No don’t quit!! It will come over time. Just keep plucking away at it and I promise it will come. Try to learn from as many artists or people on here as you can. It’s definitely frustrating at first but once you make that first break through its defiantly worth it. You’ll be uploading videos in no time =)
No, no no! Don’t give up! The first year is the hardest, but it’s always incremental – the first week is harder than the second; the second week harder than the third..
Once you get to where you start playing SONGS and MELODIES, your motivation will pick up. It takes YEARS to be really good, and it’s a lifelong dedication to self-improvement.
Be patient – you will not be Syn in six months. Yes, he makes it look easy. Yes, it takes many thousands of hours of hard work to make it look that easy.
So looking at the first lesson, that’s basically just the anatomy of the guitar. What lesson are you on, what specific questions do you have, and what exactly are you trying to do with your fingers?
Answer these questions, and I and countless others will offer advice and encouragement. STICK IT OUT!
Once you get to where you start playing SONGS and MELODIES, your motivation will pick up. It takes YEARS to be really good, and it’s a lifelong dedication to self-improvement.
Be patient – you will not be Syn in six months. Yes, he makes it look easy. Yes, it takes many thousands of hours of hard work to make it look that easy.
So looking at the first lesson, that’s basically just the anatomy of the guitar. What lesson are you on, what specific questions do you have, and what exactly are you trying to do with your fingers?
Answer these questions, and I and countless others will offer advice and encouragement. STICK IT OUT!
G
Guest
Guest
It also is stressing me out because I’m pretty sure I’ve watched the first lesson several times already and I’m just so confused with video lessons. I need a real life teacher and I cannot afford one. Plus I have a crap load on me right now with Clarient. I have to learn the music for concert festival and I can’t really practice two different instruments without getting confused. Plus I’m short on time. I knew guitar wasn’t easy but I don’t know what to do.
Hi Kallie,
Because so many people play guitar, it seems like it must be easy. IT’S NOT! It takes a long time – especially in the beginning. If you were learning a foreign language, (which you kind of are), would you be upset if you couldn’t speak it fluently in a week? You would probably be happy if you could say, Good Morning. How are you. And – I am fine.
I can’t say if you are meant to play guitar or not. I can say that if you study these lessons and play a few minutes every day, you will be able to play sooner than you think. It’s really a question of whether or not you have the kind of personality to want to do that. Some people do. Some people don’t. Only you can answer that.
Let’s make a deal. Make a 1 minute video of what you are working on today. Then, PROMISE ME that you will practice 15 minutes EVERY DAY for the next two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, make another 1 minute video. If you still can’t play what you are working on today, you’ll have your answer. But if you can – you can then decide if the time spent was worth it and if you want to continue pursuing the guitar. Feel free to ask questions on the lesson pages. There are lots of people here who are willing to help, (including me & Syn).
The last thing I will ask is that you check in with me and let me know how it went.
Deal?
Because so many people play guitar, it seems like it must be easy. IT’S NOT! It takes a long time – especially in the beginning. If you were learning a foreign language, (which you kind of are), would you be upset if you couldn’t speak it fluently in a week? You would probably be happy if you could say, Good Morning. How are you. And – I am fine.
I can’t say if you are meant to play guitar or not. I can say that if you study these lessons and play a few minutes every day, you will be able to play sooner than you think. It’s really a question of whether or not you have the kind of personality to want to do that. Some people do. Some people don’t. Only you can answer that.
Let’s make a deal. Make a 1 minute video of what you are working on today. Then, PROMISE ME that you will practice 15 minutes EVERY DAY for the next two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, make another 1 minute video. If you still can’t play what you are working on today, you’ll have your answer. But if you can – you can then decide if the time spent was worth it and if you want to continue pursuing the guitar. Feel free to ask questions on the lesson pages. There are lots of people here who are willing to help, (including me & Syn).
The last thing I will ask is that you check in with me and let me know how it went.
Deal?
