2 lessons and not doing so great

if I cant even do scales after hours and hours of practicing how in the world will I be able to do harder things?

One day you'll think back and say, "wow, I can't believe I struggled through that, it seems so easy now!" Don't give up; build up the calluses; let the fingers bleed ... 8)

Relax, that's probably the best thing you can ever do when trying to learn something. Don't worry about scales not going fast, you'll get a lot better by playing a lot, even by just having the guitar in your hands. After a while you'll find yourself improving every single day, with sometimes an odd day things seem to be going worse while your mind is just processing.

My question to you is: are you having fun? As long as you're having fun you can be the worst musician in the world and it'll still have been worth it all.

Your hands aren't used to having to do these movements, it's quite normal for you to have issues. I myself had to force my fingers in certain positions with my other hand the very first time I had to do a certain chord (can't even remember which one!). The better you get, the easier you learn. The hard stuff will be impossible now, but it'll become more doable as you learn! For concrete advice I think there's quite a few people here a lot more experienced to advise you, don't give up and try to have fun!

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes I am having fun. I look forward each day to my time with my guitar. While trying again tonight to stretch my fingers to the frets while keeping time I wondered if it would hurt to just let them stretch as far as they could while trying to keep my hand from moving, fingers from popping up and keeping time and just working on trying to make the stretch longer each day? Instead of trying to do what seems impossible right now. Right now all three things together just seems like too much, but I don't want to start bad habits either. I was just thinking that working up to it might make it all work better.

I've never learned a single scale in my life, and I've been playing for over thirty years now. I started with chords - learned A D and E, you can play hundreds of songs with just those two chords. Then G, Em, C and D - now we're into the thousands. Built my chord vocabulary up over the years, now I can play rhythm guitar to almost anything. Hear a song on the radio, find the key, play along.

Lead guitar's a bit tougher - that's where the scales come in. Still don't know any scales (or at least, if I do, I don't know what they're called!) - I learnt through trial and error, listening to songs over and over again, trying to play along.

Point I'm trying to make - use your ears. After a while you'll be able to recognise certain chords, certain scales...try playing along with records you like. Try playing some fairly easy solos - take them slowly at first, then try and build up speed. After a while, your fingers seem to know where to go - we call this "muscle memory."

End of the day, we all started playing guitar with the same ultimate goal - whether it's playing some blinding fingershredding solos, or just strumming along to campfire songs - it's all about playing songs. So pick up your guitar and play - and don't forget to have fun!

:D :D :D

Vic

I learned some scales but I'm with Vic. If it sounds good play it! Your ears will tell you.

I've never learned a single scale in my life, and I've been playing for over thirty years now. I started with chords - learned A D and E, you can play hundreds of songs with just those two chords. Then G, Em, C and D - now we're into the thousands. Built my chord vocabulary up over the years, now I can play rhythm guitar to almost anything. Hear a song on the radio, find the key, play along.

Lead guitar's a bit tougher - that's where the scales come in. Still don't know any scales (or at least, if I do, I don't know what they're called!) - I learnt through trial and error, listening to songs over and over again, trying to play along.

Point I'm trying to make - use your ears. After a while you'll be able to recognise certain chords, certain scales...try playing along with records you like. Try playing some fairly easy solos - take them slowly at first, then try and build up speed. After a while, your fingers seem to know where to go - we call this "muscle memory."

End of the day, we all started playing guitar with the same ultimate goal - whether it's playing some blinding fingershredding solos, or just strumming along to campfire songs - it's all about playing songs. So pick up your guitar and play - and don't forget to have fun!

:D :D :D

Vic
I learned some scales but I'm with Vic. If it sounds good play it! Your ears will tell you.

I can understand why some people might not want to take lessons. I know lots of people who play very well without them, but I want lessons. I'm enjoying the time set aside for just me. Lessons aren't the problem, I just want to get the most out of them and see improvement each week. Even if it's only small improvement

Give it time. I know that probably sounds a bit trite, but really, give it time. You've been playing for what a week and a half? Two weeks now? Really, give it time.

And learning to use your pinky - many guitarists never bother doing this. It is a bit difficult at first, but it's a lot easier to learn to do as a rank beginner than try to add into your playing later, once habits have formed. You'll get used to using it, and will reap the benefits, so stick with it )and I say that as a gurl with the tiniest pinky you can possibly imagine, and I've learn/trained it over the years to play both guitar and bass....it is possible with time). The pinky is the hardest finger to develop on your left hand tho, so it's nothing unusual.

Again, I say give it time. :wink:

Here's an exercise to help with finger dexterity. Remember to start high up the fretboard - it's best where your fingers are straight (i.e. the 4 frets are, altogether, about as wide as your hand).
Do it slowly and conscientiously. Remember to relax, as well.

When you feel able to do the exercise, albeit slowly, sit in front of a mirror and learn to watch your fingers through the mirror rather than by tipping the guitar.

You could also do worse than to learn from one of Britain's greatest heroes - Percy Veerance. 8)

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes I am having fun. I look forward each day to my time with my guitar. While trying again tonight to stretch my fingers to the frets while keeping time I wondered if it would hurt to just let them stretch as far as they could while trying to keep my hand from moving, fingers from popping up and keeping time and just working on trying to make the stretch longer each day? Instead of trying to do what seems impossible right now. Right now all three things together just seems like too much, but I don't want to start bad habits either. I was just thinking that working up to it might make it all work better.

