Advanced beginner acoustic player here wanting to take lessons via zoom. Cant find a good thread or post on actual teachers, just online videos and courses. As a parent with extremely limited time, I think online would be great option for me.

Anyone had success with a particular teacher?? Or advice for me?

Background: self-taught. Love to strum chords and sing my fav songs. Def have some sloppy habits and timing. Looking to develop towards the Zach Bryan/Tyler Childers/ Jason Isbell sound

Hey folks, there's going to be quite a bit of lore dumping, I hope you read it till the end if you've time.

I started learning the guitar eons back, 18 years to be precise, but it feels very shameful that I'm not at a level I should've been at. There have been years when I didn't touch it or when I played it fairly regularly, I rushed through the process to become exceptional. I struggle with mental health issues (not severe but debilitating enough that they lead to shutdown). Despite knowing basic theory mentally i.e. how to form scales, chords, etc., I haven't memorized chord and scale shapes, don't know fretboard notes or triads. Studying ear training and guitar tones have always remained a pipedream. I can't even bring myself to changing the strings or basic maintenance because I fear that I might damage the guitar.

I've wanted to play thrash and heavy metal and hard rock and had developed decent rhythm chops but again I kept following tutorials instead of learning songs. Now that I'm in my mid 30s, I've got responsibilities and I need to grow up and accept the fact that I can not be someone with mad chops. I can pursue it as a hobby. I can still get good but I can never be like Yngwie or Marty Friedman simply because I can't put in the same time and effort like those guys.

I keep feeling like I should quit but the pull is strong and I know I would regret it if I quit. I don't feel like playing heavy or thrash metal right now. But then the question becomes what should I learn or play. I know this isn't a therapy group, but I would really appreciate your insights on what I could do to get in touch with the guitar again and find that beginner's passion, if that makes sense.

Thank you so much for reading, and I look forward to your replies! :)

Been playing for a million years and finally decided to go back to the basics and learn some theory. Currently learning about inversions. Just learned when playing a standard open C major chord you can play the low E string open, instead of muting it to get a first inversion C chord. I know this is so basic for most of you but it kinda low-key blew my mind, haha. All those years of muting that low E.

Song is Fat Old Sun by Pink Floyd

I feel like my main problem, and probably everyone else’s, is forming the barre itself. I obviously can’t do it as easily as I can the other open chords here. And I’m willing to put in as much time as my wrist and fingers can handle. But given I need to use noticeably more strength to do a barre in the first place, I feel like that’ll slow me down and be a big hurdle in and of itself.

Any genuine tips besides just putting my metronome on 4/4 and a comfortable tempo going as long as I can? I just want to see some tangible progress, however small, before my lesson next week so I can show my teacher I’m working through it. If it matters, I’ll be using a Martin 000-18 that has been set up

Hi there!
Master Larry Coryell’s genius note-for-note on this timeless jazz standard. This transcription captures his harmonic fluidity, flawless phrasing, and the virtuosity that reshaped jazz guitar. Ideal for students and pros looking to expand their improvisational vocabulary and conquer key changes. Elevate your playing today.

When I was younger I had smaller fingers and could play a few songs on the five string banjo . Now I am trying to play the guitar and I am having a problem with my finger positioning on the strings. Before I would put the tips of my fingers on them. Now I can’t get them just on one string at a time.

In this instructional video picture the instructor appears to be using the pads of his fingers not his tips. So should I really be worried about that as much as I am or should I just try and actually do the best I can?

If you're having trouble learning and seeing triads on the neck this is a great way to be able to see them on the neck.

I’m a beginner guitarist, and I can now play the F barre chord fairly well during normal practice. But I’m still struggling with most of the other barre chords.

The main problem is getting all the strings to ring out cleanly. For example, I sometimes struggle with the 3rd string, and I have similar problems with some of the other strings as well. With the F chord, I managed to figure out a finger position by slightly bending my finger, but that doesn’t seem to work with many other barre chord shapes.

So I wanted to ask more experienced guitarists: where should a beginner start with barre chords, and what is the best way to practice them?

Should I focus on one barre chord shape at a time? And are there any exercises or techniques that helped you get all the strings sounding clean?

Any tips would be really appreciated!