Nononono! Look, I fell in love with guitar when I learned a simple song I liked and was able to make it sound like the original. I suggest to try and find a song you really like and look up the chords or tabs and see if it’s something you’d be able to play.
Here’s a few suggestions: Mad Wold (Gary Jules), one for the road (Arctic Monkeys), holiday (Green Day), and this website here :
Top 30 Easy Guitar Chord Songs for Beginners
Don’t give up just yet, give yourself a project (a song for instance). I didn’t start with music theory, wasn’t interested in that at first and it’s ok.
Just have fun, this is what playing music is all about, whether it’s guitar, bass, drum or singing.
Here’s a few suggestions: Mad Wold (Gary Jules), one for the road (Arctic Monkeys), holiday (Green Day), and this website here :
Top 30 Easy Guitar Chord Songs for Beginners
Don’t give up just yet, give yourself a project (a song for instance). I didn’t start with music theory, wasn’t interested in that at first and it’s ok.
Just have fun, this is what playing music is all about, whether it’s guitar, bass, drum or singing.
I love what you all had to say here and thanks everyone for your help!
Hi Kallie, I’m so sorry you are having trouble and that it’s frustrating you. It’s very important to enjoy the process and it sounds like you have SO MUCH on your plate right now it may be hard to put in the amount of time it would take to meet your own expectations. Although I love that they are high expectations, they may need to be tempered a bit because of how busy you are. Try what Papa Gates suggested as well as simply hanging out on the forums talking to people and asking questions. See if you enjoy being a part of this community because if you do enjoy being here, it doesn’t matter that you don’t “get it” right now, I promise you that you will it may just take you longer because of your schedule. And if you have suggestions of how we can better this place to suit you, please let us know!
Hi Kallie, I’m so sorry you are having trouble and that it’s frustrating you. It’s very important to enjoy the process and it sounds like you have SO MUCH on your plate right now it may be hard to put in the amount of time it would take to meet your own expectations. Although I love that they are high expectations, they may need to be tempered a bit because of how busy you are. Try what Papa Gates suggested as well as simply hanging out on the forums talking to people and asking questions. See if you enjoy being a part of this community because if you do enjoy being here, it doesn’t matter that you don’t “get it” right now, I promise you that you will it may just take you longer because of your schedule. And if you have suggestions of how we can better this place to suit you, please let us know!
Remember Kallie in addition to what everyone said there are people like me you can Message I am sure there are others too (not sure about brian and syn) that would be happy to try and explain something differently. Some of the lessons for me are like Japanese then I look it up with the basic knowledge from the lesson and poof I got it. Don’t hesitate to message someone who is knowledgeable
and ask for a better explanation.
and ask for a better explanation.
I don’t know if this is the case or not Kallie, but when I was fist learning to play, I was struggling because I was trying to play a poorly made guitar that really was not playable. So could you maybe tell us what kind of guitar you have? Just so we know that may not be causing the problem. Just try your best to stick with it! A personal teacher may be best like you said, everyone learns differently!
Is it sore fingers? Maybe start out for only 30 minutes a day? My fingers used to get sore, so I used a Flavor Ice Pop (blue…always blue) to cool them. It worked pretty well, and I got to eat the popsicle after the lesson. It helped me play through until I had the good callous on my finger tips. Just a suggestion. Hopefully you won’t walk away, because guitar really is fun. I promise.
EDIT: I just read this thread and saw that you should start at 15 minutes…that’s better. The popsicle still works.
EDIT: I just read this thread and saw that you should start at 15 minutes…that’s better. The popsicle still works.
Ahah that may be your problem! I have found from personal experience that it is very hard to learn when your playing a poor quality guitar(for me I was trying to play one that had strings that were about an inch from the fret board)! I was instantly able to make more progress once I got my hands on a better quality guitar. So I guess my advice would be until you can afford a better one, just try to soak in as much knowledge about the instrument from this site as you can. Then maybe down the road once you are more free and have more time on your hands, you could hit the ground running and start playing again with a different guitar. Guitars aren’t cheap that’s for sure. The second one I bought that was of better quality was only 95 dollars, so maybe try to save up for one if you can and get one on down the road. You can do it! I hope this helped, good luck Kallie!
