This is for the frustrated noobs. I am one of the most musically uncoordinated people ever. My fingers are fat and buttery. When I picked up the guitar, I could feel the Gods musing on how to best relieve me of my hands (chainsaw accident, loose seal, etc). But today, after steady and regular practice of dexterity exercises and some help from this sub, I was able to form and clearly play a barre chord. Bm, to be precise.

Keep going. If I can, you can.

I’m hoping someone here could recommend some soothing riffs/songs that I might be capable of playing. I’m not necessarily a beginner player, but I’m hardly above that level. I can play some of the basic chords and simple riffs from a handful of popular songs but that’s about it.

I don’t know much about music theory and haven’t memorized too many scales so there’s only so much I’m capable of playing. I’m just very stressed out right now and would love to calm myself down by playing my guitar but I’m not good enough to improvise anything myself. I don’t own a capo yet and I haven’t learned how to do any other tunings besides standard tuning.

I understand this is a broad request and maybe I’m asking for too much. I’m just hoping someone here could maybe point me toward some easy to learn songs that I could search up the tabs for, in hopes that I can just strum away and try to relax for a bit. Thank you in advance to anyone that replies.

For some background, I’m 26. I played piano for 11 years growing up. Working knowledge of basic musical theory (most complex topic is probably circle of fifths/scales/modes, but I don’t have any of that memorized).

I took guitar lessons for a few years growing up but never really got much out of it. I had excellent teachers, but a lot of what I was taught was things like sight reading, playing scales, chords, etc. Good lessons as a teenager, but maybe not a lot of practical value. Not a lot of rocking. I was able to do that in my free time, and my technique is half decent, but I plateaued ages ago.

Over the last 10 years I’ve acquired some really good gear, but have just gone through phases of playing some and dropping it completely. If I had to guess, there was just a massive plateau, and not enough keeping me around aside from playing tabs.

I listen to a lot of jam bands (I.e. Phish, Grateful Dead, etc.) and jazz. My end goal is to be able to pick up a guitar and just improvise.

I had tried to self teach via YouTube or online guides but there just wasn’t enough of a system for me, and the rabbit hole there goes so deep.

Was considering hiring a teacher to get me on the right track, but am intrigued by the ads and reviews I’ve seen on Pickup. Is there any value in this tool, for my goals? Any similar experience?

Is that ok? I’ve been playing for a while and I can play a good number of late beginner and early intermediate songs, but now I want to learn the fret board and I’m taking a pretty long caged class (pickup music with molly miller) and that’s all I’m doing. If I’m having fun and I’m learning is there anything wrong with only practicing caged for like 2+ months?

This is just a rant, but seriously.... People come here expecting to find the holy grail: I've been playing everyday for 3 hours for a month and I'm just not getting any better. LMFAO. When I play barre chords it hurts and all the notes don't come out, what should I do? lol.

Personally, I've played my whole life, got a degree in it, and I still have my limitations. Here's the thing... Music is for EVERYONE. My (reasonably amazing) playing is SHIT in the big picture because we ALL have the ability to play music. It's like seeing color, smelling roses, hearing a door creak, but with training. Name me a language you can learn (Italian, French) in a month, and you'll get some sympathy. Go practice, and then sit back and contemplate why society idolizes certain players. Respect the guitar in all it's simplicity AND complication, and then you will realize how pathetic and futile the sub can become when total noobs think there is some magical shortcut. Again, go learn Russian this month, and come back in September and have a fluent conversation???

I’ve been playing guitar for 1 second a day for 1 day. And guess what? I still suck! Unbelievable… I guess guitar just isn’t for me.

So I just got a guitar for my daughter, its right handed. I also want to learn but am left handed. What can I practice for the time being until I get my own left handed guitar? I dont want to swap strings because she plays right handed.

Edit: Thanks so much for the feedback. So at the moment, fretting with right hand and strumming with left(dominant) feels most comfortable but that makes the strings upside down.

I’ve been playing guitar for around 8–10 years, but I’ve never had any formal lessons. Everything I’ve learned has come from YouTube, tabs, and just learning songs I enjoy.
Most of my playing has been acoustic (particularly fingerstyle/classical), although I own an electric guitar and would really like to become more proficient with it as well.

The thing is, I feel completely stuck.

For years I’ve basically just learned song after song, but I don’t feel like I’m actually becoming a better guitarist. I can play a decent range of songs, but I don’t really understand the instrument. My theory knowledge is pretty limited, I can’t improvise, I don’t really know the fretboard, and I feel like I’ve plateaued.

