Mike Boehler

so many questions..lol.. I've not heard of this "monthly recording challenge" however I'll cruise the site and check it out.. My immediate reaction is fright.. I've recorded myself singing and playing, and not to get too personal here, but imagine someone recorded a porn video of you and the first time you see it, you can not be fast enough to hit the delete button! That was me recording myself singing and playing. I need to investigate this recording challenge.. I have no clue what I would do, but I think I can do this as a challenge to overcome my stage fright (which I haven't even dealt with here yet).

I'm sorry for what you are going through.

Thanks! who didn't crack up when he said us older people "have less time in our day, and less time to live" haha.. Good info.. I love the tip on looping the difficult progression in a song, instead of playing the whole song over and over, simply play what makes you cringe to see until it works.. good stuff.

Diane, thank you so much for taking the time to do this research for me. I’ve left my guitar alone for a few days while I ponder my future with it. Ive read every reply many times. There is no question I make the fatal mistake of expectation. This is hard to battle as I know it’s a bad approach so I attempt to push it out of my mind. I think playing with others would begin to put the joy back in for me. Playing for my family has become more of a chore as they tolerate me when I play and that’s not how it’s supposed to feel. You probably noticed that I live in a rural area that doesn’t seem too musical but you hit the nail squarely on the head in finding that group I need to contact. Possibly winter has become too long here and my complacency has turned against me. I will reach out to this group and attempt to rejuvenate myself to do something good with this three year effort that I really would love to continue. Thank you everyone. This is a good group that I’ve just found and thank you for your help.

Just a random thought that maybe you are not lowering your wrist toward your left knee (if you are right handed) to create a bigger bend in your wrist to allow you to reach the lower strings better?

Hey thanks for taking time for that reply. That is a pretty good insight and I know this is likely a struggle most feel at some point during training. After three years I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever be a guitar player. There is always tomorrow and I’m sure I’ll be at it again tired of being the worst guitar player to walk in my local guitar center

Sometimes I wonder if its the journey or the destination. The journey seems to be a life long commitment, which I knew when I signed on. However sometimes it gets a bit daunting when you don't take any time to actually enjoy your own music. Its text books, learning DVD's, YouTube teachers, etc..... I've been playing for three years, I only play alone, as I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to play with someone else even though I've attempted it several times which ends awkward and unmusical. At 55 years old, I sometimes wonder what the point is. Then, much like having your best drive on the 18th hole, I'm back at it. Who gets this?

Thank you folks..

I'm going to cruise my way around here before asking any questions, but happy to be a part of it. Mike