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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → Your Progress
Hello all, To new guitar players say in the last year or two
What is your progress?? Myself I practice scales for a long time which i think helped. Now practicing from open chords to Bar chords which is going well. I've been at it for two years and practice two to four hours every day. My progress is good and it's true what they say "Practice is the Key"
Anyone willing to share what they learned on guitar??
Take Care...Badeye.
Well Badeye, since I discovered CHORDIE, I have to say that my progress has improved a lot. I am a lot more fascinated, playing guitar. If I see NOW what I learned on 10 months, I can't believe the progress I made. By reading topics, writing topics, reading answers AND listening to advises it is as told almost unbelievable. I even learned some finger picking, but I still remain to much, a "plectrum" player, having an own style. My style is difficult to explain. I use many chords, switching fast from 1 chord to another, I am trying to change this, and the result is 2 songs in stead of one, BUT I STILL USE the same style. I don't know how to call this style, it is a combination of rhythm, and riffs and licks, and strumming, I block the strings in 50% of what I play, giving me, this is not objective, a special approach. But I like it, in combination with licks , strum-block-strum-strum-block. I know you asked "since a year or two", but I wanted you to know that even playing since 30 years, I made more progress now, than the last 5 years. I agree practice is the key, but it can work in "reverse too"making you (in fact me) in stead of loving to play, an aversion to play. I need still to find a balance, and I learned 1 thing, don't cross your limit. Today, maybe 30 minutes, tomorrow maybe 90 minutes.
VERY INTERESTING TOPIC, I HOPE TO SEE A LOT OF ANSWERS, so this is my answer badeye.
Hi all
I'm 39 years old, got my First Guitar (caps of course) for Christmas coming up for two years ago. I've always loved music, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, anything from Woodstock, Neil Young, Oasis, The Jam, Paul Weller, Train, in fact anything with a guitar in it! Unfortunately I am far too lazy/disorganised/impatient to learn in a structured way.
I can stumble through various easy songs, some without any stumbles, particularly those with just open chords. F is becoming easier but I get muxed ip when I go for Bm/Cm on the higher strings.
I know I need to look at theory, scales, tablature reading and moving my fingers independantly of chording but I'm having so much fun just strumming that I am willing to wait until I feel constrained by my lack of skill. I do try to "pick" but have no coordination between the fretting hand and picking hand and often pick the wrong string. It makes "killing me softly" quite interesting!
I have a son who got his guitar on the same day as me and he reads tabs and works out how to play intros, riffs, and loud stuff with heavy distortion. I guess most of what he does is beyond me but he ain't as good at chords so whichever way you go, there are compensations and pitfalls until the balance is struck.
We both have Peavey Predator EXP Pro electrics at the moment. I'm getting a lovely Tanglewood Semi Accoustic for Christmas and my son wants an Ibanez SAS36FM but he's only getting money to put towards it!
Have fun
I am in much the same boat as BoneDaddy.
I tried to learn this time by learning chords and strumming songs with straight quarter notes. Then I started using a Fingerpick book for beginners and learned a couple patterns. When it got hard, I stopped using the book until I get hungry for more (which is about now). I printed out a million Chordies songs (and other sources) and have been playing them either strumming or fingerpick style.
I do not attempt to recreate a song the way played by the original artist. Not usually, anyway. I am just now trying to do that with some simpler songs. The first one I've taken on in that way is Changes in Lattitudes, Changes in Attitudes by Jimmy Buffett because it's mostly just a syncopated strum with only a couple of 'signature' riffs.
I have got a pretty solid strum and if I concentrate and practice can change up the patterns or learn a new one fairly quickly. I have a couple of fingerpick patterns that I can play but struggle immensely with playing a bass line and treble line simultaneously (that's when it got hard and I stopped using the book until I had fully integrated the earlier lessons). I am working on learning F, F#m, and Bm as barre chords. I can play Bm as an open chord by avoiding the low E and A strings. I need to learn it as a barre chord because it will make certain songs a lot easier to play.
