09-25-2020, 01:52 PM
(09-24-2020, 05:35 PM)Wyche Wrote: Ya know, my oldest daughter is looking into playing. We got her a cheapy acoustic....and she's dying to learn. We tried to get lessons going, but Covid I guess....so we're gonna put her on YouTube for starters. You're right, I should just sit down with her and get going. I've got an old 5 string I never learned either. I need to just learn the guitar and get with the banjo later. I actually learned some chords on it, but those finger rolls are tough on a beginner, and I lost interest. By God, I'm gonna do it. If I pick it up, I'll invest in an electric.
So I actually gave mainly beginner lessons for awhile, years back. My biggest takeway from it was that if people can just get through the first part (maybe 3 to 6 months or so) then it's somewhat smooth sailing from there, as far as it keeping your interest.
I'd say 90% of people who quit, do so in this timeframe. Why? Because it can be frustrating with the calluses and feeling like you're never going to be able to really play anything. For a lot of people it's not a lot of fun (yet).
BUT... once you learn just a few chords and you can change them up and move around a little with them, it opens up a TON of songs you can play. And you'll finally be able start to feel like your progressing.
Another big piece advice, if it's not fun or if starts to feel like a chore, just take a break. Be it a night, or a week. Just do it in your own time.
One day, and it won't take that long, it will click from "Man this is so hard" to "I really want to learn this song" and you'll look forward to it.
Fwiw, chords I would start out with: C, A Minor, G, D. (You can cover a lot of ground with these 4) Don't feel like you have to learn every major chord at once, and then every minor chord. Break them up in chunks like these.