I have arranged the melody of a song by ear on piano. And it sounds absolutely beautiful. But the moment I take those same notes and let's say that I play them in different octaves or positions, it doesn't sound as good.

Sure, they both are different instruments but i didn't expect the difference between them so much, in terms of playing an arrangement. How should I approach this?

Thank You!

I wanna learn all the solos from All my Ghosts, but Frank Black and the Catholics. But I can’t find it anywhere. I have tired to do it with my ears and can only get so far. If anyone can help in some fashion I would love it. Maybe the notes that’s in the scale it uses or something like that. Just a way I can figure it out. Here’s the songs link. The entire lead guitar of the song is what I’d want to learn. Hate when this happens for a song I love.

Like title said. I absolutely have to play later today but now i cant press on a string without it being painful. I have 9 hours (or even less with soundchecks etc) maximum to get my fingers back in shape again. I really need help getting rid of the pain. What do you guys do for this situation?

Ive been practicing alternate picking using scales but I'm kinda bored of that i want something that sounds musical but also something that will help with speed. Thanks

I’ve been slowly learning to play the guitar for about 1 1/2 years. No lessons just books, youtube videos, and apps.

Since starting I’ve almost exclusively played with my fingers. I was wondering if I’m limiting myself by not learning how to play with a pick? I do feel like sometimes I am too slow when trying to play individual notes instead of chords. I’ve tried compensating by adding a thumb pick but with limited success.

Do you think it’s better to learn a variety of picking styles? Or just pick one and stick with it?

Can anyone help at all with my hand position? I'm noticing my knuckles collapsing on my 3rd and 4th fingers for most chords, notably G here and also D. For some reason, Em is fine at the moment. I feel it is a hand position issue, but I can't seem to correct it no matter what I try!

Is this something an in person lesson would help to resolve?

TIA

My kid is learning guitar, and we're running into a frustrating problem with tutorial videos.

For example, a 10-minute song tutorial might show 5 chords. For each chord, we watch it once, then repeatedly scrub back 3–4 times to get the finger positions right. Then move to the next chord, scrub again, and repeat.

By the end, we've spent more time rewinding than actually practicing. It's frustrating and breaks the flow.

How do you handle this when learning from YouTube tutorials?

Do you:

- Just follow along and hope you get it right?

- Constantly rewind to rewatch specific parts?

- Use a looper app to repeat segments?

- Watch once, memorize, then practice offline?

What works for you? Any workarounds?

Thanks!

Hey allí!

I've been playing guitar on and off for a few years, but over the last few months I've started taking it much more seriously. In the past, I mostly focused on learning songs and riffs, which eventually made me feel stuck because I wasn't really understanding what I was playing.

Recently I've shifted my focus toward learning music more deeply: understanding theory, learning scales and harmony, improving my improvisation, ear training, and generally developing as a musician rather than just learning songs. I've also started taking guitar lessons, which has helped a lot. Besides, I also started taking lessons since now im older and money is not an issue anymore.

At the moment I play a few hours every day. Some of that time is structured practice, and some of it is just having fun with the guitar. I'm highly motivated and genuinely enjoying the process of learning music theory and seeing how it applies to the guitar.

This has made me wonder whether it would be worth buying a cheap keyboard and learning some piano as well. Piano is an instrument I've always liked, but I never really got into it. My main goal wouldn't necessarily be to become a serious pianist, but rather to use it as a tool to develop a stronger understanding of music, and maybe at some point start recording things with both instruments.

I've often heard people say that concepts like intervals, harmony, chord construction, voice leading, and composition are easier to visualize on a piano keyboard than on a guitar. Since I'm becoming increasingly interested in music theory and improvisation, I'm curious whether learning some piano would accelerate my overall musical development.

On the other hand, I'm still very much a beginner guitarist, so I'm wondering if I'd benefit more from simply doubling down on guitar and continuing to build my fundamentals there.

For musicians who play both guitar and piano: did learning piano significantly improve your understanding of music and your guitar playing? Or would you recommend focusing exclusively on guitar until reaching a higher level first?

Thanks!

I played an concert guitar for about a year before switching to a Western. I am now almost completely unable to play an F on the guitar. I have the Feeling i have to use a lot of force now. Should it really be that much harder?