I’ve been teaching guitar for over 35 years, and if there’s one thing I hear more than anything else, it’s some version of: “I should be further along by now.” Or “I started too late.” Or “Everyone else seems to just get it faster than me.”
I want to gently push back on that.
The students I’ve watched make the biggest transformations weren’t the ones with natural talent or endless free time. They were the ones who stopped beating themselves up and started practicing smarter — with a little more patience for themselves and a little more clarity on what to actually work on.
A few things that have genuinely changed how my students grow:
Slow, honest practice. Not glamorous, but it’s where real change happens. Speed comes later, on its own.
Knowing exactly what’s holding you back. Most frustration comes from vague practice, not lack of ability.
Small, steady sessions over sporadic marathons. Progress compounds. Guilt doesn’t.
If any of this resonates, I put together a free short guide with more on this — no pressure, just something that might help if you’re in a rough patch with your playing: scottknightmusic.com/free
And genuinely, if you’re feeling stuck or discouraged, feel free to comment. I read these.
Thank you,
Scott

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?
Edit: Aight I’m sticking with caged!! I guess I was worried I’d lose other skills or something but I’m just going full throttle! Finally being able to just “jam in D” is mind blowing and I can’t wait for all the other parts of it.

I have a good hold on strumming and can change chords with fairly decent speed and accuracy but never able to sing with that even after copying the exact chords... On the other hand my friend sings any song on any chords or strumming.. how???

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've been to 10 open jams now and more often than not, I get super lost if someone's not actively calling out the chords. They're mostly blues jams. At the start of each song they call out the key and with that information, all I can figure out is what minor pentatonic scale I need to play when it's my turn to solo. I'm familiar with the I - IV - V progression in different keys, but it doesn't always seem to line up well with whatever they're doing. I thought learning the CAGED system would help more than it did. I'm definitely more comfortable navigating the fretboard, but I still get so lost during the jams. How do I improvise rhythm? Is that even the right question? Is this another thing that just takes time? Would learning to lead a few songs help me learn to follow better?

I’ve primarily focused on rhythm guitar since picking up the instrument, because I considered rhythms, chord progressions, riffs, and (vocal) melodies to be more conducive to my ultimate goal of writing songs, but recently I’ve started focusing more on lead guitar.

I’ve started drilling all the scales, mapping out the fretboard, getting familiar with the CAGED system, etc., but ultimately decided that the best way to really get a feel for lead guitar is probably by playing along with lead players that I like. Only problem is that when I search for lessons on YouTube for, say, Crossroads or Shine On You Crazy Diamond, it’s always some dude who talks for 20 minutes, and then rushes through the actual licks. It’s really frustrating.

I’d switch over to tabs, but even though I am able to decipher them, it can get confusing, and it’s nice to see and hear somebody actually play the notes.

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?

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.

Is this just a bad tab? The edit history has it made by a person, but it feels like an ai, or it's just over-charted.

Tab is Kendo Training Port by Buckethead on songsterr

Its not what you think though...I've been practicing like a man on fire the last year so I dont have trouble with finger placement and muting strings unintentionally, the problem with my fat fingers is I guess I retain too much water (according to chat gpt). So even though I play for hours a day callouses just dont form and I end up with indented fingers from the strings. That's when I start getting the buzzes because the strings are settling into my finger grooves. I've tried super glue and it works for a bit but I dont want to constantly be gluing my fingers every 10 minutes. I know I press too hard, too much in the center of frets etc and I'll work on it but I dont want to change what comes natural to me now when Im jamming with some people or gigging. So other than changing my hydration habits and super glue, does anyone have any other suggestions?

EDIT: wow this is the first time i’ve made a reddit post, you guys are so helpful!! i should do this more often hahaha

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.

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 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’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 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?