I have no skills at picking out a line. I have also just ordered a scales book. I do not relish practicing scales but recognize it as some dues that must be paid to get me to the quality of play that I desire.
Summary: open chords are solid, a couple fingerpick patterns are solid, strumming is mostly solid if I don't go too fast (though I'm usually far to busy with my strumming). Current things to work on, new fingerpick patterns with simultaneous bass and treble lines, F, F#m, Bm shaped barre chords, and scales.
I practice daily for anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on how life is treating me that day. If my progress stays what it has, I will have all the basic skills I'll need within another year to eighteen months. Then it'll just be developing a style and sound and applying the skills to different music styles.
- Zurf
Zurf, about finger picking I am not a hero in this style, also another problem is HATING THEORY, probably the origin of playing not bad and not good but since begin, 2007 I really made a lot of progress thanks to a lot of people here. CAN YOU or better WILL YOU be able to change your way of playing guitar, using, concerning me and having a style on my own, like I wrote in a topic of you?
It is such an habit, and about playing time, some people tell you that practice is the key, I agree, but there is still the "fun factor" who is important, knowing that I never will be a professional, which doesn't mean that I don't have to play not following certain rules. I play some days 15 minutes other days 90 minutes
People generally hate theory until they discover how powerful it is, and how they can apply it directly to their playing. Then they can't get enough of it.
Well, I've only been playing for 18 months or thereabouts, maybe nearer 2 years. When I started all I wanted to do was to be able to pick up a guitar and get a tune out of it, which I can do...not a pleasant tune, but a tune nonetheless. 
So I'm happy enough where I am, I can strum a few tunes, play a few riffs and a few easy solos. My grasp on theory is pretty erratic, forgetting stuff one day but remembering the next.
My practise is deplorable though, guitar isn't my main passion ( although I do love playing ) reading and listening to music is my main passions, so I usually end up cramming any practise I manage to do into a very small part of the day. I start off with the greatest of intentions to work through scales and little excercises though, but always revert to strumming away like a good un. All in all I'm happy where I am with my playing but will continue to progress, albeit it at a slower pace than most I'd imagine.
Craig.
Great replies, Thanks Guys.
...Badeye.
Doc,
Fear not. If it stops being fun, I'll stop playing. I am having a LOT of fun working on the rhythmic opportunities your "blocked" strums have opened up. I still consider myself a bass player, but practice guitar twenty times as much as bass right now (I'm not even really practicing bass, just playing some riffs so that I don't atrophy too badly).
My style of bass playing does not include all manner of technical thumpery. I'm not popping, slapping, tapping or any other "ing". I'm a dead ahead box player, sometimes staying on the root note of a chord for measures at a time, just using passing notes from root to root. Other times merely using arpeggios or inversions, but doing it RHYTHMICALLY. I recall playing with a real wizard. This kid has it all, talent, skill, good equipment, and a positive attitude. Plus he's a genuinely nice guy. Anyway, we're making up bass lines for a new song one of the guys wrote and he did the unspeakable. He played straight sixteenths. He's a good kid and I'm learing a lot from him, but I about lit into him, I'll tell you that. "Kid!!! You are good. Great, really. I could practice all day every day until I die and never play half as good as you. But Kid, you've GOT to understand something about the bass. Never, ever, EVER play straight sixteenths!!! Never!! SHUFFLE. Always shuffle." Anyway, getting to put some of that rhythm into my guitar playing - sheesh, that's a real blessing.
- Zurf
practising finger picking styles
a local pub has an open mic session but its a folk club
not really into folk but want to learn a mellower style - theres lots of rock numbers which use arpeggios ( good riddance by Green day, REM, Chasing Cars by Snow patrol, the forest by the Cure, intro to Stairway to Heaven, Tears in Heaven by Clapton)
experimenting with different arppegios and finger style (seeing what works with fingers and what works with picks).
also trying some hybrid picking - which is using pick and fingers
my practice is mainly about improving motor skills - the more I play the smoother the sound and the more accurate I am at hitting the right bass notes. also smoothing out a problem whereby snag the top string with my ring finger when playing arpeggios
I've been playing (Seriously) for a little over a year now.
