I am a beginner in need of some help

Hi- My name is Ann. I am an older beginner-67. I live in Adelaide, South Australia. I have an acoustic steel guitar and an electric Strat type guitar. I have learnt a few open strings from YouTube etc. I am trying to get faster. People tell me to use a metronome. But I am not sure yet of the chord shapes and positions and keep going wrong so a metronome stresses me at this stage. I still have to look where my fingers are going, alot. People tell me I must not do that- I must do it all by feel. But I keep going wrong. Also on both guitars I must lift off wrongly on some chords as there is a buzzing when I change to another chord eg changing from a G or a D and sometimes A. Today I have started on the Complete Beginners first lesson with Lisa McCormick- she seems lovely. Does anyone have any advice for me?

Hi Ann, I have found that with practice eventually you will get to the point of playing a chord with out looking at the strings. Muscle memory will kick in and you will find that each chord will get easier over time. I honestly believe using a metronome is very important right from the start. I used a metronome using one string and one fret at a time when I first started out, it will pay off for you in the long run. I hope you stick with it.

Hi Ann,

so glad you are here! My Beginners Course is very thorough, and very step-by-step. I think you’ll find it will help you a lot, and guide you as to what skills you should be working on, and which ones can wait for later (like, not looking at your hands, etc.) it’s perfectly fine to look at your hands at this point! I hope you’ll go throug the course and let the process unfold naturally - many people have been very happy with the results.

Have fun -Lisa

Hi Ann, welcome! I second Lisa's suggestion. Her beginner lessons are excellent and break it down so that it is managable.

I am viewing my guitar journey as being a journey, not a race.

also, Time if a four letter word with two meanings:

T-Things

I- I

M-Must

E-Earn

and

T-This

I- I

M-May

E-Enjoy

The first (Things I Must Earn) relates to simply practicing and the second (This I May Enjoy) relates to the results of practicing. Even just getting my first chord down without looking brought me joy.

Stick with Lisa's lessons, you can't go wrong and will, over time, be able to form a chord without looking down.