Also switch to the other knee

This is just a thought, but if you learn any open chord, shouldn't you be able to use your finger like a capo and play the same chord to anywhere on the neck? Like moving an A minor chord two frets up to make B minor, three frets to make a C minor, etc?

I do the first two tips, but the guide fingers tip feels a little awkward to me. Maybe I need to experiment with it more.

I tell students to hold the neck higher. It does exactly the same thing without the risk people rolling out of their chair.

I started back in 1984, no internet, no downloading of anything. Day I bought my first guitar I signed up to take lessons, in person with a teacher matched up to my musical tastes. Looking back, I think there was a lot of value to having to get my butt out of bed every Saturday morning, get my gear together, and head up to the music store where my lessons were. Lessons paid for with my money that I earned working. Having a teacher that had no problem calling me out, “you didn’t practice much this week, did you?” I’m the kind of person who thrives on that in person learning experience.

My palm keeps muting the high e string

Good advice. Players tend to figure this out over time with practice.

Great advice. Ive begun performing for a very easy audience, teenagers in a Sunday School class. I work hard to get a song perfect, but every performance has a few minor mistakes. I just keep going. I dont make faces or apologize. I know I’m not done learning and I know I’m not perfect. Even Tommy Emmanuel makes mistakes and admits he does. At 72 years young i dont expect to someday become Tommy, but I’m loving the journey. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent advice! I would add that practice is never neutral. Every time you make a mistake, you become better at making it. I have friends who have been playing for decades but are incapable of playing in time because they have always hated metronomes and refuse to submit to their tyranny. Guitarists usually want to play chords right from the start even though it involves moving two or three fingers at once when they change, for example, from a D to a C or G. People learning other instruments generally begin with single note melodies they can play in time and usually have a teacher to correct them. Self-taught guitarists often develop problems with keeping time because they give themselves time to make the change rather than playing to the beat.

OMG! I didn't expect the last one to be faces and excuses, but that's me when it comes to not just guitar but other things I do, even tho I'm not even bad at them. Like cooking or chess, when i get a compliment i always feel the need to critisize myself, I don't even know why. Thank you!

I think I'm slowly approaching the "honeymoon phase." I'm getting the hang of new things easier now. For two years, I've struggled to keep motivated, and I have set my guitar down for long periods of time. The "ocean" metaphor is fitting, I've gotten lost a few times. Having a hundred or so guitar teachers on KZbin telling me different things doesn't help. I learned to ignore the "YOU MUST DO THIS TO GET BETTER AT GUITAR!" videos. What keeps me going is having picked easy songs to play, ones that are just three or four simple chords with easy strumming patterns, and several times a week I jam along to a video of these songs. It helps with timing, strumming, pick control, and stamina, and it's just plain fun once I get the hang of it. The live version of "Heroes" by David Bowie is one of the first ones I played along to. The buildup in the song makes it a fun song to warm up with. Of course, I learned Wonderwall pretty early on precisely because it is an easy song to get comfortable with. Marty Music helped me with most of the songs. I tried Justin and Guitar Tricks, but I didn't like how they bombarded me with different styles and techniques. Just as I was starting to get the hang of something, they would change the subject and do something completely different. I could spend a week going through several chapters without feeling like I learned something and not feeling motivated to practice what I've learned. Everyone learns differently.

Love the explanation, thanks for the tips

There is another way to learn how to relax whilst playing. Find a place somewhere you can make a bad noise without disturbing anyone else, then just play as loud, fast and aggressively as you possibly can, try to play notes and chords but don't worry that it sounds awful. Just do this for about 15 mins at the start of a practice session you will never be able to play that way and create a good sound but when you revert to sensible playing it will be a whole lot easier and relaxed.

This is so my problem!! Ty

I'm currently learning guitar, and this might come in handy Trying to play a simple chord progression such as Am C D is a nightmare because I keep buzzing and muting (espacially D, I don't know why)

Great vid! Pretty much guilty of all these....food for thought for sure!

These are a definite game changer for me. Thank you so much!❤️😁

That was a brilliant video. All those mistakes were my mistakes. 77 year old newby here. Loving the journey, but it is a rocky road.

OOOOH! I’m finally gonna nail this song I’ve been practicing for ages, thanks to YOU! I’ve been practicing the same song for too long & I keep making the same mistakes in the same places. So, I’m hearing you tell me it’s about PATIENCE! I need to do more singling out of just those trouble spots & practice those more, instead of playing the whole thing because I like hearing the parts I get right.🤣 Not that I didn’t already know that in the back of my mind. Thanks for the gentle tap.💡I’m gonna nail this song now!❤️😁 & Thank you for ALL of the tips. These are so helpful.

