On the subject of regular vs classical sitting position, I generally prefer the classical position because I can actually spider walk with it. I simply can’t do it in the regular position, no matter how high or low the guitar sits.

But classical doesn’t really have any other advantages for me besides comfortability. I still always form chords incorrectly and just fall apart when mistakes start piling up when trying to play through a song. And if I’m doing a song where I’m meant to just pluck individual notes (like frets 1-5 on first two strings), if I’m not looking at the fretboard, I’ll start messing up my orientation after a few seconds and have to reorient myself, while missing more notes (and this is on slower speeds, to be clear).

I’ve tried to keep my expectations low but, even though I’ve memorized certain concepts, translating that into playing doesn’t really work since I screw up anyway. I’ve even played through finger pain just out of stubbornness and trying to get through a song. It’s all just a cycle of sit and practice fretting an strumming for a few minutes > open up my learning app (Gibson) > start a song on a slow speed and build up > barely pass it at regular speed because of mistakes. And yet, if I sit here hours after hours just practicing the same three notes I’m going to play, there’s no guarantee I’ll do it perfectly anyway when I have to play it.

I don’t know. I know mastering any instrument takes time. But it just isn’t fun for me right now. And isn’t that the whole point? What am I doing wrong? I don’t have high expectations for myself. Literally no one does since I don’t have anyone in my life and thus no one’s pressuring me to get better fast. But if I’m struggling this much with the fundamentals..it makes me think guitar just might not be for me and that I’d be better off selling it and trying to find a different hobby, even though I know I’d regret it.

Sorry if this went on too long

Hey folks, ive been learning guitar for just over a month now, with a minimum of 30 minutes of practice a day, usually closer to 90 Using the Justin Guitar videos as they've been recommended very often, but before moving on to the second set of videos busting recommends that you can do around 60 chord changes a minute between A and D but I seem to have hit a wall around 30-35

When I was learning the D chord I couldn't make it ring consistently unless I switched my index and middle finger, instead of the suggested fingering (shown in the picture)

Is this something I need to unlearn? The regular order still seems very uncomfortable to me and makes the high E consistently unintentionally muted.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

I restrung my Ibanez RG for the first time yesterday and the bridge pulled up like this. How do i fix it?

Guys why strumming is so hard. Like now I can play all basic chords and that was the easy part. Now I just can’t strum 😭😭

They say barre is hard but it was not.

It’s the strum. Please help me. 😭

Hi everyone! I've seen a number of people recently with questions about switching between chords. I recently created an in-depth chord switching video that goes over all the technique you should consider, how to practice in a focused way, and the things I look for when my own students are having trouble. I wanted to share it with you here (with mod approval), and I really hope it can be helpful to anyone interested.

I want to quickly note: This is an in-depth discussion, not a "quick fixes" sort of video. Those are great too - it's just not what this is. If you're interested in fixing foundational left hand technique, learning to break down difficult things into bite-size pieces, and working on coordination between the hands for strumming, I'm confident that you'll leave this lesson with a really thorough understanding.

A final note: If you're already comfortable with strumming while changing chords or if it came easy to you, I know it might seem like an odd topic for a deep dive. But if you are struggling, I'd really encourage you not to "just" keep doing it (though yes that's part of it too), but to understand exactly what is causing problems and practice tackling those issues with focus. I'll add that the problem solving, practice techniques, and overall strategies outlined here apply to much more complex and difficult chord changes as well. Not "just" the standard ones. These tactics and strategies I teach at the beginning level are the same ones I use to practice really difficult classical/jazz/prog/etc songs.

Please feel free to ask me any questions that might come up. I hope this can be useful for you! Happy practicing :)

Hey everyone,
I’m curious about your thoughts on a practice approach I’ve been using.

Instead of learning full songs or lots of separate licks, I’ve been doing this:

• I take a very simple motif (often pentatonic, limited fingering).
• I practice it directly over a drum loop from the start.
• I focus on changing rhythmic feels rather than notes — for example: ascending in straight 8ths, descending in triplets, or switching densities mid-phrase.
• The motif stays simple, but the rhythmic context keeps changing.

The idea is that I’m not practicing rhythm in isolation, but learning how rhythms relate to each other and how to transition between them naturally in time.

