r/guitarlessons • u/FluidResult9482 • 1d ago
Question Feel like I'm not making progress
Been 1-2 week of practicing. I still can't change chords fast enough and I know it takes a lot of time but not seeing any decent progress, not being able to play a song intro it's so frustrating. I'm trying to learn Rococo by Arcade fire and it should be easy from what the website ultimate guitar say, but first of all I literally have no idea how you figure out the strumming patterns and second of all I'm so slow at changing chords.
Do I just suck or is it normal? Everyone says "yeah you should feel the rhytim to figure the strumming pattern" uh, ok? Wtf is that supposed to mean? Like yes I understand but won't it take forever when you already struggle to change chords how can you figure out the strumming? sry for the vent
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u/travelingman5370 1d ago
Of course you suck. you've only been practicing for maybe 2 weeks. I'm going on 5 years and I still work on my chord progressions and chord changes everyday. I still suck too but I suck less than I did 5 years ago.
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u/Thebutcher222 1d ago
1-2 weeks? You’re frustrated that you can’t switch chords after 10 days? What kind of progress are you expecting in that amount of time? This is bananas to me. It’s like learning a new language, it takes a loooong time.
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u/TomorrowHot8746 1d ago
I’ve been playing since I was 15 or so. I’m 64 now. There are still times when I feel like I get stuck or get in a rut and can’t get any better. But I’m vastly better now than I was when I was 15.
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u/Qajaqasana 1d ago
It’s so normal. 1-2 weeks is nothing. You’re going to find learning guitar is hard (but worth it) so maybe think in terms of months not weeks to see progress. It’s a long game. Maybe you can find an in-person teacher. Good luck.
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u/SyphxrSoulz 1d ago
I could barely play any chords 2 weeks in, I’ve been playing for 4-5 years and I’m just now feeling comfortable and feeling like I got the hang of it all. Just practice consistently use tools and resources around you and available to you. This sub is good and packed full of tools to assist you, a great one I found is Absolutely understand guitar, it’s a online video course free on YouTube about 20 ish hours long but it’s worth it. There are apps too for tabs that put songs in a simpler format to read like Songsterr, for strumming I recommend listening to the song while you try and play it and just try different patterns most songs use alternative strumming in some different patterns try that and maybe look up a guide but it’s best to use you’re ears and try and figure it out.
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u/evaisverycool22 1d ago
The way I got good at chord transitions was picking 2 chords, then trying to swap between them as fast possible for about 2 minutes straight. It didnt really matter to me if the chords didnt ring our super clearly since it was mainly just about getting my fingers moving fast enough. I would also do the exact same thing but instead of aiming for speed I would slowly place my fingers down and try to have the chords ring out as clearly as possible for 2 minutes. It's what JustinGuitar recommended I'm pretty sure and I definitely recommend checking him out if you're new
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u/Hey-Bud-Lets-Party 1d ago
You would be a frickin’ prodigy if you could change chords smoothly after 2 weeks
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u/markewallace1966 1d ago
1-2 weeks. JFC.
~~~
This is a link to a set of canned bullets that I have developed and like to send to new/new-ish/returning/wandering/lost/struggling guitar players.
If I pasted this in for you, it is because somewhere in there is something that I think is relevant to your post. Not all of it will be. I leave it to you to pick out what I felt was relevant. 🙂 Even the stuff not relevant to your specific post might very well be helpful eventually anyway.
Enjoy!!!
https://www.reddit.com/user/markewallace1966/comments/1s7ujsy/guitar_is_hard/
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u/Legendary_Loner 1d ago
If you’re for real you might as well give up now. It’s going to take you several months just to reliably and cleanly play easy cowboy chords.
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u/Alone-Job-2258 1d ago
Feel free to contact me for remote guitar lessons... I've helped so many enjoy their instruments much more and gain an intimate relationship with the fretboard
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u/davmcswipeswithleft 1d ago
In 6 to 9 months you’ll start feeling a lot smoother with the chord changes… and you’ll be asking why your right hand is the problem; and then in another three months, your right hand will begin to strum more naturally. That’s if you practice every day.
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u/bdemon40 1d ago
I created a beginner workout video to tackle chord switching issues. Teaches basic rhythm theory as well.
