New beginner YouTube channel - Let's see if I can go from dreadful to not bad

[ShawnE]

Hey all, I'm Shawn, 38 & fresh to the guitar.

Yesterday was my very first day at getting stuck in (probably spent a little too long at it - finger tips feel like I burned them on a stove!).

I spent my first hour awkwardly & awfully strumming between D & A chords, but hey, I'm excited for the months ahead.

I intend to follow the tried, tested & trusted Justin Guitar lessons to see if I can get myself going.

Looking back on this first video I can already see the importance of reallyyyyyy slowing every thing right down & it reinforces the need to let things naturally develop in its own time - today, day 2, was a very minor improvement, so I call that a small win already.

Oh, and I need to get to grips with holding the pick properly.

I can highly recommend recording yourself practicing if you don't already!

I noticed there's not a great deal of content around showcasing absolute beginners & it's clear to see why - seasoned amateurs & pros tend to sound a lot better!

So, I decided to start this channel to not only periodically document my own progress from the very first day, but because I thought it may also be useful & intriguing for other beginners to watch both now & further down the line.

A sort of way to truly realise that we're not alone all frustrated & wondering if things could ever possibly get better.

Well, I'm going to find out if they do, anyway!

If you fancy offering motivation, encouragement, tips, a chat etc. do feel free to follow along!

[phavriluk]

Early days? Put the camera away and both learn how to effectively practice, and go practice. It will also do you wonders to work with an experienced teacher to avoid developing bad habits and positively develop good ones.

Learning to play takes LOTS of concentration and care. First is to learn how to practice, and for how long, in each session. Working on developing a whole heap of psychological understanding will be useful.

Read Malcolm Gladwell for perspective.

Welcome, and good luck.

[JackC1]

Originally Posted by ShawnE

I noticed there's not a great deal of content around showcasing absolute beginners & it's clear to see why - seasoned amateurs & pros tend to sound a lot better!

If you go to https://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com/, you can browse all the beginner progress you want (with many folks having several years of progressive videos; you can watch their improvements and sometimes struggles with illness and family-time too because many comment on more than just post videos of their performances). It's an online, self-teach guitar site where people post their performances for feedback.

The site is worth checking out if you are self-teaching guitar. Self-teach, even with Justin Guitar's wonderful content, is really hard without critical feedback.

[ShawnE]

Originally Posted by phavriluk

Early days? Put the camera away and both learn how to effectively practice, and go practice. It will also do you wonders to work with an experienced teacher to avoid developing bad habits and positively develop good ones.

Learning to play takes LOTS of concentration and care. First is to learn how to practice, and for how long, in each session. Working on developing a whole heap of psychological understanding will be useful.

Read Malcolm Gladwell for perspective.

Welcome, and good luck.

Thank you for the input, greatly appreciated & massively agree with regards to learning how to effectively practice. Introducing an in-person teacher early on to evade bad habits & develop good ones is also a strong shout I'll explore.

Though I'm afraid I'll still be getting out the camera from time to time to document the ongoing journey, signs of progress, pinpoint weaknesses & garner general feedback. A visual diary of sorts & a small investment in time (I'm a photographer so I already work with cameras daily) that I truly believe my future older self (& maybe kids) will be glad exists.

[TBman]

+1 on no self progress daily video. Concentrate on learning, not putting on a show. Take 6 months of lessons so you start off right. Videos are only helpful to a point and you can't ask questions that pertain to you with immediate feedback.

[ShawnE]

Originally Posted by JackC1

If you go to https://www.classicalguitardelcamp.com/, you can browse all the beginner progress you want (with many folks having several years of progressive videos; you can watch their improvements and sometimes struggles with illness and family-time too because many comment on more than just post videos of their performances). It's an online, self-teach guitar site where people post their performances for feedback.

The site is worth checking out if you are self-teaching guitar. Self-teach, even with Justin Guitar's wonderful content, is really hard without critical feedback.

Thanks Jack - I wasn't aware of this site, should prove a great resource! Appreciate you taking the time to link me up with it!

[ShawnE]

Originally Posted by TBman

+1 on no self progress daily video. Concentrate on learning, not putting on a show. Take 6 months of lessons so you start off right. Videos are only helpful to a point and you can't ask questions that pertain to you with immediate feedback.