G
Guest
Guest
I’m all for Brian Sr.’s deal but the only problem is I never have the time. It’s either school, band practice, chores, or work. It would definitely take me longer than two weeks to learn a song. And if I do look at a song to try and at least learn a couple of riffs it would probably be something from Lana Del Ray or Nirvana. They sound simplistic but correct me if I’m wrong.
G
Guest
Guest
I already really enjoy this place. Sure I don’t know one thing about guitar and I may not be musically talented as I think I am but, I’m getting a lot of positive feedback and help. I’m just gonna take my goals piece by piece and perhaps one day I’ll be shredding like both Brian’s and the guitarist of Rings of Saturn. That is my dream after all.
Hi Kallie. The beginning is always difficult. I’m sure that if you practice on a regular basis, you’ll definitely get past this phase. 10-15 minutes of practice everyday will make a difference by the end of the month. Everyone here is learning something or the other and helping one another. This community is a gift from Brian and Syn. I wish I could go back to your age and practice the way I’m practicing right now with all the resources that I have access to. If you are interested to do something, it’s never too late or early. In time, I’m sure you’ll be able to shred like the guitarists who you look up to. So, NEVER QUIT! Keep practicing and cheers!
Hi Kallie!
First of all, don’t give up! That is the worst thing that you can do. If you are willing to be a great guitar player, you must know that it takes time and hard work. It can be hard for you to have time to practice, but I am sure that if you make an effort you can take 15 or 20 minutes of your day to practice a little bit. – For 5 years I stopped practicing and challenging me to become better because I thought that I didn’t have time due to college and that I would never be good as many guitar players and now I regret that decision. This year (and ,I hope, for now on) I decided to start again and, damn, what did I miss!
Just don’t pressure yourself to become a great player too fast, I think that this is the main thing that makes you stressed and frustrated. You must enjoy and have fun while playing guitar! In the beginning is not easy, it takes time, practice and patience. You have to learn the basis before you go playing a bunch of songs, but is going to be worth it.
Try to take Papa Gates’ deal. You don’t have to play a whole song. At first record yourself playing something more simpler, practice it for 2 weeks and, then, record yourself again and, hopefully, you will be able to see some progress! – There is no elevator for success, you have to take the stairs and EVERY step counts.- If you try to skip steps too fast, you will find it harder and that will create negative thoughts in your mind and you’ll start to get frustrated! You have to challenge yourself to improve, not to skip essencial steps.
I’m cheering up for you!
First of all, don’t give up! That is the worst thing that you can do. If you are willing to be a great guitar player, you must know that it takes time and hard work. It can be hard for you to have time to practice, but I am sure that if you make an effort you can take 15 or 20 minutes of your day to practice a little bit. – For 5 years I stopped practicing and challenging me to become better because I thought that I didn’t have time due to college and that I would never be good as many guitar players and now I regret that decision. This year (and ,I hope, for now on) I decided to start again and, damn, what did I miss!
Just don’t pressure yourself to become a great player too fast, I think that this is the main thing that makes you stressed and frustrated. You must enjoy and have fun while playing guitar! In the beginning is not easy, it takes time, practice and patience. You have to learn the basis before you go playing a bunch of songs, but is going to be worth it.
Try to take Papa Gates’ deal. You don’t have to play a whole song. At first record yourself playing something more simpler, practice it for 2 weeks and, then, record yourself again and, hopefully, you will be able to see some progress! – There is no elevator for success, you have to take the stairs and EVERY step counts.- If you try to skip steps too fast, you will find it harder and that will create negative thoughts in your mind and you’ll start to get frustrated! You have to challenge yourself to improve, not to skip essencial steps.
I’m cheering up for you!
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