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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → New here, 61 and just starting to play acustic..
I actually started about 6 months ago, I know a good amount of chords, I'm learning so I could relax...getting frustrated with getting my changes to go faster and need to learn a song....FRUSTRATED! thank you
Hello Paco.
to chordie. A friendlier bunch of folks you will never find. 
Frustration is easy to come by when you're learning to do anything. I've been working on a new song since last August and still stumble on it now and then.
Before you reach for fast, go for clean. Speed comes through repetition. Eventually your fingers will fall right into place and you won't even have to think about it. Muscle memory some folks call it. At one point everyone on this board was at the same place you are.
I'm approaching my sixth decade on this blue ball so I'm going to assume we grew up with some of the same music. Here are a couple songs you might like to try. There are only 4 chords and the changes aren't very fast.
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/?url= … ranspose=0
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.g … /7289.html
Just scroll down past the tab to get to the chords and lyrics
Hello Paco and welcome,
Another easy starter song is Knocking on Heaven's Door: http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.g … 24498.html
This is always an early one for my student,s although I have a version with four verses to make it a bit longer.
Roger
Welcome to Chordie Paco, thats the key to it "relax", (you said it yourself), be accurate in your finger placement and speed will come naturally. When you seem to get "stuck" on a chord move on to another chord for a few days then come back to the chord you were stuck on, and you might find that it comes naturally, almost as if you did'nt even think about it. There are a lot of us elders here so your not alone, I'll soon be 66, started playing in the early "60s" then got side-tracked by life for a while but picked it back up when I hit 55. The easy and fun songs I'll suggest for you are by Tom Petty, "Free Fallin"(G,C,D) and "I Won't Back Down"(Em,D,G,C).
Live in the "now", one day at a time and have fun. Tom
Hello Paco ... and a big Canadian welcome to Chordie!
Everyone learns at the their own pace, and as you practice your "finger memory" will start to become automatic ... it's that simple. There's always going to be a measure of frustration with what we can't do, as even the most advanced players will admit. That's what keeps "wind in the sails" and striving to improve a bit each week!
Some others have made several great song suggestions to work with, and you'll be making progress in no time. The regular participants here in the Forums are very supportive and non-competitive, and we'd all appreciate you taking an active part, and keeping us informed of your progress.
I don't have anything to add, the guys have said it all! So, I just wanted to stop by and say HI! and WELCOME!
I've been playing on and off for around 16 months, and just last week had my first face to face with an instructor. He kept telling me to drop my thumb farther to the back of the neck so I don't have farther to stretch my fingers to reach some notes. I always felt I had poor posture, and maybe picked up some bad habits with my fretting hand. Now that I'm conscience of the placement of my thumb my chords are finally starting to sound cleaner. Proper thumb placement is paramount when you get into bar chords.
Welcome Paco. Good to have you drop by. Also welcome to SFDonovan. I must have missed your first post.
As for chord changes, there are two usual problems that folks have. First, they have a hard time making the chords ring out cleanly no matter how slowly they put their fingers down. SFDonovan's instructor gave good advice for that issue. Having your thumb on the back of the neck and having a gap between the webbing between your index finger and thumb and the back of the neck allows you to push your wrist forward on your fretting hand and get your fingers around to the front of the neck. You want to come straight down on the strings with your finger tips. You'll have to bend your fingers at the first knuckle up near the tip in order to do that. It's a bit unnatural feeling at first and takes some getting used to. Don't worry - it WILL come to you if you practice it.
The second problem people have with chord changes is getting from one chord to the next. There are a lot of exercises for this, but the one that helped me the most comes from Justinguitar.com, and it is what he calls "one minute chord changes." With these, you pick two chords that you have to change between to play a song. A couple common chords to change between when you're learning are G and C. So the One Minute Chord Change (again - check www.justinguitar.com for the source of this exercise) would have you start with your fingers off the fretboard. Start a one minute timer. Put your fingers down on a G chord and play it to make sure you got it right. Pick your fingers up. Put them down on a C chord and play it to make sure you got it right. Take as long as you need to put your fingers down to get a good, clean sounding chord. Pick them up and put them down on G. Play it. Then C. Play it. Every time take as much time as you need to get a good, clean sounding chord. Do this over and over again for a minute. Stop. How many times did you switch? At first, it might only be three times. But, if you keep at it, doing the changes back and forth for a minute at a time, and do that several times per day, you'll get it nailed down pretty quickly. You'll be doing twenty changes a minute before you know it.
Do the One Minute Chord Change program for each chord change you have in whatever song you decide to play. For instance, if you are playing a song that progresses from Em to Am to G to Em to D. Then you would do the One Minute Chord Change for Em to Am, for Am to G, for G to Em, and Em to D.
As for Justinguitar.com, I do not have any affiliation with them. They are a free resource (they'll take donations!) that many of us have found to be useful.
Good luck, stay the course, and most of all have fun.
