there’s a cozy spot like this where we can all share the journey—doubts, laughs, and wins included. Hats off to the community spirit here!
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@Simbadsdad Paul and @netahnpaul86 Nethan
I have found a warm and comfortable spot in the kennel for you … there’s a blanket and some doggie treats and lots of new friends around you!!
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Hi Paul @Simbadsdad
Retirement is a great time to start … lots of time, or whatever reason you are at home and can still use your hands reasonably … I wish you a lot of fun and a long time learning guitar
Hi Nethan @netahnpaul86
Welcome here and cozy it is
I wish you a lot of fun
Greetings,Rogier
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Hello Paul @Simbadsdad !
Lots of good times to be had here in JustinLand!!!
Hello Nethan @netahnpaul86 !
Wishing you loads of fun ahead!!!
This whole guitar Journey thing feels like we’re chasing our tails at times… going like crazy & then collapsing in front of the fireplace with our tongues hanging out!!! 
But, if you’re having fun along the way, who cares!!! 
Tod
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Hi Steve, Kudos to you for starting back in to guitar at 67. One is never too old! It seems this forum is a resource I could have made much better use of, before and even recently. I’m curious about the community recordings. Is there a place on this site where participants can upload recordings? If so, I haven’t found it. Will keep looking…
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Hi Tod, I’m from Santa Rosa, California. Yeah, I only wish I’d taken the Artist’s Way group sooner, but it made me realize there was a reason I didn’t want to get rid of my guitar. I’m grateful to have found Justin’s guitar site and community. Thank you, and good luck to you as well!
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Hi Heather, I had to have it explained to me. You can’t directly upload video or audio recording to the JG site, but you can create an account in YouTube or SoundCloud and upload your video or audio to those accounts and then paste the URL link for your uploaded video or audio into the website post for your recording.
Here is additional info from a similar question in the community:
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Well done. Keep going.
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