“ 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 )
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!
@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!!
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
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!!!
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…
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!
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:
i’ve been at his from scratch for about 4 weeks - 15 to 30 mins a day - Ive been trying to get to 30 chord chages in a minute on the practice roiutine (A to D) for about a week now - the more i rush the more I fail - upto about 25 but progress seems slow to me - whats others experience like of module 1 and acheiving the targets?
Hi Paul, I have that same experience with many things. If you’re at 25 changes (you’re counting A - D - A - D as “0 - 1 - 2 - 3”, correct?), You might consider setting this one aside for a week and moving on, but returning it to your practice after a week or so. Many people find they start making progress again after a break. Keep us posted!
I looked back at my learning logand it looks like it took me a couple months to get decent chord changes in the beginning. Try not to rush a lot, just a bit at a time, (does that make sense? lol). It will happen.
@LunaRocket thanks for the reply - comforting to hear - think I was trying to get others experience in terms of how much time it took them to get through the modules/stages - your feedback is very helpful
Ok, I’ll play. 57, been on and off playing for years but it feels more serious this time around. I’ve been taking lessons here for a few years, but never really visited the forum before. So here I am. Scott, originally from the UK, now living and working in Romania.
Hi Scott, and welcome! For me, the structure of Justin’s lessons makes my learning feel more “serious”. I guess it’s because there’s an internal logic to the way Justin presents skills and ideas. Consulting this community has taught me a lot. I think you’ll find that pinions presented here — even when they differ — generally well-considered.
I hope you have lots of fun learning! I’m curious, what are your guitar goals & what kind of music do you love to play? Electric or Acoustic… or both? Also, gear pics are always welcome here!
Tod from New Mexico USA
Hi Scott, welcome to the community. I’m 69 and enjoy Justin’s lessons. I have found that reading the discussions in the community for each of the lessons helped me to learn some things from the lessons that I had overlooked. I also have learned more about planning my practice from looking at some of the learning logs in the community. I have also found posting an occasional video of my playing to the community recordings helps keep me honest as to my progress. I wish you lots of fun as you learn and make progress with playing the guitar.
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… I wish you a lot of fun and a long time learning guitar 
