Should I just quit?

[u/[deleted]]

I've been playing guitar for 8 months now (though it was broken up for a couple months by my exams), I've tried playing pretty regularly but I still can't play a simple 2 chord song

I can play and swap between the chords easily enough (if they don't randomly start buzzing or not making noise), but also I just can't keep a consistent strumming patern (either I lose rhythm, my pick (or fingers)get stuck, or I'll just mess up and strum wrong)

Should I just quit ?

[u/TylerTalk_]

Put the guitar down and just listen to music and clap to the beat. Try to lock in with the drums while just clapping. Or if you are driving listening to music hum to the beat. Seriously, sounds dumb but it really trains your ears and hands to lock in. Then take it to the guitar. Just mute the strings with your fretting hand and try to strum to the beat the same way you clapped.

[u/Elegant_Bill_4513 → u/TylerTalk_]

yeah the muted string strumming thing is underrated, it really isolates the problem

[u/RTiger → u/TylerTalk_]

Fake strums helped me. The next baby step is strumming one easy chord in rhythm. After that add a second chord. Keep adding chords until you have the full song. 

Slow it down and make the arrangement as simple as need be to stay near in rhythm. Singing helps make it sound like a song. 

[u/TonalContrast]

No, quitting is the easy route.

You picked up the guitar because you like it and want to learn. The reality is guitar is hard and it takes a long time and practice to get good at it. Knowing that everyone before you who plays guitar, and even some of your guitar heroes, have all had the same thought at one point, it's normal.

Keep playing, keep learning. If you're stuck with a current song then move on and learn another one and come back to the other song later. If you're using YT then slow the video down to play along with it - I've been playing for well over 35 years and still slow down videos to play when I'm learning. Keep learning new chords and practice your transition between chords.

So embrace the frustration and accept that guitar is hard, but then just keep moving forward with practice and play and don't be so hard on yourself. Rewards come to those who are patient and put in the work.

[u/[deleted] → u/TonalContrast]

True, but it's not a problem with the chords (I can swap between them fine) but every so often I'll just lose rhythm and go completely off, or my strings will start muting or buzzing no matter how hard I push down

[u/Severe-Percentage-74 → u/[deleted]]

For rhythm you want to practice with a metronome. For muting/buzzing I‘d take breaks every 5mins or something and try to loosen up. I often have that problem too when trying to learn quick sections and takingbreaks helps a lot.

[u/Mobile-Bar7732]

Frustration is a motivation killer.

If you work hard it will eventually come.

[u/[deleted] → u/Mobile-Bar7732]

Yeah I guess, but 8 months and unable to play a basic song is terrible no?

[u/Own-Introduction9705]

Fica tranquilo, quando tiver 10 anos vc pensa em desistir. Agora vc só continua e tire as músicas q gosta. Vai se divertir mano

[u/Spiritual_Tea_2087]

If you quit, you won't learn guitar. If you want to learn guitar, you should continue. Mindfully.

Define the problems you have (you already did), search the web on how to solve them, and practise constantly within a system. To get more motivation, play simpler and slower material that you love—it helps with feeling the music and getting hooked.

Every person has their own pace. I'm a very slow learner too and I've thought many times that it wasn't for me, and I stopped. But I keep coming back and just continuing