I don't do well with timing or barre chords just yet. I play in Drop-D mostly for rock, but I'm learning
how to play along with my church band. I'm not that good (in my own opinion) but others tell me that I'm doing well for someone who is self-taught.
If I could just get my timing right I'd be loads better.
=[
Dm
Well let's see...I started playing almost 13 months ago. I started off like everyone else just trying to learn chords and strumming patterns. Working on changes and finger exercises. I stayed there for 4 or 5 months only playing 1 or 2 songs. Then I bought a couple of song lessons and started on those. I started really working on scales then also. At 6-7 months I could play a few songs and my changing was really starting to smooth out. At around the end of the seventh month I went to local instructor and paid for a couple of lessons on theory, understanding the fretboard better, and pretty much just wanted to make sure I was learning everything the proper way. Sometime around the 8th or 9th month I really started in on Barr chords. This was a trying time for me...It took awhile to build up the finger stregnth...but I stuck it out. I guess around the 10th month I started working on walking bass lines, hammer ons and pulloffs , and some diffrent strumming techniques (like palm muting and percussion strumming to add interest to my playing). That's pretty much where I'm at now...I work really hard at the guitar and put ALLOT of time in it. I think I have progressed fairly well. I know most of my scales by memory and play them fluently. I'm comfortable with barr chords and have a large # of open chords down. I can play a few lead solos and my speed is starting to come around nicely. My biggest problem at the moment is changing between barr and open chords but I'm working on it and can see improvement. I'd say overall I'm very happy with my progress in playing the guitar....Now if only I could get singing down...lol It seems everytime I try to sing a song I forget how to play it. Just something else to practise I guess....Why can't anything just happen without all the work...lol
Ive been playing about 4 years now. The first couple of years were pretty slow since basically someone handed me a guitar, taught me three chords and a G scale and said 'have at it'. I'd been playing a while when I discovered how to look at notes and play the note by itself. I could pick up a hymnal, or a piece of music, and play the lead notes.... I did reach a point where learning started coming a little steadier, got around other people who played, started learning a lot of new chords, and chord patterns, learned how to bend the strings, hammer ons, and pull offs,but still just basically able to strum along (I did have a knack for playing by ear). But regardless of how good or bad I was, I just kept playing, and over time I did get better, started catching onto things the hard way and by all the wrong names, and THEN at around year three I had a major breakthrough, or maybe all the practicing and experimenting finally started to show, I don't exactly WHAT happened, but something did. I learned about tablature, played some different styles, started reading some books, started SOUNDING better instead of just knowing more.
And then I found chordie a while back, Started reading posts, started asking questions, started watching other players, I feel like Ive learned more in the last year than I ever have. And now I feel like I have a very good, well rounded base, on which to start stretching out to more complicated solos, riffs, chord progressions, little tricks and licks. I know HOW to do things, so I can learn new actual pieces of music, tab, and songs.
hi this is acapo i dont want to give away my age but ive been pickin since i was 16 that was 50 yrs. ago played professionally till a couple yrs. ago i still play occasionally with friends and i do a lot of recording and writting when im not on this computer.i can say i agree with learning by practicing scales strumming patterns and just expermenting i still learn something new everyday when it stops being fun bring on my bed with a lid on it i can say music keeps your mind young and opens you to new ideas,one thing i can recomend for new guitarist try not to think about what licks or riffs ahead of time your playing will suffer let the chord changes influence where your fingers go and old saying if you have to think about what your playing your not playing if your lucky enough to be in a band feed off the rest of the people your playing with play for the audience not at them if your not sincere with what your playing they will pickup on it and the lack of response only conferms that if you enjoy what your doing so will they and let you know clap clap clap ect.ect. one final bit of advise limit your intake of booze it slows your brain down if want to play the blues all night drink a lot smoke and die before your time i have lost a few friends who were great musicians to that lifestyle well im through preaching weigh my words with your own reasoning and i wish you all well acapo
i dont want to give away my age but ive been pickin since i was 16 that was 50 yrs. ago
For the win! 
