I spent the first week after the guitar lesson practicing. An hour on Friday and Saturday, 30 minutes on Sunday and Monday, 45 minutes on Tuesday, an hour on Wednesday, and 20 minutes prior to Thursday’s lesson.
Fingers were sore the first couple of days but that’s to be expected.
As I progressed, it seems like I got better. I did my practicing of the basic stuff without looking and always standing. The scales weren’t too hard. The alternating picking (EDAGDBGE then back EGBDGADE) was easier going down the strings than going up. Chords were also pretty easy.
One of the reasons for the lessons is the same reason you might go to class. Anyone can read a book and learn from it as well. That’s pretty much how I learn how to do computer stuff. Teachers give you perspective as well as tips and thoughts on how to better do a task for you.
So Chords for instance. While I can learn Am, Em, C, D, and G, I wouldn’t necessarily know that these are the ones I should start with. And I wouldn’t necessarily catch on that there are pivots that help with transition between the chords. Am to Em is lift the index finger and shift the next to one string higher. G to D leaves your ring finger on the B string and shifts your index and middle from EA to DE and lift your pinkie. Am to C is just shift your ring finger down a fret.
It sounds complicated but it isn’t once you start doing it.
So I was ready for my lesson.