I picked up guitar when I was around 19-20 years old back in 2007 and was self taught, I played electric and started off with a red epiphone SG. I later changed to an Ibanez as the SG headstock was heavier than the body which wasn’t comfortable for me. I also used to mess around on an AXL acoustic guitar as well. Back then I used to play punk rock, a bit of metal and rock so I mainly played power chords, basic open chords, riffs and had a very basic knowledge of the fretboard. But I also remember plateauing back then and not really knowing how to improve beyond that.
I played up until around 2010 and stopped when wife, life and kids came along.
I’m 38 now and although I stopped playing all those years, I never really lost the ear for music or guitar. My tastes have changed a lot through the years and I listen to alot of country, Christian country / worship but all sorts of other stuff too. It got me inspired and I got the itch again and just thought why not if I enjoy it?
I looked online and found this incredible resource and website Justinguitar, I wish I had known of this resource when I was younger! So I picked up a Squier Fender SA-105CE acoustic guitar and told myself I’m going to do learn it properly this time now I’ve (hopefully!) got a bit more patience and wisdom towards learning.
I’m currently on Grade 1 module 4 and started learning strumming. The muscle memory on my fretting hand has come back much quicker than I expected, it’s the sore fingers that have been holding me back! But I am enjoying learning the open chords from Justin and have definitely found some much better finger placements for the open / basic chords compared to when I was younger.
I do have one question though and I’m not sure if this is the place to ask it. When I was younger I used to have my thumb over the top often to mute the E string for A chord, C chord, D chord etc, it’s still in my muscle memory and I feel myself wanting to grip the neck and do it. But I’m also concious this may not be best practice this stage and I don’t want to lose out on building up my hand / finger strength again and picking accuracy. Should I resist the temptation to put my thumb over the top for now? I’d love to hear your thoughts experience.
Thanks for the warm welcome Rogier Yes I forget how young I am, even if I feel old from some tough years! I tip my hat to those who learnt guitar before they had the resources we have now!
Hi Ryan, and welcome! I’m an “advancing beginner”, which in my case means I’ve been playing for about three years and am still not very good. (We all have different innate talent, I think!) Regarding your question about muting string 6 with your thumb: I’d say go for it as long as you are able to cleanly and properly form the chord shape. It took me well over a year before I could accomplish this on the D chord — my hands are relatively small, and I had to develop the “stretch” in them before I could reach around the neck. Still can’t do it at all for open A chords! I think Justin occasionally addresses this in lessons too — I think his advice is essentially “if you can do it, do; if you can’t, don’t worry.” With that said, there are far more experienced players here than me, so be sure to consider everyone’s suggestions!
Nice to meet you, Ryan. Hec here also from the UK. I also used to play the guitar. I am 65 now, and I never used my thumb over the neck; however, it is something I am beginning to learn to do now because of taking up the Justin guitar learning courses, so I don’t think you should lose the habit. Cheers HEC
Hi Ryan, welcome to the community forum. I have been learning from Justin (the second time around) just over 3 years. I know that Justin encourages beginners to keep the thumb behind the neck to strengthen the hand muscles to prepare for the big F chord later. In my opinion, you could play with the thumb over when you are playing songs with the D chord for fun and relaxation, but play with the thumb behind the neck when you are doing the one minute drills to provide some exercise. I don’t personally wrap the thumb over because I have very small hands and my thumb doesn’t wrap around easily when I play a D chord I just skip the low E string when I strum.
Muting the low E with your thumb is something I learned recently… I have had a guitar for many years but only within the last few have made any steady improvement (Thanks Justin!)… I think that the thumb mute helps when I strum “vigorously”!!! I’m also working on using my fretting-hand thumb to finger the low E string for F major chord variations… not easy yet but I am seeing improvement!
Hello Ryan.
Welcome to JustinGuitar and this fantastic community. Please take your time to look around and get to know the wider space. View by Categories.
RE: the thumb up and over to mute …
You will naturally do that as you progress. You want to also be able to play with your thumb behind [a] to develop the muscles and grip and [b] because certain chords - barre chords and power chords for instance - are best played with thumb behind. Practice the was Justin teaches in your ‘learning mode’ and ease up if your hand guides you when playing songs.
Note - not muting round the top with your thumb forces you to be conscious of and develop picking / strumming accuracy … a good thing.
We are a supportive and encouraging group of students and guitarists from across the world. Essentially, we are all here for music and to improve as players. We truly are a ‘community’. Members help and support one another and a friendly, positive attitude underpins this. We hope that all - young or old, experienced or new players - adopt and foster the pay-it-forward ethos that Justin personifies and embedded all those years ago when he started the website and forum.
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That is plenty to be going on with. It is a vast community space so if you need help as you find your way around just ask.
Cheers. Richard
| Approved Teacher, Official Guide & Community Moderator |
Yes I forget how young I am, even if I feel old from some tough years! 
I tip my hat to those who learnt guitar before they had the resources we have now!
Regarding your question about muting string 6 with your thumb: I’d say go for it as long as you are able to cleanly and properly form the chord shape. It took me well over a year before I could accomplish this on the D chord — my hands are relatively small, and I had to develop the “stretch” in them before I could reach around the neck. Still can’t do it at all for open A chords! I think Justin occasionally addresses this in lessons too — I think his advice is essentially “if you can do it, do; if you can’t, don’t worry.” With that said, there are far more experienced players here than me, so be sure to consider everyone’s suggestions!
I just skip the low E string when I strum.