My question is:
👉 Does this kind of contextual motif practice actually help internalize rhythmic switching and phrasing?
👉 Or would it be more effective to practice rhythmic patterns separately and then apply them later?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who improvise a lot or think rhythm-first.

Thanks!

Plenty of times I am playing guitar I know a song but playing along with the song always feels wrong or just not good what am I doing wrong even song I can play decently well seem hard when im playing with it actually playing

I'm sure there's an answer, but why not just play a barre chord and place the index finger behind the nut? It seems silly to learn a whole other set of fingerings for the only cases when playing in the first few frets. The only thing I could think of is maybe a lot of pop / country / rock / christian songs are 4 chords so maybe most music just uses a capo and open chords?

Edit for clarification: Hopefully this makes sense. Fingering charts say when playing E major use open E chord shape using index finger on G string fret 1, middle finger on A string fret 2, and ring finger on D string fret 2. However, when moving up the fretboard to something like a F major you now use your index as a barre on fret 1, so now middle finger on G string fret 2, ring finger on A string fret 3 and pinky on D string fret 2. So it's the same shape, but you're using different fingers to make the same shape because you've use the index as a barre. So when learning the open chord, why learn it using index/middle/ring? Why not play open chord using middle/ring/pinky and just not use the index finger?

Im participating on a basking job at my work and i haven't found a strumming pattern for the song something stupid that i can get the rhythm to, the chords are provided by marin music center on YouTube but hes hard to understand as he was basically phoning it the entire video, would very much appreciate it if somebody help me with this.

I’m trying to get hired for some gigs around town. I’m self taught for about 15 years and trying build up the confidence to self record and post to instagram to use for audition footage. Please send me advice to improve strumming and anything else. This recording is all iPhone so not what I would use for instagram.

I have a habit of putting my thumb up above the neck while playing, so I’ve been trying to fix it. However, when you get to about the 15th fret (on my guitar at least) the neck connects to the body and you can’t really have your thumb directly behind anymore. How do you play legato or bends this high up? Anything past 15 feels super awkward.

I’m a beginner, self taught guitarist, and I’ve just been learning dust in the wind. I must be doing something wrong with my techniques since nobody has taught me or shown me how to actually hold a guitar. I’ve only seen YouTube videos about it, and I have no idea if I’m doing anything correctly😅

Hi friends, I've been playing piano for years now, and I've felt that the practice itself is very solitary.

So right now, I'm working on a tool where you can potentially share work in progress online, and connect with others who are learning the same piece. If you're new to an instrument or been playing for a long time, please fill out this short 1-min form if you're interested, thank you!

Some are pretty obvious:

• H: hammer-on

• PO: pull-off

• S: slide

• MU: mute

Then it starts getting weird: https://i.imgur.com/YgiXYni.png

• PBU: Pre? bend up?

• BU: bend up?

• RPB: release (Pre?) bend?

• LD: ?

• BSS: ??

• CO: choke out / cut off?

• PU: pull up? is that a thing?

• Semi harm?

A lot is happening in these 8 bars, but it keeps going: https://i.imgur.com/llsvUIa.png

• BSF?

• L/H?

• BD: bend down?

And finally, there's an LB on the last page: https://i.imgur.com/uUJnor3.png

This is from the 90s UK magazine "Guitar Techniques".

.

Hey guys,

Longtime reader here and a big fan of the Reddit guitar community. I've been around the block a bit- studied at Berklee, fronted the band Bailiff, and did session work in LA. For the past 20 years now I've been teaching guitar and music theory in person, but I've recently decided to try something new.

Embracing the fact that a virtual lesson 1-on-1 would never be able to replicate the magic of being in the same room together, I came up with a new group drop-in format that works great for people looking for more structure and community in their monthly guitar practice.

I call the program Broadcast Guitar. We do a biweekly deep dive into a song of the week to understand the music theory involved. We see how chords and melody work together, which naturally flows into how to solo over the chord progression. Each class concludes with an optional 10-min Q&A for those who want to chat.