Great video with great information. All the points you raise make very good sense. Also, very nicely presented. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻

Can totally relate 😅 Thank’s my friend 😊 The Lord’s love + grace be with you His Hope + peace, in Life, and beyond the grave Hope you are all well and resting in Jesus saving love + grace 😊 Warmest Love + blessing’s friends 😊

John 3 verse 16 ^_^ please search the Gospel (Bible) all who read this. Your soul is far to precious to gamble in thinking there is no hell or need for salvation in The Lord Jesus Blessing’s friends ^_^

Ever hear of a guy by the name of Andy Roddick?

Right Leg elevated? I am a right handed (beginner) player but have been using the foot stool to raise my left leg to support the guitar on it. Am i wrong? Excellent video by the way, guilty of most of these.

Does wonderwall count when learning entire song

Gilty

Guilty of all at one time or another. LoL Good suggestions. Thanks

Thanks for all of that. Of particular help to me is the idea of performance mode, together with playing and owning the performance.

This has been so helpful. I have done all of the above. I was already aware that my performance mode sucks but laying it all out like this has focused my mind quite a bit. I will practice in performance mode more. Cheers.

Yep, do all of these to varying degrees. Managed to catch one myself the other day (bad positioning) which I've rectified, but thank you for pointing the others out. The major disadvantage of being self taught is, it seems, the steepness (or sometimes the lack thereof) of the learning curve.

For your "mistake" number three, I would say that a better position for the guitar is between your legs with the neck much higher, like classical guitar players play. Your left hand can flow freely and you don't need to painfully twist your wrist to play chords.

No beginner will ever be able to play that example piece you mention in the first mistake.

#6 is best.

I think a guitar learning journey can teach people how to find confidence within themselves. It can be learning anything really, but getting good at something from a lot of practice, I think, provides that gift.

I have a large belly and I feel the guitar is not in the correct position, any tips

Thanks for the tips, I’ll try to work on these. I even get nervous and start making excuses when I’m just trying to play something for my always supportive wife.

Great reminders. I’ve been on my journey for 3 years and have improved a lot, but still have what I think is less than perfect posture when sitting and keeping my fret board at the higher angle. On a different note (no pun intended) I found if I record myself several times playing the same song in a row I can use this recording to help me identify areas to work on whether it’s rhythm, cleaner notes or lyrics. It’s also a great way to look back 3 or 6 months later and see your improvements.

I am guilty of all of the above. some to a lesser degree than others. I would say however that point number 5 could be a discouragement for many of us. Eliminating all buzz or other mistakes is going to take a lot of practice, maybe even years. If we think that the moment we buzz a chord everyone will think we must be a beginner could lead us to not performing at all. I like to remember that the vast majority in the audience are not professional musicians and will not, hopefully, be as aware of our mistakes. Better to have tried and failed than to never tried at all. Other than that I think the list is very true indeed. Thanks

Without realizing it I keep stopping whenever I make a mistake but this video showed me how damaging that can be to the rhythm.

Thank you for this! Guilty as charged on so many points, but getting better, thanks to you.

Brilliant

A very good video Jaxon, and as a sometime teacher myself, and as a club organiser, I've seen them all. As someone who only mentors steel string acoustic players, especially those who play dreads seated, I agree that understanding posture is essential, and we differ only inasmuch as I suggest the right upper leg be parallel to the floor and that (if possible) the back of the guitar should not touch the players body. I say hands are for playing the guitar not holding onto it. Thanks for a really helpful video.

That is why smoke on the water is so popular.

About 2 months in. The first day I never knew Anything about chords, keys, or strumming patterns/rythm, and my first guitar having such a high action made the first few weeks hard on me and my fingers especially, so I purchased those finger guards to make it less painful. About a month in I finally got a guitar with low action and learned so much from barre chords which I thought was impossible when I began and learned to change chords at an average pace. I've always been self taught, never searched for guitar lessons but I managed.

I quit in my 20s. Now in my 40s i am learning at a much better pace.

You can perform on twitch too!

Good video. In 2024 i went DEEP into the major scale. Felt like i spent all year on it but it was totally worth it. I went from knowing no theory to understanding triads, caged and intervals. I went hard into this topic.

#1 I'm guilty of. #2 yep. Commenting before I see all 6 but I'm sure I've done em all.

Sage Advice ✌️ 😊

Im guilty of all six, and its funny cause they built so much insecurity I decided to stop playing entirely. It probably had more to do with being young and immature than anything else. But I feel like now, since that's not the case anymore, that I have finally started to actually grow as guitar player, even when my performance isn't the best. These mistakes seem to me like prerequisite roadblocks one must go through to finally start even enjoying guitar, and playing nicely at that. Thank you for these very valuable videos, please keep making them.