Hi paco56. I think the above posts cover just about everything I started playing acoustic in my 20s and soon be 63. Even now I can forget myself and find the thumb creeping towards the low E from time to time. You've probably noticed theirs thousands of songs here to choose from. Ps do you use a capo, very handy tool. PPs, welcome to chordie.
Ayup paco I'm back. Just been messing with the guitar and here's a couple of tunes that are so easy even I can play em. Take a look on the home page under absolute beginner. Hallelujah, by Lenard Cohen. Then take a look under artists at the top of the page. Neil Young. Four Strong Winds. Have fun, let us know how you get on.
just adding my welcome just to say progress at your own speed and dont forget to share every one here will help and give encouragement ,they are a great bunch .
Welcome too the forum!
Hi Paco
I am only 61 myself have found that playing musical instruments is a mixture of joy and frustration. The more you play your guitar the better you will get at it, use baby steps at times and build from there. I stopped playing from 1981 to 2014. My friend Easybeat got me interested again and I have found that has been a nice relaxing challenge. A thing with guitars they are all individuals some play better then others. I also like to watch what others are doing and try and adapt their stuff to what I am doing.
Welcome.
Welcome to Chordie Paco!!
You didn't include a location in your profile, so you might mention whereabouts you hang your hat. There's a fair to middlin' chance you got a Chordian right around the corner (sort of).
Anyhow a big Howdy from the Pacific Northwest!
It will come in the end just,practice practice practice ,good luck .nearly forgot WELCOME from fellow newbie.
Build up those callouses, paco and aman03. Work on the B's and the B7 and "Bob's Yer Uncle". (I have no idea what that means - something like "and it's done") and from there on out, it's a breeze! Welcome to both of you! We're all here to help!
Bill
WEll Hello! Sorry I missed the chance to say howdy earlier, just saw this. You will love this house of characters! Dig in, ask questions. Support abounds! As my nickname says, Im the primary heavy music guy here, lol yet I wish I played as well as the passion I do have. I also play acoustic and every one knows from our Skype sessions, for a while Ill be fine then I gotta break out the power chords and distortion!lolol My point, We have all kinds and no matter your skill level, we all have fun together.
Cheers and happy learning!
THE METALIZER! (AKA Scott)
I bought a Takamine in 1996 when i had time to learn to play. It has been in my closet ever since. Fast forward 19 years>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> i picked it up for real in January 2016 just before knee surgery. I had the time off work to start. So i did! Haven't missed a day.
Thanks Chordie for keeping it easy and very affordable to practice.
I would like to learn something other than chords. can someone suggest a site that can help with picking?
Thanks
Bill
Welcome to the Forums Flynfish (Bill), see you been "lurkin"" awhile !! 
Now the greeting is tended to.... tell us a bit about yourself and especially what kind of music you are into. Would like to know about your preferences in pickin' style to best advise you as there are a whole slew of places out on "web-land" that tutor on picking..... flat-pick or finger-style, or "hybrid Chet Atkins" . Not even to get into the countless variations of those.
To start that journey it is always helpful to get your head around the scales and there is a bit of valuable information in some postings stored in the Music Theory section right here on Chordie ! Kudos to Jerome and Russell for valuable contributions to that area!
Most folks here would heartily recommend Justinguitar on the good-ol' Youtube for the lessons he has posted, and I would start with his stuff to "get your feet wet". He has good technique and clearly explains everything without being "patronizing"..... the kind of guy you might not mind hangin' out in the Pub with on a week-end.
Again Welcome aboard and visit often, there be lots of friendly folks here on Chordie!
Bill - Any of the scales lessons from the guys I call the "Big Three" for guitar lessons on Youtube; Erich Andreas aka Yourguitarsage, Justin Sanderco aka justinguitar, or Marty Schwartz aka Guitarjamz. Just type in "Guitar scale lessons" into Youtube and watch anything from any of those three. They each have different styles of teaching, so you get your pick.
Good luck. Welcome to the forums.
- Zurf
Add Pappastach to that list of Zurfs, he works with Marty and is great also.
Good call Beamer. Justin and Marty cross over, as do Marty and Papastache. I guess Marty must be a fun guy to hang out with.
Persistance and repetition are the keys. I started at 61 also and now I am 70. I took guitar lessons for 5 years kind of expensive at $100.00 a month but I was serious about getting up to speed quickly. Others have reccommended good free sources also used jamplay for a few years. The muscle memory is absolutely true it will come just not as fast as you would like. Play at least 15 minutes a day every day break up your sessions into starting with fun stuff you like, then work on a song you are wanting to learn, and finally on what you are struggling with chord changes etc. I now play over 200 songs and jam with a group here in Lake Havasu Arizona. Try memorizing at least a few songs the more the better.
Next come voice lessons you will want to sing right. Start by building your diaphram strength. Take 10 deep breaths and hold them every day. Then do the do re me fa so warmup with your voice starting in the key of C and working up to G forward and backword. That will get you started
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → New here, 61 and just starting to play acustic..