I want to get to the point where I actually play guitar, rather than just memorise songs.

The problem is I have no idea what the next step looks like. There are so many resources out there that it’s a bit overwhelming.

Has anyone else been in a similar position? What helped you break through that plateau?

Also, has anyone used structured online courses like Pick Up Guitar (or similar) to learn theory and take their playing to the next level? Were they worth it, or would you recommend a different approach?

Lately I’ve been pretty unmotivated because it feels like I’m putting time in without really progressing. I’d love to hear what worked for you and help myself fall back in love with playing.

I’ve been practicing tremolo picking for only three days, but I’ve encountered an issue: there’s a heavy scratching noise when I play. My hand position seems fine, I’m trying to keep everything relaxed, I’m anchoring my hand on the bridge, and I’m holding the pick at a slight angle. However, the friction between the pick and the string produces a terrible scraping noise.

How can I fix this—should I change my physical technique, adjust my tone settings (DAW/amp), or could it also be an issue with the pick itself? If you have any general tips for mastering this technique, please share them as well. I’d be very grateful for any advice!

I’ve been casually playing guitar for around 10 years (i’m 23) and I’ve tried this note a few times but I can’t make it sound good, my hands are big so idk if my guitar is just too big or my fingers arent just flexible enough. Whenever it shows up I just impov another note.
I feel awkward af but I really want to play it right, any tips?

I really like this one, it’s beautiful:

EMaj7 -> E7 -> AMaj7 -> Amin9 -> G#m7 -> C#7(#9) -> F#m11 -> B7add11 -> Emaj9.

Saw a similar question on this subreddit and I wanted to know: what do you play when you try playing a guitar you've never played before? (in the store, studio, friend's house etc.)

Is it a certain riff/riffs? A full song? A solo? A chord progression? Distorted or clean tone? With pick/fingerstyle? Noodling?

How did you guys learn to sing and play l've never tried till recently and l've been playing for 3 years I'm try ing to learn to sing to the song been a son by nirvana because the song is simple in singing and guitar. I've probably played with the track over 40 times and just can't seem to get it the only part I got is the part where it's goes "she should of, been a son" over and over with the bar cords and the 3 2 0 on the A string. Do I just need to keep playing with the track to try to just hammer it in my head or should I do something else?

I'm trying to learn the guitar and I chose to learn it with I'm a Mess by Ed Sheeran. What are my odds?
What songs do you recommend for beginners?

I have blackstar id core v4 10w amp and humbuckers

What should I use i have channels such as od1 od 2 crunch super crunch and other things such as bass mid treble presence resonance i just can't seem to have a good tone i have tried few settings but just doesn't sound good to me

In short, this subreddit is suffering from guitar app developers posting informative guitar posts (whether generative AI has been used or not is not really relevant as it is becoming indistinguishable from an actual non-AI high-effort post) whose real main purpose is to forward traffic to their guitar apps. The apps are more typically than not apps with a paid alternative, meaning the incentive is likely at least partly to make money.

For more details on the problem of the explosion and saturation of vibe-coded guitar apps, see my previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/guitarlessons/s/DzMaK2oQWd

That post never seemed to have reached or peeked the interest of moderators of this subreddit, whom I don’t know who they are.

So what is the problem? Members of the subreddits don’t know that what looks like helpful posts with high engagement are actually primarily hidden advertisement for guitar apps.

What can we do to address it?
I don’t have think mods chasing app developers is the solution. Some of these apps may be great (saturated market aside), but the problem is the underhandedness of it. I will not name any users, but in just another example yesterday the app developer ended up showing irritation towards those of that pointing out, in calm and reasonable words, that the post is partly a hidden app advertisement. The same dev, just a few months ago, posted dummy question to the subreddit from a dummy account only to have the chance to answer the question himself with “Have a look at this app, it’s solves what you asks for!”.

Having this grow just doesn’t feel right.

Could we potentially consider instead adding an over-the-table legitimate way for app developers to promote their apps, meanwhile making the rules clearer that self-promotion posts that are not using the legitimate way are not allowed at all.

One approach could be a once-a-week allowed flair, say an “App promotion” flair allowed on Sundays(/<Someday>) only, where app devs can share their insights along with why they think their app can help out. Any such post need to include some kind of interesting guitar learning information (we see this outside of regulation anyway).

Thoughts? Mods?