I love playing guitar, but I am NOT IN THE MOOD since 1 week. The last guitar related fact was that they finally told me how my "mini studio works", and home again, I still haven't the courage to try it out. I have a bad feeling, "killing me softly with back pain".
dont worry about not being in the mood ever heard of writers block? well the same thing happens in music i some times stare at my guitars and my recording equipment and wonder why im not playing them or recording the answer is sometimes you go through spells of i dont give a damm happens to everyone but it passes and you hear or see somthing that just makes you want to play its called inspiration and there ya go back at it keep on picking acapo
Hi Badeye Me ould flower!
I am feeling in a bit of a quandary at the moment about a couple of things!
My Guitar? seems to have come to a complete stop. Still Playing but cannot seem to get any further.
I have met a nice Man who is wants to give me private tuition.
Been playing and still plays 40 of his fifty years. Do I plod on or can he really
teach me stuff. I never did like my last teacher, as i felt he was to slow at
moving the group forward and to be honest a bit cantankerious for my liking!
It seems from what i read here its practise practise. But that can get
somewhat boring.
Feeling at a bit of a cross roads, which i should be used to 
As regards the other quandary? hmm "no best take that elsewhere!
Old Doll.
Hi Lena , haven't had a lesson yet , pretty well self taught,
I pick up lots of tips at kitchen jams with some of my good friends that played guitar for some time now. Something new is always good for the soul. I say a change is as good as a rest. Never no, a few lessons may get you to the next level with your guitar playing. Your song for Gem and I is
precious to us, hit the nail right on the head. Try a lesson or two and see what happens!
Take Care... Badeye and Gem...
Old Doll - Something I have heard as being useful for others in your situation as an accomplished player who needs to revive her playing to keep from getting stale is a retreat. In the U.S., perhaps in UK as well, there are camps. Sort of like sleepaway camps for kids, except they are for adults and concentrate on various artistic skills. Going away to really concentrate on guitar playing for a week with other guitar players (most of whom you've likely never met) sounds like it would challenge any player. Especially if you elect to study a style that you've not studied before. Perhaps Flamenco or Ska or Reggae or Bluegrass or what have you. Or something that you've dabbled in but are still waiting for the Eureka! moment.
Anyway, just a suggestion.
My sister is an artist who takes her 'vacation' as an instructor at one of these camps. She teaches things such as papermaking or various flat arts, but the same camp also does folk music schools with fiddle or guitar or banjo players. She says that the after-hours campfires are epic!
- Zurf
Well God bless you Zurf,
for thinking im acomplished? I wish. I was sent a link for one of these camps in the states. They do seem like great places!
I have looked here but! Nothing like it, Day camps, but i dont think very
inspiring. There always in some hall or room. Which gets to warm.
I have always had a weak sense of smell.
So when i get a strong smell of something i know its very good or awful.
I always manage to sit near Some person whose body odour {Stale}
would knock a skunk out from forty paces!
One class one young guy took off his sneakers. I went into a complete
swoon! so bad was the smell from his runners. He was lieing back to
the wall looking real cool, but honking to high heaven. To my mind he was at the wrong class, Hygiene classes came to mind.
So you can see Zurf why Id prefer outdoors. I have now read all above and did get some ideas. I do the love the bluegrass sound. Now theres a thought!
Old Doll.
I've been playing (Seriously) for a little over a year now.
I don't do well with timing or barre chords just yet. I play in Drop-D mostly for rock, but I'm learning
how to play along with my church band. I'm not that good (in my own opinion) but others tell me that I'm doing well for someone who is self-taught.If I could just get my timing right I'd be loads better.
=[
Dm
Playing with other people is the best way to get better quickly.
Go buy yourself a metronome for Christmas. Practice with it every day. You'll notice improvement quickly.
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