What scares the hell out of me is that in your first two lessons you're being required to make those stretches.

There is no reason why you you should have more than one or two fingers holding down strings at any time whilst you're playing scales. If you're playing the big hand spreads for the chords stabs in Isaac Albeniz's "Asturias" that's one thing, but that piece is waaaaaaay beyond Grade 8, and it sounds to me like you're being given dodgy information right now.

Let the hand move. Let fingers pop up.

A :-)

Thanks for the encouragement. Yes I am having fun. I look forward each day to my time with my guitar. While trying again tonight to stretch my fingers to the frets while keeping time I wondered if it would hurt to just let them stretch as far as they could while trying to keep my hand from moving, fingers from popping up and keeping time and just working on trying to make the stretch longer each day? Instead of trying to do what seems impossible right now. Right now all three things together just seems like too much, but I don't want to start bad habits either. I was just thinking that working up to it might make it all work better.

What scares the hell out of me is that in your first two lessons you're being required to make those stretches.

There is no reason why you you should have more than one or two fingers holding down strings at any time whilst you're playing scales. If you're playing the big hand spreads for the chords stabs in Isaac Albeniz's "Asturias" that's one thing, but that piece is waaaaaaay beyond Grade 8, and it sounds to me like you're being given dodgy information right now.

Let the hand move. Let fingers pop up. A :-)
I think the reason he started me on these was because at my first lesson we talked about what I wanted and such. I told him I had been practicing a few weeks on my own. he asked me to show him what I had learned and I showed him 8 open cords. He said he wasn't going to start me where he normally did because I was pretty fast at changing cords.

I didn't get the feeling he expects me to be able to do this now, I got the feeling he was showing me what to be working for.The more I read replies to this thread the more I'm understanding I'm expecting too much, I'm the one putting pressure on myself. I went into my first lesson thinking that whatever he gave me to work on I should be able to do by my next lesson. Every time I practice I find myself tensing up thinking about how many days I have left to learn this. He told me to relax and it's not a race.

How many notes per string are you playing?

If you are playing 3 notes on the 5th string (C at 3rd fret, D at 5th fret, and E at 7th fret) you should be using your first finger, then your middle finger (not the ring finger), then the pinky.

If you are just playing 2 notes on the 5th string (C at 3rd fret, and D at 5th fret), then you should be using your middle finger, then your pinky.

Just throwing this out there in case you've been trying to use your ring finger then pinky on this string - if so, you are doing it wrong (possibly your teacher has shown you an uncomfortable way to play it), and if you're doing that and trying to play 3 notes on this string, I wouldn't be surprised to find you're struggling.

Either way, as an overall goal, you do want to keep your fingers as close to the strings as possible (without touching them, other than when you're playing a note, or damping a string), but this is an ongoing goal - it isn't something you can expect to perfect in a matter of days. It's more something you need to be aware of at all times when you're practicing.

Hope this helps some.

How many notes per string are you playing?

If you are playing 3 notes on the 5th string (C at 3rd fret, D at 5th fret, and E at 7th fret) you should be using your first finger, then your middle finger (not the ring finger), then the pinky.

You wouldn't leave your index finger down and try to stretch for the 7th fret E at the same time though, would you, and it sounds to me like that's what khayes is trying to do. Your index finger would come up and your hand would pivot around the middle finger to make that an easy reach. I think your index finger would be trying to part company with the neck as you got your middle finger down (because that 3rd to 5th fret stretch isn't particularly easy either and it's easier to get a wider angle between ring and pinky than it is between index and middle) - mine does.

A

How many notes per string are you playing?

If you are playing 3 notes on the 5th string (C at 3rd fret, D at 5th fret, and E at 7th fret) you should be using your first finger, then your middle finger (not the ring finger), then the pinky.

You wouldn't leave your index finger down and try to stretch for the 7th fret E at the same time though, would you, and it sounds to me like that's what khayes is trying to do. Your index finger would come up and your hand would pivot around the middle finger to make that an easy reach. I think your index finger would be trying to part company with the neck as you got your middle finger down (because that 3rd to 5th fret stretch isn't particularly easy either and it's easier to get a wider angle between ring and pinky than it is between index and middle) - mine does.

A

Agreed, Alan - thinking about his description, I figured he might have been trying to play it using ring finger then pinky though, which would likely cause the pinky to pop up even if the index is released, imo. But there's no point to continue fretting a note with your index finger if you've fretted a note above it on the same string.

How many notes per string are you playing?

If you are just playing 2 notes on the 5th string (C at 3rd fret, and D at 5th fret), then you should be using your middle finger, then your pinky.

Either way, as an overall goal, you do want to keep your fingers as close to the strings as possible (without touching them, other than when you're playing a note, or damping a string), but this is an ongoing goal - it isn't something you can expect to perfect in a matter of days. It's more something you need to be aware of at all times when you're practicing.

Hope this helps some.

Yes this is what I'm trying to do, and the way you described it is spot on with what he told me and showed me.

The stress is coming from me. I think I just needed to be aware of that and enjoy myself instead of worrying about perfection. This morning I allowed myself to relax and not worry. Spent some time just doing the scale without worrying where my hand was or my pinkie and worked on timing, then I spent some time just working on stretching my fingers and not worrying about timing or if I hit the right spots on the frets. Much more enjoyable and since I wasn't stressing, much easier though far from perfect :D Hopefully in time it'll all come together.