Cheers! Certainly won't be daily, more likely to be ad hoc - bi-weekly, monthly or something. I'm only alive once - I want all of this to visually look back on, plus I believe it could go on to help inspire other beginners several years down the line if I can nail it. The only thing I plan to do daily is the practice - and with lot's of that concentration! I like the sound of a minimum 6 solid months of teaching/practice with a proficient teacher. I appreciate that!

[JonPR]

I think this is a great idea, certainly for your own progress, but I agree with uploads maybe once a week at most, even every two weeks.
But the most useful thing is getting feedback, which is why you should post links here as soon as you upload.

And obviously make sure the camera shows both hands clearly - especially when there is something specific you're having trouble with. You can zoom right in from the angle you're using there. We don't need to see your face (no offence!), and we also don't need a lot of talking other than comments on the details of what you are doing. I.e., save us as much time as you can.

I am a teacher, but I can't promise to always give an immediate response - or even any response. Otherwise I would be charging you...

[phavriluk]

OP says he wants to play better. Making videos adds nothing to achieving that goal and the distraction of video creation takes time and concentration away from the primary goal.

In the famous words of Reverend Johnson in Blazing Saddles, 'Son, you're on your own'.

[Riverwolf]

For a long time, maybe the first 5-10 years I kept a daily log of my practice.
I made my own spreadsheets on Excel.
This also kept me honest about what I practiced and for how long.
I still have these and sometimes look back through them.
Note; I have always counted playing/practicing a song as "practice".

[Jdogblues]

I personally used instagram to document here and there when I started playing again in 2020. Ended up making some friends there and in the real world with a few respected artists. Even got to the point where I played a guest set at one of their gigs. So I don't think your channel is the worst idea. Social media can be a waste of time, but also a great networking tool. That said I am terrible at making videos and after finally performing in front of people...thats what I really want to do. I really don't know if this has any relevance to what you're trying to accomplish, but I'm not going to tell you to put your camera away for 6 months to practice. Have fun with your journey.

[ShawnE]

Originally Posted by JonPR

I think this is a great idea, certainly for your own progress, but I agree with uploads maybe once a week at most, even every two weeks.
But the most useful thing is getting feedback, which is why you should post links here as soon as you upload.

And obviously make sure the camera shows both hands clearly - especially when there is something specific you're having trouble with. You can zoom right in from the angle you're using there. We don't need to see your face (no offence!), and we also don't need a lot of talking other than comments on the details of what you are doing. I.e., save us as much time as you can.

I am a teacher, but I can't promise to always give an immediate response - or even any response. Otherwise I would be charging you...

Thanks Jon! I'm now on the hunt for a great local teacher so to be honest I'll get most of my feedback from those in-person lessons - any extra from these vids would just be an added bonus.

I'm mostly doing this so that I have an ongoing visual diary of the journey to look back on & also because I think it'll always be a super helpful collection of content for other beginners if they happen across it & choose to watch.

I'll be able to discuss things like the frustration & roadblocks I'm hitting, how I'm overcoming things, any useful stuff I'm learning along the way. Things that I'd be super interested in watching right now as a beginner myself.

[ShawnE]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

For a long time, maybe the first 5-10 years I kept a daily log of my practice.
I made my own spreadsheets on Excel.
This also kept me honest about what I practiced and for how long.
I still have these and sometimes look back through them.
Note; I have always counted playing/practicing a song as "practice".

That's a great idea - and like you say, something you can always look back on.
I'm excited for those days of the future where I can begin enjoying song practicing as "practice"..!

[ShawnE]

Originally Posted by Jdogblues

I personally used instagram to document here and there when I started playing again in 2020. Ended up making some friends there and in the real world with a few respected artists. Even got to the point where I played a guest set at one of their gigs. So I don't think your channel is the worst idea. Social media can be a waste of time, but also a great networking tool. That said I am terrible at making videos and after finally performing in front of people...thats what I really want to do. I really don't know if this has any relevance to what you're trying to accomplish, but I'm not going to tell you to put your camera away for 6 months to practice. Have fun with your journey.

That's awesome, I can only imagine how actually performing in front of people can take things to the next level! At the moment I don't have any desire to get in front of people in a live setting & perform. Who knows, maybe with time, as I was a budding singer many years ago. Right now I just want to slowly learn how to play this beautiful instrument & use my learning experience to help others both now & in the future. I appreciate your input!

[ShawnE]

This week I continue just strumming between D & A chords but also introduce some music to the practice sessions! Makes the D & A chord change practice far less tedious! Looking forward to learning the E chord & adding that to my practice from now onwards.