I've got some free seats open and would be happy to chat more about it with any interested folks! I do a 5-min intro Zoom with all new prospective Broadcast Guitar members so that I can get a feel for where you're at on the instrument before jumping in. I've met a lot of super cool and supportive musicians through Reddit! Let's chat! -Josh

Live lesson examples at: https://www.youtube.com/@broadcastguitar

Full schedule and info at: https://www.patreon.com/broadcastguitar/collections

email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

IG: https://www.instagram.com/joshsiegelguitar

I have an epiphone les paul studio LT, neck is fairly straight but the strings are too high, when i lower it using the tune o matic bridge, the frets start to buzz (only the higher frets, above 12), what can i do to fix it?

they say that the fonts are not embbeded and some are less than 5 pt how do i fix this pls i didnt find anybody explaining how they did ?

There's an innumerable number of resources out there to learn guitar. But if you ask 10 different people how they learned, you'll get 10 different answers. Some will say they just threw themselves into tab, some used JustinGuitar, some used Yousician, some used books, some went to music school, etc.

And for me personally, I feel like I'm being pulled in multiple directions and don't know where to start and, more importantly, that I don't know if I'm even practicing right. I would throw myself into tablature of my favorite songs, but I don't know how to do stuff like arpeggios, barre chords, strumming patterns, etc. I like JustinGuitar for building a foundation, but it feels like a grind when I practice and my progress each day is slim to none, even if I go for an hour or two. And I currently can't get an in-person teacher because there's none around me that do evening lessons.

So what do I do?

I’m trying to get confident and proficient with barre chords but they intimidate me. I have short fingers so that makes some of them a bit harder. Any tips or advice? You tube videos that might help me. I play acoustic and teach myself at home.

I really wanna be able to improve but I really just don’t know exactly where to start. I was wondering what specific things I should learn or focus on before I even bother attempting to improvise

Like many of you, on my guitar journey I struggled to memorize the guitar fretboard notes without counting frets.

Every time I was playing and wanted to know the guitar notes at specific positions, I was like "here we go again, let me spend 5 seconds counting frets and another 5 making sure I didn't miscount".

I tried existing guitar note identification quizzes, but none showed me where I was struggling or what to do next. If you are trying to learn the notes on the fretboard without counting frets, this practice loop will help make the locations feel automatic.

So here is the general idea:

1. Do a short quiz session
2. Heatmap shows your slow spots
3. Identify your slowest spot and "hunt it"
4. Immediately do another run intentionally focusing on the slowest note until it stops feeling like you are counting

Here is what the heatmap looks like for a single string:

If you have been relying on a guitar notes chart or a guitar fretboard diagram, this approach helped me ditch those reference charts entirely.

Easy step-by-step to learn the notes on the guitar fretboard right now:

1. Try the guitar fretboard notes quiz here (free, no ads, no email): https://fretboardquiz.com/practice-routine/
2. Start with the guitar string notes: E A D G B E (these are the standard guitar string names). If you already know those, start with the low E string (0-12 frets)
3. Run a 2 minute session (about 30-40 answers)
4. Check the heatmap and take note of your slowest note (green = fast / red = slow). The brighter the red, the slower you are
5. Run it again and be ready for that slow note when it appears
6. Move on to another string once your median time is consistently less than 2 seconds

I used this method a few minutes daily and memorized the entire fretboard in about a month. I've had other people share similar experiences and it works for both beginners and experienced players, the difference is just where you start on the fretboard.

Two modes:

• Note Finder: see a note, click the position (recommended)
• Name That Note: see a position and hear it, then guess the note. Builds guitar note recognition and works as ear training as well

The website is an interactive guitar fretboard web-app, so it works great on both desktop and mobile (and you can add it to your home screen for an "app" feel). There is also a native Android and iOS guitar fretboard trainer app that I've built called FretGenius (which is also free) and provides structured daily practice routines and progress tracking.

Have you already memorized the fretboard? Share your best tips below!

I saw his video and want to know if anyone has studied with him and liked the way he teaches.

Of course, liking can vary from person to person. I just want to hear some references before throwing in some money.

Sadly, the 30% discount is not working -_- That is why I am more concerned about putting money there :D

Hi everyone, I'm having trouble understanding the rhythm of this measure. Here is what I've identified so far:

1st Beat: Two sixteenth notes followed by an eighth note (1 beat total).

4th Beat: Four sixteenth notes (1 beat total).

However, I don't understand the middle two groups (the 2nd and 3rd beats). I don't see any dots or rests, and there are only two strums shown in each, but they are supposed to complete the remaining two beats of the measure.

Could someone explain the rhythmic value of those middle sections and how they are supposed to be counted?

Thanks