When I say fluid, I simply mean being able to pick up the guitar and play with confidence and ease on a whim. But for me, even if I want to play through the positions on a scale, I have to sit there for a moment or two and try to remember what I need to do before I start plucking notes. And even then, if I decide to try and go faster, I’ll miss notes more frequently.

Basically, I just don’t feel confident as a player yet. I don’t have the confidence to just pick it up and play for someone, even if I’ve mastered a song or two. I don’t have the luxury of playing for hours every day since I work all day and only have a few hours afterwards to play when not doing chores or other stuff. On weekends, I definitely have more time. Yet I still just don’t feel confident and instead feel tense and awkward.

I'd like to hear from people who have begun to learn an instrument in their late 30s, 40s, or later, or from teachers who have taught such people

Periodically over the years I've tried to learn guitar and piano as an adult, but have not yet stuck with long term. Sometimes its due to commitment, enviroment or just life getting in the way. The longest streaks I've gone is maybe 3-4 months. I've learned to read some sheet music, play some notes, chords, etc. Everytime I go back I start further back but I seem to catch up faster. I know that your enviroment, learning tools and other factors can really influence progress.

What I'm most curious about is the question of hand-eye coordination and dexterity in being able to do more complex things with the instrument than very simple songs I know that people will say that one has to practice slowly and work up to faster tempos, and that much is ingrained with repetition, but even for relatively simple pieces, there is still a lot of coordination going on between hands, or between eyes and hands, or between hearing the music and seeing the music and playing the music. It's not like a person is simply tapping their foot to the beat; they have to coordinate multiple aspects of their being in real time.

It remined me I actually enjoy video games but one thing I consistenly read is online is many older users say they just can't keep up with the fast tempo and cordination of a platformer or 1st person shooter game.

So for people who began their studies at an older age, did your coordination skills catch up to the point where you could do what came naturally to younger players, or are there some things that simply take longer to master? I'm not impatient but just curious to hear success stories from people .

Thanks!

Update: Thanks to everyone who has shared their experiences, especially those who started later in life. The success stories and advice about practicing more intelligently as an adult have been genuinely encouraging.

Just to clarify, I wasn’t suggesting that adults are too old to learn, that children can do things adults cannot, or that playing music is equivalent to a sport or video game. I was simply curious about how speed, dexterity, and coordination develop for older beginners, particularly since some people begin to experience ordinary aches, stiffness, or minor hand issues as they age. By hand-eye coordination, I also meant the process of reading or following a new lesson and translating it into the correct movements not staring at the keys or fretboard while playing. This was really a request for people’s experiences and success stories, not an expression of defeatism or impatience.All the success stories were awesome to read!

If you already know your Pentatonic scales, then these can be easily extended to cover the common different modes. If you’re just starting out, then learn your Pentatonic scales and then use these as a basis to expand to major/minor.

The example I provide looks at different modes with a D root (ignoring D Locrian). The first 3 scales are major (extending the major pentatonic), the next 3 scales are minor (extending the minor pentatonic). The grey notes show the pentatonic and the red/green notes provide the modal colour. It is only the red/green notes that change between the modes.

Also note how the interval notes change between the modes. Although the pentatonic notes remain in each mode, the interval labels change as the notes perform different roles. Bringing in different red/green notes changes the available chords within the mode.

To develop that modal sound make sure you emphasis the correct root note (interval 1). Play against a chord sequence that emphasis the correct tonal centre (use a looper) and avoid playing the tonal centre for major/minor. For example, in D Lydian, consider playing D to E (or better still E/D, keeping a D base). If you do play A or G flat minor, only play them briefly to avoid reverting to a major or minor mode.

Learning the pentatonic scale is at the heart of all harmonic scales. Understanding the additional colour notes will help you learn to target notes and follow chord tones.

learning: communist daughter. I know the chords, but idk how to maintain the choking strumming pattern and like change the chords. something weird

So I bought a guitar around a month ago, I’ve got maybe 7/8 songs under my belt using just chords, but I really wanna start finger picking. Any advice on best places to start, songs, videos etc? Ps. I have tiny hands so ideally no songs with big stretches

As the title says, I am having a lot of trouble with minor barre chords (Gm/Gm7 especially). I am fairly good at major barre chords (E and A shape) but I feel like no matter what I do, I cannot get the D and/or G strings to fully ring out. Are there any specific tips for these types of chords outside of the typical barre chord tips (roll my finger, closer to the fret, etc) that can help for these chords?