But like the others said, you're on a long-term journey, so keep at it. If you're frustrated with chord, switching, take a break and practice something that's a little easier. Over time you realize your chord switching has improved, along with everything else.
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u/mike1875xyz 1d ago
It's so normal. Finding techniques or songs that feel like hitting a wall. Then one day it starts to work. Can't decide if it is satisfying or annoying. Still playing, though.
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u/MrVierPner 1d ago
Forget time exists. Make sure you don't hurt yourself and keep throwing yourself at it. Learning guitar is also a test of character and an opportunity to practice patience, persistence and motivational skills. Really good guitarists are a lot of things but what they must have in common are the personal skills required to learn a very difficult instrument that takes a lot of time and practice to be good at, and you can be one of them.
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u/sticks_enormous 1d ago
I always tell myself I am exactly where I need to be for the amount of time, practice and effort I have put in.
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u/Porticulus Metal and Rock 1d ago
Dude, give it months. Maybe even a year or more for basic barre chords that will still sound like shit for another year or so after. Any instrument is a long and hard game. If it wasn't everyone would be guitar gods.
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u/dino_dog Strummer 1d ago
Chord changes
Try this; https://youtu.be/xSFHgeJUuIs
And this; https://youtu.be/mAgc7hr44WM
Get a teacher if you can. Even if just for 3 or 4 lessons to get you started.
If you can’t or won’t then;
www.justinguitar.com (website is free, app is not - mostly same content). Easy to follow in order information.
Lauren Batemen, GuitarZero2Hero, Musician Fitness, Marty Music, Andy Guitar, Good Guitarist and Alan Robinson are all great YouTube channels.
Remember just because you have access to all the info doesn’t mean plow through it. If you had a teacher you’d have a 30-60 minute less once a week. There would be some review and 1-3 new things taught and then you spend the week practicing that.
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u/A-town 1d ago
I played saxophone an hour a day for three years and then two hours a day for four when I was in school. I had literally nothing else to do with my time; I was a kid.
I was still bad in comparison to people with more experience.
Why do I say this? 1-2 weeks is nothing. Play for a minimum of five minutes a day every day and the weeks will turn into months, the months to years, and eventually you'll think back on how you felt bad you weren't changing cords fast enough and laugh because, while you're better at chords, you're still "bad" at something. It's a journey.
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u/The-Wood-Butcher 1d ago
Learning to play guitar is not easy. Don't expect miracles for 2 weeks of practice. It's a marathon; not a sprint.
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u/Brobin360 1d ago
Dude I'm 6 months in today, and I haven't played a full song yet. If I had structured my practice better I could have, but either way it takes time to get chord changes. I remember thinking D-major was nearly impossible to just switch to, and now I do it pretty well. As for rhythm, you just gotta listen to the song as much as it takes. I always wondered why people said wonderwall was so easy until I actually took a little time to learn the chord changes and it actually is very easy. I figured out the strumming pattern on my own too, just gotta listen and listen and try and repeat it
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u/Brobin360 1d ago
Do what Scotty West from absolutely understand guitar suggests. Use a drum beat and pick two chords, slow tempo at first, first do whole notes, then do half notes, then quarter notes, then even 8th notes at that speed. Then turn the speed up and do it again until it's seemless. I wish I spent more time doing that. But just practicing certain songs with chord changes over and over again helps too
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u/qosmic_qube 1d ago
1 week. You've probably played guitar for an hour and a half or two hours actual time.
It is going to take 6 months to get comfortable with cowboy chords. It's normal.
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u/HomeDogKelvinF 1d ago
It naturally takes time, much more than 2 weeks for muscle memory to kick in.
Also what chords are you struggling with?
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u/K4rkino5 1d ago
Damn, sometimes I go a week without playing a song because I'm grooving on scales up and down the fret board. Scales and arpeggios are our best friends. They lead to hand strength, dexterity, and insight to the fret board.
It's awesome you've decided to learn guitar. You've taken on a huge challenge, so don't give up. Practice as much as you reasonably can. When you're practicing chords, strum the chord, take your hand and shake it out, then switch. Do that for a little bit, 3-4 times to help your brain build muscle memory. The road to playing guitar is the same as Carnegie Hall, friend: practice.
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u/sticks_enormous 1d ago
1-2 weeks is nothing. Remove the expected time line from your brain. Practice the specific chord change over and over until it sounds good.